Who Are They Named After?

Oregon Tech naming policy for buildings has always required the person so honored to no longer be living. Out of the six building names on the Old Campus, only two carried over to the present site. One is the administration building, named Snell Hall in memory of Governor Earl Snell. The other one is the instructional shops building, named Cornett Hall in honor of Senate President Marshall Cornett.

 

Picture of Snell Hall
Snell Hall
Picture of Cornett Hall
Cornett Hall
  • Boivin Hall, built in 1977: Harry Boivin (State Senator)
  • Owens Hall, built in 1964: Vern J. Owens (cochaired the Site Fund Committee, the fund drive to buy the campus, the three cochairs recommended the present location)
  • Purvine Hall, built in 1987: Winston Purvine (first OIT president: 1947-1976)
  • Semon Hall, built in 1964: Henry Semon (Klamath County State Representative)
  • Snell Hall, built in 1964: Earl Snell (State Governor)
  • Cornett Hall, built in 1965: Marshall Cornett (State Senate President)
  • Dow Health Sciences Building, built in 2007: Martha Anne Dow (OIT President 1998-2007)
  • Jesse Crabtree Civil Engineering Learning Plaza: Jesse A. Crabtree, started in 1947 as a drafting and blueprint reading instructor; initiated the Engineering Aide program that grew to become Civil Engineering Technology
  • John F. Moehl Stadium, built in 1979: Moehl was a member of both the Booster Club and Oregon Tech Foundation, and was a large part of the fundraising efforts. He was also Executive Vice President for the Klamath Basin-based company, Modoc Lumber. When Moehl passed away unexpectedly during the planning and early ground work, Laurence Shaw, Owner of Modoc Lumber, and Tom Shaw, his son and President of Modoc Lumber, took it upon themselves to donate a considerable amount of money, building supplies, and materials to the University to continue construction. With this donation came the stipulation that the stadium be named in honor of John F. Moehl.

 

 

Resources on Oregon Tech’s history

Oregon Institute of Technology, 1947-1997, The First Fifty Years, vol. 11 of the Journal of the Shaw Historical Library, (1997) 

OVS, OTI, Oregon Tech: OREGON TECH’S FIRST 30 YEARS, 1946 – 1976 by Winston D. Purvine

The Owler, OIT’s yearbook from 1950 to 1983.  Copies are available for use at through the University Archives and in the Shaw Historical Library.

University Archives

 541.885.1777
Oregon Institute of Technology Library
Campus History Collection
3201 Campus Dr.
Klamath Falls, OR 97601
 

Picture of Owens Hall
Owens Hall
Picture of Moehl Stadium
Moehl Stadium

Last Updated August 2022