This is Floyd Wynne with THE VIEW FROM HERE     3/07/06

            It rated a special commemoration because it was one of the several events that directly shaped the future of this community.

            It was sixty years ago….on March l, 1946 that it happened.

            The Government announced that they were closing the Marine Hospital located about a mile above Klamath Falls.

            Established in 1943 the hospital site was complete with its own fire department, heating plant, sewage treatment, recreational facilities such as a gym….olympic sized swimming pool and other amenities. 

            Some 5,000 Marines were processed through these facilities…..about half back to active duty.  Many of the Marines remained in the community.

            The hospital was constructed in semi-secrecy, without little exposure.   Marines who had or might have contacted such diseases as malaria, filariasis or both were brought to this hospital.

            The airfield, now Kingsley Field, was enlarged to accommodate the arrival of transport plans.

            It was an important event in the community’s life during World War Two.

            When it was closed there was a big question mark about its future.

            However, in 1947 the state purchased the entire site for one dollar.   On July 14, 1947 thirty three students, mostly veterans registered for classes that included auto mechanics, auto body and fender repair and commercial cooking.  A number of additional courses were added in the fall including diesel mechanics, welding, radio servicing, refrigeration servicing, carpentry, accounting and others.

            It was known as OVS….Oregon Vocational School.

            In December of 1948 the name was changed to OTI…Oregon Technical Institute.

            In 1960, jurisdiction of the school was transferred to the State Board of Higher Education, and it was feared locally that it might be moved to Portland.

            A fund raiser was launched by the community in 1959 to purchase a 158 acre site near downtown.  The land was then donated to the State.  An initial $6 million dollars was appropriated to build a new campus and in 1963 the school moved to its present site. 

            The school was renamed OIT….Oregon Institute of Technology, and has consistently served over 2,500 students.

Currently funds are being secured for a further enlargement of the campus with emphasis on public health services.

            Winston Purvine was the guiding light behind most of the advancement of the school until he retired in 1976,

            Later, the Merle West Medical Center….initially the Presbyterian Community Hospital was located in an area adjacent to the college to promote dual usage.

            So the community should well commemorate the founding of the Marine Hospital as one of the very important events that helped shape this area…..along with such things as the opening of the canal system in 1907 and the arrival of Weyerhaeuser in 1895 and still other great moments in Klamath History.

            This is Floyd Wynne and that’s THE VIEW FROM HERE.