1950-1959
Chronological History Home
Dean of Science Francois Gilfillan teaching Russian, ca. 1943.
In 1943, OSC was one of the first of seven colleges and universities to participate in the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP), which was designed to give military personnel advanced training in engineering, communications and foreign languages. Gilfillan, who had introduced Russian language study to the college's foreign languages curriculum a few years prior, taught it as part of the ASTP curriculum. Other languages taught in the ASTP program included Chinese, Portugese, Spanish, French and German. [OSU Archives #935.]
Frank Llewellyn Ballard, B.S., (July 1, 1940–September 10, 1941), appointed by the Oregon State Board of Higher Education as the eighth president of Oregon State College (the first graduate of Oregon State College to become president – Class of 1916) following the retirement of President Peavy. Ballard had a long career with the Oregon State College Extension Service. He served just over one year as president because of illness. Associate Director of Extension Service 1945–1961; Associate Director Emeritus 1961–1971.
Seafoods Laboratory facility established in Astoria.
Enrollment: 4,759.
Population in Corvallis: 8,392; in Benton County: 18,629; in Oregon: 1,089,684.
Francois Archibald Gilfillan, B.S., Ph.G., Ph.C., Ph.D. (September 10, 1941–October 14, 1942), Dean of the School of Science, appointed acting president. Gilfillan's career at OSC spanned more than 60 years, as a student (B.S. in Pharmacy, 1918), Professor of Chemistry (1927-1939) Dean of Science (1939-1962), and Dean Emeritus (1962-1983).
Oregon Forest Products Laboratory established.
Library (now Kidder Hall) addition completed.
Major in Mining Engineering restored on January 27.
August Leroy Strand, B.S., M.S., Ph.D., LL.D. (October 15, 1942-August 22, 1961), appointed by the Oregon State Board of Higher Education as the ninth president of Oregon State College. Strand came to Oregon State College from Montana State College where he had been president for five years. President Emeritus, 1961-1980.
Pacific Coast Conference's 1941 football champion Oregon State College upset Duke 20-16 in the Rose Bowl, played on January 1, 1942 in Durham, North Carolina instead of Pasadena, California, because of the outbreak of war with Japan. It has been Oregon State's only Rose Bowl victory to date.
KOAC celebrated its enlargement to 5,000 watts of daytime service and twenty years on the air on October 16.
Dean of Administration (E.B. Lemon, Dean, 1943-1959) established in July.
Instruction in Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) begun on March 29. First graduates (11 certificates of completion) on September 29.
In its 75th year after dedication as a state college: enrollment--4,743 (summer-660); degrees conferred--611; library collection--193,479 volumes.
Division of Business and Industry established (in 1945 the name changed to the School of Business and Technology). A new business major and secretarial science major organized.
Faculty Council met for first time on March 9 (became the Faculty Senate in 1956).
A. D. Taylor's second campus plan presented.
Veterans Testing Bureau organized by Dr. Robert R. Reichart (predecessor of the Counseling Center).
Naval ROTC established.
CH2M engineering company founded by OSC engineering professor Fred Merryfield and three of his former OSC students – Holly Cornell, Thomas Hayes, and Jim Howland. Now known as CH2M HILL, it is the largest environmental engineering company in the U.S.
Oregon State College Foundation incorporated on October 15 as a nonprofit corporation.
State employee's retirement act became effective.
Industrial Building completed.
Sackett Hall (residence hall) completed.
Adair Tract (6200 acres) acquired for research and teaching by the Schools of Forestry and Agriculture. This later became known as the Dunn Forest.
Summer school session reduced to eight weeks.
Air Force ROTC established on July 1 (today, OSU is one of only 33 universities in the United States that offer officer training in all the major branches of military service).
Dearborn Hall completed.
International students: 107 from 24 different countries.