MAYOR TOM ELLIS – THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE
The Adventure of a Lifetime
A committed public servant and United States Coast Guard veteran, Mayor Tom Ellis has had experiences with stories that could amaze. His enlistment took him around the world, taking in everything from places such as Hawaii, Alaska, South America, New Zealand, and Antarctica while working closely with scientists and fellow servicemen. He looks back on his many experiences with fondness, viewing them as both a lifetime adventure and a monument to his dedication. Now as the respected Mayor of Happy Valley, Ellis brings his vast experience to serve the city and its residents with determination and strong commitment.
He began his Coast Guard journey immediately out of high school in 1972. With the odds of being drafted high, he and his buddies decided that if they were going to get called, they wanted to choose where they went. With a history of family members being in some sort of sea service, he felt more inclined to join the Coast Guard.
“The first ship I was on was a cutter, and those were 255 feet; they had a big gun on them and everything we needed onboard,” he said. “And mainly what the Coast Guard used them for was search and rescue, which was at the time our top priority.” Ellis was on two cutters for roughly a year before being transferred to an icebreaker ship, beginning his embarkment on his Coast Guard service around the world.
Out of the destinations he hit, his trip to Antarctica held significant memories, both professionally and recreationally. While there, the main mission was to get the freighter and the tanker down to McMurdo Station to work alongside scientists and assist them in their work. “I remember one time they put a net over the side and kind of used our ship like a fishing boat and dragged the bottom and brought this stuff up,” he said. “There was stuff in there that I’d never seen before. It was like science fiction.”
There was other native wildlife he crossed paths with, including seals, killer whales, and most enjoyably, penguins. Because the Antarctic is quite barren, there was only so much to do “for fun”, but every so often, the icebreakers would stop for the men to play some recreational football and sometimes the penguins would try to join in. “The Adélie Penguins were very curious, and they would always come around,” he recalls. “A lot of times they’d be trying to steal the ball. They weren’t afraid of people, so they would come up right next to you with no fear.”
He also ventured up to the Arctic and experienced other kinds of animals that one could only dream of seeing in the wild. “There were walruses, and seals and lots of polar bears,” he said. “When we’d be cruising in the ice, off in the distance you’d see a polar bear running around the ice and sometimes we’d get right up next to them and look right down at them. And then the walrus, they would lay on big pieces of ice that were floating around and sun themselves, so they’d be hanging around all the time.”
While on all the months long trips, the icebreaker visited many places. “We went to Hawaii. Then we went to two places in New Zealand, Auckland, and Christchurch, then we went down to Antarctica,” he said. “On the way back, we stopped in Valparaíso, Chile. Then we went to Lima, Peru. Then we went to Mazatlán, Mexico, San Diego, and then back to Seattle.” Although there was occasional recreation and downtime, he continued with his duties of radar and navigation as well as assisting the scientists.
While serving, he crossed the Equator, the International Dateline, and the Arctic and Antarctic Circles, awarding him plaques for each.
After four years of serving, he returned to work for a few years before relocating to Massachusetts, where he resided for a decade. In the early 1990s, he moved back to Oregon, settling in Gresham. Approximately 20 years ago, he made another move, this time to Happy Valley. There, he became involved in local governance, first serving on the Planning Commission for around six years. In 2011, he was appointed to the City Council, and later, in 2018, he was elected to the position of mayor of Happy Valley.
Mayor Tom Ellis has led a remarkable life serving his country and community. From his early days in the Coast Guard, where he traveled the globe, to his current role as the mayor, Ellis has always approached his duties with commitment. Reflecting on his experiences, he cherishes the memories of his service. While he may not have seen combat like some of his fellow veterans, Ellis found fulfillment in his many encounters, never harboring regrets. “It’s something I can look back on and be proud of,” he said. “And I’m too old now, but if they called me and asked, ‘You want to go to Antarctica?’ I couldn’t get on the plane fast enough.”