1940

Corvallis population: 8,392; Benton County: 18,629. From 1940 to 1950, there will be a 93 percent increase in the population of Corvallis.

1940

Cedar Hurst Addition is platted for Corvallis, Oregon.

1940

Frank Llewellyn Ballard is appointed president of Oregon State College, the eighth to hold the office in school history. A member of the Class of 1916, he is the first graduate of Oregon State to serve as president.

1941

Knollbrook No. 1 Addition is platted for Corvallis, Oregon.

1941

Highway 20 is paved all the way to Newport, Oregon.

1941

Oregon State College President Frank Ballard resigns because of illness. Dean of Science Francois Archibald Gilfillan is appointed interim president. He is also a graduate of Oregon State, Class of 1918.

1941

F.L. Lilly Tracts are platted for Corvallis, Oregon.

1941

As Japanese warplanes attack Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, Hawaii, on December 7, an event that marks the entry of the U.S. into World War II, Corvallis native and KGMB radio's Webley Edwards is the first to announce the attack to listeners in the Hawaiian islands.

Dec. 7, 1941

World War II begins.

1942

OSC appears in its first Rose Bowl, played in Durham, North Carolina, because of the outbreak of war with Japan and government restrictions against the gathering of large crowds on the West Coast. OSC wins the game over Duke 20-16 in the only Rose Bowl ever played away from Pasadena, California. To date, this remains OSU's only Rose Bowl victory.

1942

Built on 50,000 acres in Benton and Polk Counties, and requiring the relocation of the residents of the small community of Wells, Camp Adair, an army cantonment located approximately 12 miles north of Corvallis, begins to take shape in the spring of 1942. From 1942 to 1944, Camp Adair will be the second largest city in the state. Four army divisions--the 70th, 91st, 96th, and 104th--train here for the battlefronts of World War II, eventually disbursing to such places as the Battle of the Bulge and Okinawa. By 1945, the facility was being used to house German and Italian POWs.

1942

August Leroy Strand is appointed the ninth president of Oregon State. He retired in 1961 and served as president emeritus until 1980.

1942

Country Club Heights Addition was platted.

1942

In September, the 104th "Timberwolf" Division arrives at Adair. The Division will make its reputation fighting in Europe at the Battle of the Bulge.

1942

Passenger train service to Corvallis, Oregon, is discontinued.

1942

In August, the 96th or "Deadeye" Division is the first to arrive at Adair. The 96th will fight at Okinawa.

1943

OSC's 75th anniversary as a state college. Enrollment is 4,743.

1943

In June, the 70th Division arrives at Adair. It is often referred to as "Oregon's Own" and is the first to push across the infamous Siegfried Line, one of Nazi Germany's last stands of the war.

1943

In August, the 91st Division arrives at Adair. Known as the "Powder River-Let Her Buck" Division, in 1944 it will be involved in the recapture of Rome.

1943

Camp Adair, World War II training camp, is dedicated

1944

All schools are required to be part of a high school district by the Oregon Legislature. Kings Valley High School consolidates with Philomath.

1945

Richland Acres Addition is platted.

1946

Holly Cornell, Jim Howland, Burke Hayes, and Fred Merryfield form the CH2M company.

1947

Timber harvest in Benton County increases from 99.8 million board feet in 1939 to 210 million board feet in 1947.

Dec. 13, 1947

On December 13, 1947, Philomath celebrates the grand opening of the new Waucomah Theater, described in the Philomath Benton County Review as "ultra-modern in every detail." Today, the rehabilitated historic building is home to JanniLou Creations, a popular quilting shop.

1948

First liquor store in Philomath, Oregon.

1949

Air Force ROTC is established at Oregon State College, one of only 33 schools in the country to offer the program.

1949

Bernard Malamud is hired to teach English at Oregon State College. Over the next 10 years he will become one of the college's legendary faculty members.