Ted Hansen, former ILWU Local 52 member and one of the Harry Bridges Center's most generous supporters, passed away the first week of May. He is survived by his wife of forty years, Doris.

Ted was practically raised on the Seattle waterfront by his late father, a gear man for the Western Stevedore Company. After graduating from West Seattle High School in 1945, Ted served in the U.S. Marine Corps in the 1940s and later attended Seattle University.

In 1955, Ted began working full time on the waterfront, retiring in 1989 after thirty-five years. As a checker, Ted was a member of ILWU Local 52, where he served several terms on the union’s executive board.

In 2004- 2005, Ted and his wife Doris chose to honor the livelihood given to them by the ILWU by establishing the Theodore L. and Doris M. Hansen Endowed Fund in Labor Studies at the University of Washington. 

The fund supports the educational activities of the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies with a particular emphasis on events and programs in South Central Seattle. In 2012, in recognition of their efforts, Ted and Doris received the 2012 Robert Duggan Distinguished Supporter in Labor Studies Award.