John Garman

John Garman standing outside of his Corvallis home, 1979

John C. Garman (September 22, 1896 - November 20, 1989)

John Clifton Garman was born in 1896 in Urbana, Illinois. His father was an architect who had studied at the University of Illinois. Following John's birth, the Garmans did not remain in Illinois for long, choosing instead to move to Portland, Oregon, where Garman's mother had been born and raised.

In 1916, Garman graduated from Benson Polytechnic High School and subsequently enrolled at Oregon Agricultural College. After completing his freshman year, Garman enlisted in the Army and served in World War I as an instructor. Once returned stateside, Garman resumed his studies in Electrical Engineering. In 1922, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and, the following year, he became an associate professor in the OAC Physics department. In 1924, he also began teaching photography for the Physics department while providing an additional service to the college a campus photographer. After forty-four years at Oregon State, Garman retired in 1966.

Garman's work at Oregon State University did not end with his retirement. In 1969, he helped to establish classes in photography, as newly taught by the Art Department. His personal photographic collection is now housed in the Special Collections and Archives Research Center at the Oregon State University Libraries.