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House to benefit OSU's Research and Extension Center The letter from the West Linn School District came as a surprise. When Jack Parker, '41, open it, he sighed. He and his wife, Joan, would have to move. The school district had voted to buy their property, which was adjacent to the school, using the power of eminent domain. They would have two years to negotiate a selling price with the city and find a new home. After looking around at some real estate, they decided to move to Aurora. "We loved the lot we found," Jack Parker said, "but the house that was on it didn't fit our needs, it being a two story and having stairs, so we said, 'Let's build the house we want.'" That left the Parkers with a problem. The original house on the Aurora lot was practically new. Would they have to tear it down? The Parkers considered their options and decided to contact a structural moving contractor. "The company offered us one dollar for the house and said they would move it for free, just as a convenience for us," Joan Parker said. "But then we found out OSU was next door. So we asked ourselves, do we take the dollar, or do we donate the house to our good friends across the property line?" Once they had decided, a few obstacles remained. A soggy field lay between the house's original foundation and the place where the North Willamette Research and Extension Center (NWREC) needed the building. Emmert International, the company bidding on the move, would have to build a grid of large I-beams under the house and construct a makeshift road out of metal pads to prevent the house from sinking into the mud. The company estimated the price of the job around $60,000, a cost that could have prevented the gift. The Parkers were determined, however, that the house not be wasted. Jack contacted Emmert International to see if the moving cost could be negotiated. "When they found out the house was going to OSU, they knocked about 30 percent off the price," Jack said. The Parkers decided to cover the remainder. Coincidentally, Ron Mobley, superintendent of NWREC, had just submitted a proposal to the OSU Foundation to raise money to build much-needed office space and housing for graduate students just before he heard about the Parker house. "It has a basic floor plan that we can use," Mobley said. "It fits our needs really well." "The thing married together amazingly. It worked for everybody," Jack Parker added. The house offers NWREC more than 3,000 square feet, which will be used for office space, a library and reading room, and study areas. The graduate student housing will include bedrooms, a bathroom and access to kitchen facilities. "The front part of the house will be ready as soon as we hook the utilities up," Mobley said, "but we still need to raise funds to remodel the garage area. Dean Dutson and the College of Agricultural Sciences have been very supportive. They realize the value of the house and promise to cover some costs." Faculty and students at NWREC conduct research on nursery, berry and vegetable crops, develop water utilization systems and production systems, and conduct variety testing. Mobley says the value of the NWREC's research to Oregon's economy was about $40 million dollars last year. "A key reason is because it was research that was implemented by the agricultural community. Our priorities are determined by industry input," Mobley says. "That ensures that the work we do is practical and more likely to affect the community." Mobley points to one NWREC project that has saved water utilization by about 30 percent for nurseries, an effort that has had a positive effect on cities' demand for water and on salmon restoration. The station will increase both the number of graduate student researchers and the number of summer interns because of the Parkers' gift. "It's important that students get practical experience, like driving the tractor and pulling weeds," Mobley says. "When they submit their resume for a first job, if they've had some practical experience, that enhances their probability for employment." "I'm fascinated by the work they are doing," Jack said. "It's a worthy cause--they do lots of research that really helps both students and the community." "It makes us feel good to be able to help them out," Joan added. Jack, a 1941 civil engineering graduate, is the son of Charlie Parker, the engineer who spearheaded the campaign to build a modern football stadium on OSU's campus in the 1950s and 1960s. -Steven Lont
Court honors donor's last gift When Mildred Hamilton, a longtime donor to the Linus Pauling Institute (LPI), died, she left Gordon Meyers, the executor of her estate, an unforeseen problem. The 83-year-old woman had already written her will and made her estate planning decisions. But, before she died, she wrote two last checks: a high school graduation gift to her granddaughter and a $20,000 gift to the Linus Pauling Institute at OSU with the words "final contribution" written on the memo line. She gave the graduation check to her daughter and stamped, addressed and sealed the envelope for LPI. Unfortunately, before her granddaughter deposited the money and before the check for LPI made it into the mail, she passed away. So Gordon Meyers had a dilemma: should the $20,000 plus in outstanding checks be split between the charities and individuals specified in Hamilton's will? Or should the money go to LPI and her granddaughter? Did the fact that Hamilton didn't mail the check mean she had changed her mind about a final contribution to LPI? Meyers, however, was convinced that Hamilton wanted the money to support the work of LPI, and he was willing to go to court to defend that interest. "We basically showed evidence that she intended to make the gift. There was no protest from the residuary beneficiaries, and the judge agreed," Meyers said. In the end, the judge ordered that the two outstanding checks be reissued, honoring the wishes of Hamilton and benefiting the Linus Pauling Institute. "I think it's wonderful that the court decided in our favor," said Balz Frei, director of the Linus Pauling Institute. "I am grateful to Mrs. Hamilton for her gift and to Mr. Meyers for his thoughtfulness and perseverance." |
