05-30-06

Media Release

Robert C. Wilson Honored with Lifetime Trustee Award

CORVALLIS – The Oregon State University Foundation has given Robert C. Wilson of Corvallis the Lifetime Trustee Award in recognition of his three decades on the OSU Foundation Board of Trustees. Wilson is retiring as a trustee as of June 30.

The OSU Foundation’s highest honor, the Lifetime Trustee Award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding service to the OSU Foundation and to Oregon State University.

Wilson, a 1950 graduate of OSU’s engineering program, is the founder of the Corvallis construction company, Robert C. Wilson General Contractor. He served 31 years on the OSU Foundation Board of Trustees as well as on the College of Engineering’s advisory board and he has been a powerful advocate for OSU capital construction with the Oregon Legislature.

“R.C. Wilson has literally shaped OSU and Corvallis through his projects as a general contractor and his commitment to the community, and we are grateful and proud of his legacy,” said Jim Rudd, chair of the OSU Foundation Board of Trustees. “Through his work as a philanthropist, a volunteer leader, and as an engineer, he’s always shown tremendous leadership and a strong belief in his alma mater.”

At OSU, Wilson helped establish the R.C. Wilson Graduate Program in Construction Engineering Management, which allows graduate students to combine their engineering education with business coursework. He also set up the Robert and Patricia Wilson Scholarship for construction engineering management students, and through the Benton County Foundation, he created the Patricia McEwan Wilson Memorial Fund, named in honor of his late wife. The fund supports OSU students who are members of the Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority, of which Patricia was a member.

In addition to his volunteer work for OSU, Wilson has been involved with the Benton County YMCA, the Corvallis Downtown Redevelopment Commission, the City Planning Commission, Citizens Bank of Corvallis and the Corvallis School District, among many other activities.

Evidence of Wilson’s construction achievements can be seen through projects such as Cheldelin Middle School, the Corvallis Clinic, the Plaza 9 Shopping Center, and the OSU Federal Credit Union. His OSU-related projects include Burt Hall, the Pharmacy Building addition, the infirmary addition, the U.S. Forestry Laboratory addition, and the OSU Bookstore warehouse on Walnut Street.

Wilson has four daughters: Patty Foley, Nancy Drennon, Susan Wilson and Cynthia Nicholas. He resides in Corvallis with Joyce K. Wilson, his wife of seven years.