This story was produced by the Oregon Journalism Project, a nonprofit newsroom covering the state.
Robert Pamplin Jr. used to take pride in the vast wealth that made him one of Oregon’s leading philanthropists. He was once a fixture on the Forbes list of the 400 wealthiest Americans and the owner of 24 Oregon newspapers and Ross Island Sand & Gravel, the company that provided many of the raw materials that built Portland.
Today, Pamplin, 83, is just another guy who cannot seem to pay his bills—although new court filings show his financial obligations are a little bigger than the ones most Oregonians face…