Benton County Foundation Records, 1947-2004

By Finding aid prepared by Megan Guerre.

Collection Overview

Title: Benton County Foundation Records, 1947-2004

Predominant Dates: 1953-1975

ID: MSS BentonCoFoundation

Primary Creator: Benton County Foundation

Extent: 0.5 cubic feet. More info below.

Arrangement: The Benton County Foundation Records are arranged in 7 series: I. History of the Foundation, circa 1965 - 1997; II. Foundation Establishment Records, circa 1953; III. Newspaper Articles, 1954-1970; IV. Newsletters, 2004; V. Board Meetings, 1953-1975; VI. Correspondence, 1953-1974; and VII. Financial Reports, 1947-1975.

Languages of Materials: English [eng]

Abstract

The Benton County Foundation Records document the activities of the Foundation from its establishment in 1953 through the 1990s. The collection contains materials that describe the Foundation's history, activities of its Board of Directors, financial status, and its involvement in supporting and improving community programs in Benton County, Oregon.

Scope and Content Notes

The Benton County Foundation Records contain materials pertaining to the history and establishment of the Foundation, Board of Directors meetings, correspondence, and financial records. The majority of the collection was produced between 1953, the founding of the Foundation, and 1975. Included in these materials is an informational booklet and three bound volumes that describe the history of the Benton County Foundation, as well as manuscript drafts of the Benton County booklet; Notices of Appointment of members of the Board of Directors; minutes, announcements, and agendas for Board of Directors meetings; newspaper articles concerning the Benton County and Pendleton Foundations; correspondence received and sent by the Foundation concerning funding requests, gifts received, the Foundation’s establishment, and reports created by the Rotary Club regarding the Foundation; and financial documents.

Of special note are materials pertaining to the Petri Foreign Study Scholarship established through the estate of Paul Petri, Professor of Music at Oregon State from 1923 to 1947.

Cheryl McLean edited the 1989 and 1997 histories of the Foundation. The collection also contains one newsletter produced by the Foundation in the fall of 2004.

Biographical / Historical Notes

The Benton County Foundation was established in 1953 by the Corvallis Rotary Club as a non-profit organization dedicated to the safe management and wise use of all types of charitable gifts designated by donors to be used for the benefit of Benton County. Members of the first Board of Directors included Percy Locey, E.C. Reiman, Waldo Ball, Bruce Myers, John Thomas, E.G. Quesinberry and Claude Buchanan. The members of the Board of Directors oversaw the dispersal of gifts bequeathed by donors for use by specific organizations or institutions, special fields of interest, or for unrestricted purposes. Recipients of these gifts have included Girl Scout and Boy Scout Campships, the Corvallis High School Youth Employment Service, individual scholarship awardees, and other organizations in Benton County.

More recently, the Benton County Foundation has provided support to the Corvallis Parks and Recreation Department, the Boys & Girls Club, and South Benton Youth Programs.

Administrative Information

More Extent Information: 2 boxes

Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.

Acquisition Note: The bulk of the materials were received in the 1970s or 1980s by the University Archives; small additions were transferred in 1997 and 2004.

Related Materials: Information pertaining to the history of Benton County can be found in the OSU Memorabilia Collection (MSS MC). The Music Department Records (RG 148), Helen E. Plinkiewisch Papers (MSS Plinkiewisch), and Lillian Jeffreys Petri Collection (MSS Petri) provide more information about Paul Petri.

Preferred Citation: Benton County Foundation Records (MSS BentonCoFoundation), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Creators

Benton County Foundation
McLean, Cheryl (1957-)

People, Places, and Topics

Benton County (Or.)--History.
Benton County Foundation
Benton County Foundation--History.
Charitable uses, trusts, and foundations--Oregon.
Corvallis (Or.)
Local History
McLean, Cheryl, 1957-
Scholarships--Oregon--Corvallis.
University History

Box and Folder Listing

Series 1: History of the Foundation, circa 1965-1997

Series I contains documents pertaining to the establishment, history, and workings of the Benton County Foundation. The documents consist of manuscript drafts of a final pamphlet, circa 1965, titled simply The Benton County Foundation that is also included in this series. This series also includes three histories of the Foundation prepared in 1971, 1989, and 1997. Cheryl McLean edited the 1989 and 1997 volumes.

Box-Folder 1.1

Item 1: The Benton County Foundation Pamphlet and related materials, circa 1965
Item 2: The Pendleton Foundation Pamphlet, undated

Box-Folder 1.2: The Benton County Foundation, 1953-1971, 1971

Box-Folder 1.3: The Benton County Foundation, 1953-1989, 1989

Box-Folder 2.1: The Benton County Foundation, 1953-1997, 1997

Series 2: Foundation Establishment Records, circa 1953

Series II contains records pertaining to the establishment of the Foundation, including the Articles of Incorporation, 1953, and Legal Notice of Appointment of Waldo W. Bell and Bruce K. Myers as the Directors of the Benton County Foundation, 1953. The series also contains a letter written by W.M. Harper stating his acceptance of his appointment as a member of the Board of Directors of the Foundation.

Box-Folder 1.4

Series 3: Newspaper Articles, 1954-1970

Series III consists of newspaper articles that describe gifts received by the Foundation as well as programs that it established in Benton County. The majority of the articles were taken from the East Oregonian. The East Oregonian article describes the Pendleton Foundation.

Box-Folder 1.5

Series 4: Newsletters, 2004

Series IV consists of a newsletter published by the Benton County Foundation in the fall of 2004.

Box-Folder 1.6

Series 5: Board Meetings, 1953-1975

Series V consists mainly of minutes from Board of Directors meetings as well as follow up materials, primarily amendments to the Foundation’s by-laws. Announcements of upcoming Board of Directors meetings, agendas for these meetings, and treasurer’s reports are also included.

Box-Folder 1.7

Series 6: Correspondence, 1953-1974

Series VI contains correspondence received and sent by the Foundation concerning funding requests, gifts received, the Foundation’s establishment, and reports created by the Rotary Club regarding the Foundation. The series also includes correspondence related to specific gifts and individuals involved with the Benton County Foundation as well as a number of thank you notes from gift recipients.

Box-Folder 1.8

Item 1: Requests for Funding, 1964-1974
Item 2: Gifts, 1960-1971
Item 3: Rotary Club of Corvallis, 1953-1973
Item 4: Appointments to the Board of Directors, 1953-1973
Item 5: Other correspondence, 1962-1974
Item 6: Petri Foreign Study Scholarship, 1972-1973
Item 7: Capital Consultants, Inc., 1971-1972

Series 7: Financial Reports, 1947-1975

Series VII consists of financial documents such as budget worksheets, reports, and wills produced or collected in the course of running the Foundation.

Box-Folder 1.9

Folder 1: Budget Considerations, 1968-1973
Item 2: Treasurers Reports, 1966-1974
Item 3: Income Distribution and Expense Reports, 1967-1970
Item 4: Petri Foreign Study Scholarship, 1959-1973
Item 5: Foundation History Book - Donations and Expenses, 1970-1972
Item 6: Stock and Bond Reports, 1962-1975
Item 7: Miscellaneous, 1954-1971
Item 8: Wills and Testaments (Paul Petri and Robert Johnson), 1947-1957

Box-Folder 1.10: Financial Statements, 1964-1973

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