Kupper, Charles 'Charley' 70 9/7/1939 12/17/2009 Charles Kupper, long and widely active in Oregon's urban revitalization profession, died in Portland Dec. 17, 2009. He was 70. Known to all as Charley, he was born in Philadelphia Sept. 7, 1939. He graduated from Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia and earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Following graduation, he served briefly in the U.S. Army Reserve. In the late 1960s, city planning and urban renewal work in America attracted many talented young who sought to address the decline of America's older cities. Following the suggestion of a mentor, Charley joined this cohort at the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority where he served as that agency's deputy development director. By the mid-1970s, personal and professional ties led to his recruitment by the city of Eugene to head its Renewal Agency. Charley's tangible legacy in Eugene includes the Hult Center for the Performing Arts and its associated public conference center and hotel. In 1986, Charley established his own consultancy specializing in urban renewal, community revitalization, economic development, job creation and the coordinated public and private investments which make such endeavors possible. His clients ranged from large cities and counties to numerous smaller communities on both sides of the Cascades and well off the beaten path of Interstate 5. More than 40 separate Oregon communities have benefited from Charley's professional experience and guidance over the past 30 years. Our state is a better place for this legacy. Charley married the love of his life, Cindy McCurdy, also a Pennsylvania native, in 1987. Their shared interests included entertaining and cooking (dirty rice was a signature dish); a well-crafted martini and mai tai; travels to New York; Santa Fe, N.M.; and Maui, Hawaii. Among their favorites were golf with good friends and listening to live jazz. Charley was a film buff who would offer his own critiques following the Academy Awards and who could quote extensive passages from old movies verbatim. He was an avid baseball fan and loved playing tennis in his younger years. Exploring Portland's ever-changing spectrum of restaurants and cuisines was another of the couple's abiding passions. A recent letter from a longtime East Coast friend speaks for the sentiment of many of his friends: "Now your visit here with us has an especially rich trove of good memories and meaning, not the least of which is the reminder that, sick or well, you are still the most marvelous raconteur we have ever known. Even during some of your shakier hours here, you had stories that you wound up with delicious and wicked good humor. You took us skating on your stories, as you always have, in funny, graceful curves along the edges of well-placed trademark clichés to the sudden and hilarious thump of the classic Kupper dénouements. What a treat, Charley. What a treat. And that's what having you as a friend all these years has been like too. What a treat." Charley always enjoyed a sophisticated, warm, clever conversation. Charley had many good friends and was a good friend to many. All will miss his thoughtfulness, intelligence, wit and love of life. He is survived by his wife, Cindy; and by his sister, Agnes Kennedy of Riverton, N.J. A celebration of Charley's life will be held on Jan. 10, 2010, in Portland. Remembrances in his memory to Best Friends Animal Society, 5001 Angel Canyon Rd., Kanab, UT 84741. Published in The Oregonian on December 27, 2009