Columnists

Life in Corvallis was getting back to normal after the biggest celebration ever for our town, the Corvallis centennial in 1957.

But the year before Castro became the dictator of Cuba and Alaska and Hawaii became states, something unusual happened in our home town.

Nothing ever really daunted the fearless firemen of Corvallis over the years. They had always charged in where angels feared to tread. And they were ever ready to drop whatever they were doing and rush to the aid of folks in peril, but no one ever prepared them for the kind of national acclaim they received in 1959, because of one fearless fireman and one quick thinking clever photographer.

It was a balmy Corvallis day in the summer of 1958 and volunteer fireman Norman Carpenter was washing his car wearing nothing but his bathing suit when the alarm sounded. He hesitated not, grabbed his fireman's coat, boots and hat and hurried off to do his duty ready to face whatever danger he encountered.

GT photographer Marvin Niccum also hurried to the scene to capture this photo. Not much was said after the photo appeared in the GT. People thought it was cute. But the following year it was selected out of 3,000 entries as the best feature picture in America for 1958 by NED (the National Editorial Association.)

The photo received wide national attention and was seen by millions of people all over the country.

Not since the Beavers had won the 1942 Rosebowl by defeating the Duke University blue Devils in 1942 had Corvallis received so much national attention.