By George P. Edmonston Jr.

Editor's note: This chapter in our continuing series on important OSU alumni of the 20th century also contains profiles of a number of former students whose enrollment or graduation falls within the decades 1900-1930. They were brought to our attention only a few days ago by Alumni Association staff member Charlotte Williams and are included here because they are individuals whose careers did not begin to blossom until well into the 1940s, ’50s, or later. Our thanks to Ms. Williams for her valuable contribution to this series.

Cecil D. Andrus (attended 1952)...although several schools in the West stake a claim to Cecil Andrus, he did attend Oregon State in 1952 and was awarded the OSU Distinguished Service Award in 1980, one of the university's highest honors. Mr. Andrus served as governor of Idaho in 1970 and was secretary of the interior under President Jimmy Carter beginning in 1977.

George "Ken" Austin (1953)...along with wife Joan (pronouced "Jo-anne") is founder, president and co-owner of A-dec, one of the world's largest manufacturers of dental equipment, located in Newberg, Ore. Winner of numerous state, regional, and national business and public service awards, Ken Austin was the first student in school history to dress as "Benny Beaver" at student athletic and social functions. See also OSUAA Famous Alumni web site.

Frank H. Bartholomew (1922)...was president of United Press International from 1955 to 1962, then UPI president and chairman of the board from 1962 to 1972. Retired in 1979, deceased in 1985.

Mercedes Bates (1936)...one of the most important women to ever graduate from Oregon State, is credited with creating the American advertising icon "Betty Crocker" for General Mills. Her position for many years was that of vice president of the company, in addition to serving as the director of the Betty Crocker Food and Nutrition Center. She was named Home Economist of the Year in 1978 and retired in 1983. She is also one of the most significant alumni donors to Oregon State in the history of the school, contributing a multi-million dollar gift in the early 1990s to establish the nationally renowned Mercedes Bates Family Study Center on campus. See also Famous Alumni web site.

Al Bauer (1922)...one of the most famous engineers ever to graduate from OSU, came unto his own during the World War II years as general manager and chief engineer of "Oregon Ship," the first of three Henry Kaiser shipyards set up along the Willamette River in north Portland to build "Liberty Ships," the 10,500-ton cargo vessels used to transport supplies, equipment and personnel to the front. Bauer's facility was located near the St. John's Bridge, the other two being at Swan Island and on the Vancouver, Wash., side of the Columbia River. When Italian dictator Benito Mussolini declared that America could not build cargo ships in under three weeks, Bauer and his staff proved him wrong, launching 15 ships alone during the month of December 1942 at the rate of one every 10 days, shipbuilding records that have never been equaled. Bauer established a synchronized operation that had ship construction planned down to the individual bolt, as thousands of workers moved assembled pieces into a desired order and ready to be lifted quickly in place by huge traveling cranes set up at 11 different stations. Not only did Bauer construct Liberty Ships, he built the St. John's facility itself, starting with a 200-acre mud flat in January 1941, then completing over 20 major buildings in just five months to launch the facility's first Liberty Ship, the Star of Oregon, in September of the same year.

Jack R. Borsting (1951)...appointed CEO of the Department of Defense by Jimmy Carter in 1980. Also appointed to the Orbiter Aerospace Corporation's board of trustees in 1987. Was dean of the School of Business Administration at the University of Southern California.

Lindley Bothwell (1926)...came to OSU from Southern California in 1924 and is credited with inventing the animated card stunt performed at football games. His ingenious yelling sequences were also popular and well known. Was invited by Notre Dame's Knute Rockne, a summer faculty member at OSU during the 1920s, to become a member of Notre Dame's 1925 Rose Bowl cheerleading squad and accepted. Moved back to the San Fernando Valley and became one of wealthiest citrus growers of his generation, establishing his home at the Rancho Rinconada near Canoga Park, Calif., about 25 miles west and north of Los Angeles. In the 1940s, he owned or managed 34 citrus ranches and operated his own soil chemistry and bacti lab and was one of the state's best-known horse breeders and automobile collectors. Bothwell owned more than 50 collectible cars, including an 1898 Locomobile steamer, a 1910 racing Fiat that at one time held the world speed record (120 miles an hour in 1905), Henry Huntington's old limousine and Barney Oldfield's racing car. He also owned and used a small fleet of shells for rowing. He was married to another Oregon Stater, the former Marion Seale, class of 1928.

Lindley Bothwell

Donald L. Bower (1945)...was first president and CEO for Standard Oil of California, Chevron USA, in 1978. Served as vice chairman of the board of directors for the Standard Oil Company in 1979, then vice chairman of the Chevron Corporation in 1984 and vice chairman of the board, the Chevron Corporation, in 1985.

George Bruns (1936)...one of the leading musical composers working in Hollywood during a career that extended from the late 1930s to 1973, is best known for writing the music for "The Ballad of Davy Crockett," a pop-culture icon of 1950s America. He also wrote the musical score for the Christmas classic, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." For over 35 years, Bruns was the musical director for Walt Disney Productions and his 21 feature-film credits for Disney include such classics as "101 Dalmatians," "Sleeping Beauty," and the "Absent Minded Professor." See also Famous Alumni web site.

Marion Carl (1938)...acknowledged by most military historians as one of the top five fighter pilots of World War II and one of the most decorated. Retired to Roseburg, Ore., and was recipient of the Alumni Association's most prestigious alumni award, the E.B. Lemon Award in 1990. Killed at his home in 1998 while trying to defend his wife from an armed intruder. See Famous Alumni web site.

Kathleen Aston Casey-Johnson (1938)...editor of Glamour Magazine in 1954, with offices in New York City.

Ralph L. Cheek (1952)...became vice president of Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corporation in 1979 and was chairman and president of Imco Recycling, Inc., of Dallas, Texas.

James Howard Coe (1950)...was CEO of Meier & Frank from 1974 to 1984 and earlier served as personnel and operations manager for Calvin Klein of New York.

Ransom M. Cook (1923)...retired as president and chairman of the board of Wells Fargo Bank in 1972. Deceased in 1986.

Hollis M. Dole (1940)...assistant secretary of the interior in Nixon Sub-Cabinet in 1960. Also, a top executive in oil shale production with Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO).

M. Lowell Edwards

M. Lowell Edwards (1924)...another giant from OSU's long history of producing outstanding engineering graduates, is credited with co-inventing the first heart valve in the late 1950s. He was also the inventor of the Lande-Edwards artificial lung or blood oxygenator in 1971 and was founder of the American Edwards Lab in Orange County, Calif. First achieved a national reputation during World War II years by developing a gasoline pump that helped solve the problem of how to get gasoline to airplane engines operating at very high altitudes, a solution without which the Allies may not have been able to win the war. During his student days in Corvallis, he owned the best-known automobile on campus, affectionately known to his friends as "The Bug." Died in 1982 and was buried in a Quaker cemetery (Friends Cemetery) in Newberg, Ore.

Douglas Carl Engelbart (1948)...credited with inventing the computer mouse and split-screen windows for personal computers. Engelbart was honored with OSU's top alumni award, the E.B. Lemon Award, in 1987. See Famous Alumni web site.

John D. Gray (1940)...one of Oregon's legendary land developers, his credits include the resorts at Sunriver and Salishan in the 1960s and Portland's John's Landing in the 1970s.

Z. Wayne Griffin (1931)...famous Hollywood movie producer for MGM who was founder of the Los Angeles Master Chorale and TV producer of the "GE Theater," hosted by Ronald Reagan.

Donald E. Guinn (1954)...a nationally recognized communications executive. During his career, Guinn was vice president of AT&T in the 1970s, then chairman and CEO of Pacific Telephone and Telegraph in 1980, at that time California's largest utility.

Julia Butler Hansen (attended 1929)...congresswoman representing the state of Washington. In House of Representatives for 22 years. Was author and publisher of children's books. Retired in 1974 at age 78.

Edward B. Hart (1948)...president, CEO and chairman of the board of Payless Drug Stores, Northwest, Inc. Retired in 1978 after 41 years.

Milton Harris (1926)...another of the legendary chemical engineers from OSU. Milton Harris, a great benefactor to his alma mater late in life, is credited with many inventions and patents during his long career, particularly as vice president and director of research for Gillette and as founder and owner of Harris Research Labs. He is particularly noted for the role he played in developing home permanents, shrinkproof wool, polyester fabrics and coated razor blades. He was chairman of the board for the American Chemical Society in 1968 and later served as director of the Warner-Lambert Pharmaceutical Company in 1968. He was the recipient of the Priestley Medal in 1979 (America's highest chemistry award) and the E.B. Lemon Distinguished Alumni Award from OSU in 1984.

Jean Heather (attended 1940-41)...originally from Omaha, Neb., was a Hollywood movie actress during the 1940s, starring with some of the leading actors of the day. Her best-known movies include the Paramount productions, "Our Hearts Were Young and Gay," "Going My Way," the latter with Bing Crosby and Rise Stevens, "Double Indemnity," and "Murder, He Says." She transferred to the University of Washington in 1942 and early in the war was named "Canteen Dream Girl of the Northwest," by Marine, Navy, Army and Coast Guard camps in Washington state.

Jean Heather (Center)

James C. "Jim" Howland (1938)...one of the founders of CH2M HILL engineering firm. Other founders who were Oregon Staters included Holly Cornell (1938), and Burke Hayes (1938). Archie Rice (1941) joined the company a year after its founding and was an important part of the early success of the new venture. Clair Hill attended Oregon State in the early 1930s in forestry engineering, but graduated from Stanford in 1934. See the Famous Alumni web site.

John Kenny (1927)...was commanding officer of the world's largest bombardier school in Midland, Texas, during World War II and one of the world's leading authorities on the subject during his distinguished Army Air Corps career. Captained the 1925 OSU polo team to the West Coast championship.

Gene David Knudson (1939)...named one of the three top executives in the U.S. Forest Service in 1981, the year he retired. Knudson was for many years the top executive for Willamette Industries.

Robert Lundeen (1942)...from 1982 to 1986, Lundeen was chairman of the board of Dow Chemical USA and in 1987 was named chairman of the board of Textronix, Inc. He received the OSU Distinguished Service Award in 1983, the university's most prestigious recognition, given at commencement.

Keith R. McKennon (1955)...was group vice president for Dow Chemical in 1983, then president of Dow Chemical USA in 1986. Replaced Robert Lundeen.

Gladys Miller (1922)...one of America's top home planning consultants and interior designers. During her career, she was editor of New Homes Guide and Home Modernizing Guide. Became associate publisher of Building Products Guide in 1968. She won a Centennial Award from OSU in 1968 and was author of five books on home and commercial interior design.

Mark K. Miller (1949)...president of Boeing Aerospace Company, Seattle. Retired in 1990.

Maj. Gen. Richard A. Miller (1948)...adjutant general of the Oregon National Guard. Received the Legion of Merit, the Army's second highest peacetime award in 1978 and was president of the National Guard Association of the U.S. in 1976. Retired in 1987.

Ronald T. Miller (1941)...president of Northwest Natural Gas Company (now Northwest Natural) from 1975 to 1984, retiring as chairman of the board in 1988. Was instrumental in securing the clock that currently sits in the tower atop Benton Hall and has been a generous benefactor to his alma mater.

Glenn Odekirk

Glenn Odekirk (1927)...a prominent OSU engineer whose career is now almost lost to institutional memory. Odekirk during the 1930s and through World War II was the assistant to the president of Hughes Aircraft and had a very close, professional relationship with the man who was president, millionaire eccentric Howard Hughes. For several years, the two flew around the country together, testing the young OSU engineer's ideas and arguing constantly over the most trivial matters of airplane construction. It was Odekirk who carefully examined airplane after airplane during the 1930s to find the one Hughes eventually used to set his record-breaking round-the-globe flight of 91 hours. A plane Odekirk helped design during 1935 known to historians as the H-1 set a world speed record of 352.39 miles per hour in September of that year, beating Raymond Delmotte's (of France) record of 314.32 miles per hour. The plane was revolutionary for its time and was one of the first planes in history to sport retractable landing gear and special counterstruck screws and flat rivets to reduce wind resistance. Odekirk's most famous project was the work he contributed to the legendary Spruce Goose and was aboard when Hughes piloted the plane on its one and only flight on September 2, 1947.

James W. Poirot (1953)...chairman of the board of CH2M HILL from 1983 to 1995. Played a key role in the planning, financing and building of the CH2M HILL Alumni Center as chair of the long-range planning committee and as a member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors. In 1964, he was project manager for the redesign and reconstruction of the city of Valdez, Alaska, which had been destroyed by an earthquake in March of that year. Was past president of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Consulting Engineers Council. Member of the National Academy of Engineers and vice president of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations. Won the E.B. Lemon Distinguished Alumni Award from the OSU Alumni Association in 1999. Served on the advisory board of the OSU College of Engineering and on similar engineering boards at nine other universities. Has been a distinguished guest lecturer at over 30 universities. Also a member of the OSU Foundation Board of Trustees. Both Jim and his wife, Raeda, are licensed pilots.

Perry Pratt (1936)...was vice president and chief scientist for United Air Craft from 1961 to 1971.

H. Frank Ramsey (1938)...professional football player for Chicago Bears. Served on the National Board of Independent Coca-Cola Bottlers in 1979 and on the board of directors of the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame.

Clarence W. Richen (1935)...vice president, Crown Zellerbach Corp. beginning in 1967.

L. "Sam" Shoen (1943)...founder and chairman of the board of U-Haul Trailer Rentals.

Andrew V. Smith (1950)...president of Pacific Northwest Bell from 1978 until his retirement in 1989.

Loren L. "Stub" Stewart (1932)...one of America's legendary logging engineers, he was president of Bohemia Lumber Company from 1946 to 1976 and chairman of the board from 1985 to 1987. He won an OSU Distinguished Service Award in 1978. Along with brother Faye Stewart, also an outstanding forester and a member OSU's class of 1938, the two were among the most important benefactors to OSU of the 20th century. Faye won the E.B. Lemon Distinguished Alumni Award in 1993. The LaSells Stewart Center on campus is named in memory of their father and a testament to the love the two had for Oregon State.

John A. Young (1953)...president and CEO of Hewlett-Packard from 1978 to 1992. Joined the company in 1958 and after his retirement, formed a non-profit organization dedicated to the formation of information infrastructures for developement in the next century. He has served on numerous boards, including Wells Fargo, Chevron, Weyerhaeuser and the Stanford Research Institute. He was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering in 1991 and served as co-chairman of President Clinton's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology.

John A. Young

Orris W. Willard (1944)...senior vice president for Macy's of California beginning in 1974. Designed and constructed all Macy's buildings in California since 1946. Retired in 1987.

The list of OSU alumni included in this five-part series is not meant by the author to be all-inclusive. If you know of other alumni who deserve mention as "famous alumni," please contact George.Edmonston@orst.edu.