OSU Famous Oregon Staters

The first class to graduate from Oregon’s land-grant school was in 1870. Since then, OSU alumni have gone on to change the world in remarkable ways. Here are just a few examples.<br /> 

Terry Baker, 1963:
Baker is a former football and basketball player. He is the only athlete to win a Heisman Trophy and play in the Final Four. His senior year he was named to 11 All-America teams and won the Sportsman of the Year Award from Sports Illustrated magazine. — 1 of 5
Terry Baker, 1963: Baker is a former football and basketball player. He is the only athlete to win a Heisman Trophy and play in the Final Four. His senior year he was named to 11 All-America teams and won the Sportsman of the Year Award from Sports Illustrated magazine.
Oregon State University Library, Special Collections & Archive Research Center

Ken Austin, 1954:
Austin was one of the first rally squad members to dress up as Benny Beaver. He holds dozens of patents in the dental equipment industry. Austin and his wife, Joan, built A-dec, Inc., in their hometown of Newberg, Oregon, into the country's largest manufacturer of dental equipment. Today it is a multimillion dollar, international business. — 2 of 5
Ken Austin, 1954: Austin was one of the first rally squad members to dress up as Benny Beaver. He holds dozens of patents in the dental equipment industry. Austin and his wife, Joan, built A-dec, Inc., in their hometown of Newberg, Oregon, into the country's largest manufacturer of dental equipment. Today it is a multimillion dollar, international business.
Oregon State University Library, Special Collections & Archive Research Center

Mercedes Bates, 1936:
Bates was the head of the world-famous Betty Crocker Kitchens at General Mills, as well as the company's first-ever female corporate officer. She became known as the real-life “Betty Crocker,” a fictional character created to the market the company's numerous products. Under Bates' direction, the character evolved from an advertising symbol to an American cultural icon. — 3 of 5
Mercedes Bates, 1936: Bates was the head of the world-famous Betty Crocker Kitchens at General Mills, as well as the company's first-ever female corporate officer. She became known as the real-life “Betty Crocker,” a fictional character created to the market the company's numerous products. Under Bates' direction, the character evolved from an advertising symbol to an American cultural icon.
Oregon State University Library, Special Collections & Archive Research Center

Vance DeBar "Pinto" Colvig, 1911:
Colvig was the first Bozo the Clown for Capitol Records in the 1940s. A gifted voice-over and sound-effects artists, he did all sound effects for Jack Benny's radio show in the 1930s, as well as voiced the cartoon character "Goofy" for more than two decades. He also provided voices for many other cartoon characters and wrote the children’s song "Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf." — 4 of 5
Vance DeBar "Pinto" Colvig, 1911: Colvig was the first Bozo the Clown for Capitol Records in the 1940s. A gifted voice-over and sound-effects artists, he did all sound effects for Jack Benny's radio show in the 1930s, as well as voiced the cartoon character "Goofy" for more than two decades. He also provided voices for many other cartoon characters and wrote the children’s song "Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf."
Oregon State University Library, Special Collections & Archive Research Center