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Oliver C. Larson ’44

Oliver Carl Larson ’44, September 9, 2002, in Portland, Oregon. Oliver attended Reed for a year before entering World War II in the U.S. Army and serving in the Aleutian Islands. He continued his studies at the University of Oregon, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1948. He then worked for the Lebanon Express newspaper as sports editor and circulation manager before beginning his career in the chamber of commerce, first in the cities of Lebanon and Springfield, then as industrial manager of the chamber of commerce in Tacoma, Washington. He returned to Portland in 1962 as industrial manager of the Portland chamber of commerce, and from 1965 until 1979, he served as executive director, leaving the post to launch the Hayward/Larson advertising and public relations agency. Oliver was a board member of the alumni association, and said of his time at Reed that it helped him handle abstract concepts and to apply them to practical situations. He served as an elder and as chairman of community services at the First Presbyterian Church. Survivors include his wife of 53 years, Vivian Westerlund, two daughters, and a son. A brother, Morris Larson MAT ’38, also studied at Reed.

Appeared in Reed magazine: May 2003