Posted: Tuesday, July 18, 2006 12:00 am
R.C. Wilson's contributions to Corvallis can be found all around us - literally.
If you've lived in the Benton County area for any amount of time, you've likely been inside and are familiar with many of the structures that Wilson and his company constructed beginning in the 1950s.
The list is lengthy, including the two main buildings at the Corvallis Clinic, Philomath Family Medicine, parts of Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, Cheldelin Middle School, Philomath High School, and parts of Garfield Elementary and the old Corvallis High School.
At Oregon State University, he built the Wayne Burt Oceanography Building and Hawley Hall, along with additions to the pharmacy building, forestry lab and the student health center.
There was Grace Lutheran Church and repairs to the Oakville Church after the Columbus Day storm in 1962; and the Children's Farm Home Chapel and First United Methodist Church after they were damaged by fires. He built and owned the Circle 9 shopping center, featuring Rite Aid and Richey's Market.
When he wasn't building it, Wilson often was enlisted by community leaders to help further a public project. For example, he and former OSU president Robert MacVicar teamed up to help promote the bond measure that led to the expanded Corvallis-Benton County Public Library.
Wilson also served on the board of the Benton County Foundation, including two years as its president. Through the foundation he created two funds, one in memory of his late first wife, Patricia, benefits OSU students who belong to her sorority, Alpha Gamma Delta; the other supports the public library. He also created a scholarship fund in OSU's College of Engineering, from which he graduated in 1950.
Despite all these prominent accomplishments, many will remember Wilson most for his gracious manner and the way he worked behind the scenes to better the community. He was highly regarded for his ability to work with a variety of people with different interests to move the community forward.
"He was a man who cared a great deal about Corvallis," said Mayor Helen Berg. "He wanted Corvallis to be a really good place to live."
At this, we believe, Wilson succeeded immensely, leaving a better community for generations of residents to enjoy and in which to thrive.