150 Years Ago ... in 1847:
* Benton County was established.

Map of Benton County in 1847. Benton County was established on December 23, 1847, the seventh county formed in the area that became the Oregon Territory in 1848. The county originally encompassed an area of 18,660 square miles -- from Polk County to the California border. Benton County was reduced to its current size of 679 square miles in 1893. [Courtesy of the Benton County Historical Society]

125 Years Ago ... in 1872:
* Military science instruction began.

Corvallis College Cadets in formation, ca. 1872. Instruction in military science and tactics began in 1872 as required of all land-grant institutions and all "state" students were required to drill once a day. [OSU Archives #1344]

100 Years Ago ... in 1897:
* Thomas M. Gatch became OAC President.

President Thomas M. Gatch, ca. 1897. Thomas Milton Gatch was appointed the Oregon Agricultural College president in 1897 because of his vast experience in higher education. He had previously presided over Willamette University (1860-1865 and 1870-1880) and the University of Washington (1887-1895). He retired in 1907 (at the age of 74) to his estate near Seattle. [OSU Archives P100:73]

90 Years Ago ... in 1907:
* OAC began playing intercollegiate baseball.

1907 OAC Baseball Team. Oregon State began playing intercollegiate baseball on the varsity level in 1907. Coached by F. C. McReynolds, who may have been an OAC music instructor, the 1907 team had a 5-win, 2-loss record in its initial season, including a 1-1 record against the University of Oregon. [OSU Archives, P3:6546.]

First KOAC radio transmitter, 1922. Physics Professor Jacob Jordan (second from left) built the radio transmitter for the 50-watt station. It was inititally licensed as KFDJ and became KOAC in 1925. KOAC is a now a station of the Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) network.
[OSU Archives #598]

OAC Little Orchestra in the radio studio, 1925. Each Friday evening from 8 to 9 o'clock, a musical program was broadcast live from the KOAC studio. Photograph by John Garman. [OSU Archives #598]

Dick Mote band in KOAC studio, 1935. Dick Mote's campus dance band participated in the Associated Women's Students' etiquette program, "Half Hour of Good Taste." The band, also known as the "Greater Oregon Staters," began performing a popular weekly radio show in 1933. [OSU Archives #598]

50 Years Ago ... in 1947:
* OSC Foundation was formed.

Priscilla Jennings, 1955. The first full-tuition scholarship was awarded by the Oregon State College Foundation to Priscilla Jennings of Redmond in 1955, eight years after it's establishment in 1947. Jennings entered OSC as a freshman in 1955 and graduated in 1959 with a BS degree in Home Economics. [OSU Archives P82:91 neg. 1909]

Benny the Beaver and the Rally Squad, 1952. Benny the Beaver made his live debut on September 18, 1952 when Benny was introduced by the Rally Squad to the Oregon State College student body. At the end of the basketball season in 1953, Ken Austin was revealed to be the first costumed Benny Beaver mascot.
[OSU Archives P17:32]

Columbus Day Storm, 1962. On October 12th, a severe windstorm (75 mph sustained winds) moved inland from the Pacific Ocean and caused $50,000 damage to the OSU campus. Fifty five trees were destroyed and another 43 were damaged, including many in the Memorial Union Quadrangle. Photograph by John Garman.
[OSU Archives P95:457]

College Bowl team, 1962. Four of OSU's top students competed on the popular General Electric College Bowl Sunday evening television program, broadcast live from New York: Clifford R. Dempster, Judy Wicks Torgerson, Gary Ford, and Fran Freeman. The OSU team beat it's first opponent, Manhattanville College of New York, on Sunday evening, November 25th, and the University of New Mexico the following Sunday. OSU's team was eliminated by the University of Virginia the following week, but brought back $3500 in scholarship funds for the university. [OSU Archives #1644]

25 Years Ago ... in 1972:
* Professor Harold Evans was elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

Professor Harold J. Evans, ca. 1972. Plant physiologist Harold Evans injects bacterial extract into a tightly sealed, oxygen-free test tube. In 1972, Evans was the first OSU faculty member elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors a U.S. scientist can receive. Evans studied processes related to nitrogen fixation. He became professor in the Botany and Plant Pathology Department in 1961, received OSU's Distinguished Professor Award in 1988, and retired later that year. [OSU Archives P120:5166]

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