Henry Portin Memorial Scholarship

Henry E. Portin was born in 1918 in Pioneer, WA (near Ridgefield, WA). The Pioneer Country Church was important to Henry since that’s where he grew to know Jesus better.

From humble beginnings in Pioneer, Henry became a leader in the radio/television industry. Henry started at a 250-watt radio station (KAST, in Astoria, OR) at age 21 (for $60 per month!). Soon after, Henry began his television news career at Tacoma’s KTNT. He continued to KIRO-TV and was part of the original news team when it went on the air in the early ‘50s. In 1961, he started his own company, Henry Portin Enterprises, a motion picture film business in Seattle. He wrote and produced more than 25 feature film documentaries and more than 30 institutional and industrial documentaries. Many significant mission outreach films raised money for nonprofits. In particular, the “Cry of Calcutta” raised money for a 100-bed hospital in Calcutta for Mark Buntain.

Henry had a long history with Northwest University (then Northwest College). He was friends with past-President D.V. Hurst and part of the Board of Directors. Sharon, his daughter, shared:

My father loved the church and Northwest College. They were his spiritual home; places where he liked to hangout, to volunteer and serve, to worship God, and reach out to others. If something was going on at Northwest College…he would do everything he could to be there for support and to help…He continually challenged us to do better, laugh more often, and experience life deeper. [The family] wishes to give back in memory of Henry, a living tribute to education and the school he loved so dearly.

Henry exemplified being cutting edge in the communications industry. This scholarship honors his entrepreneurial and innovative spirit by providing a scholarship to students pursuing communication studies. The family says that, “Henry was a lifelong learner and did not have a college degree, so he felt privileged to be part of other’s education. We hope the scholarship goes to a student who has dreams that may seem impossible to him/her at the moment, but with the inspiration of Henry’s life and a scholarship, the student will have a sense of hope that his/her dream is, in fact, possible.”

Henry passed away January 24, 2020. He was 81.