The Port Remembers Beloved Former Commissioner John Love
The Port of Whitman County mourns the passing of former Commissioner John E. Love (1932-2021), whose 24 years of board service transformed the Port into the multi-dimensional economic development agency of today.
Love joined the Port Commission in January 1996 after winning a three-way election in 1995 to replace the retiring 18-year veteran Robert Heglar. He would retain his position – and shape the business landscape of Whitman County – until his retirement in July 2020.
“John brought his many skills as president of the J.E. Love Company, retired rear admiral in the United States Navy and board member for various manufacturing associations, capital investment firms and civic organizations to lead the Port of Whitman County,” said Port Executive Director Joe Poire. “His statesmanship and care for everyone he worked with shaped all our lives.”
Over the course of Love’s tenure, the Port experienced unprecedented growth. Love’s leadership was instrumental in several of the Port’s major accomplishments, including:
- Passage of SSB 665, which gave ports the legal authority to build telecommunications infrastructure in 2000
- Construction of a 300-mile dark fiber network from Spokane to Clarkston
- The purchase and revitalization of the former Colfax airport (now Port of Whitman Business Air Center), including $2 million in improvements
- Construction of Henley Court, a 13,829-square-foot home for business in Pullman
- Development of Pullman Industrial Park, which houses some of the region’s top employers today
- Expansion of Boyer Park & Marina
“It has been one of my life’s greatest pleasures to serve on this Commission for the past 24 years,” Love wrote in his retirement letter to the board. “Enacting policies that truly improve the lives of my fellow citizens of Whitman County has been both an honor and a privilege.”
For more history on Love’s career, please view these presentation slides from Love’s last Port Commission meeting on July 2, 2020.
To share online condolences or make a memorial donation, please visit Love’s memorial page.
