This is Floyd Wynne with THE VIEW FROM HERE   3/8/05

            We missed a big anniversary last Tuesday, March l.

            It marked an event that really changed Klamath Falls in a number of ways.

            It was on March l, 1946 that the Marine Hospital on the mile high campus above Klamath Falls was officially closed.

            It had been opened a few years earlier to accommodate marines who may have contracted the dreaded disease of elephantiasis or even malaria in the fighting in the South Pacific jungle areas.

            Authorities first studied the possibility of establishing such a rest and hospitalization center in Australia, but doctors maintained the climate was not suitable and a study settled on the high valley about a mile above the then little city of Klamath Falls.

            The airstrip was lengthened to permit the larger planes to fly into the area with Marines, and construction consisted of such places as a hospital, a gym, a bowling alley along with barracks buildings and other amenities on the campus.

            Over the period of the next several years thousands of Marines were brought to the area for medical attention as well as rest and recreation.  The infusion of the Marines into the area changed a great deal of the social life of the small community.

            When the war ended, the Marine campus was officially closed.

            It didn’t remain closed long, however, because it became the site of Oregon Vocational School, teaching mostly returning veterans such things as auto mechanics, diesel mechanics and other skills they would need to fit into the current marketplace.

            When I first came to Klamath Falls in 1948 it was still OVS, but shortly after that it became a part of the State Higher Ed program and became the home of Oregon Technical institute….OTI.   It was the first higher ed program for the area, and included a basketball program coached by Skeets O’Connell and a football program with Rex Hunsaker.   It was my privilege to cover these sports play by play for KFLW.

            On July 14, 1947 the first students enrolled in OVS and in 1948 it became OTI.

A wide range of studies were available.  Winston Purvine shepherded the school for many years as it continued to grow and eventually became an authorized part of the state higher education program.

            Local leaders were fearful that the school would be moved to Portland, and a fund raiser provided money to purchase the present site adjacent to Klamath Falls.   An initial five million funding from the state provided for a new campus which was occupied in 1963 and now is Oregon Institute of Technology….or OIT.

            Many of the Marines who came here have remained in the community, and have contributed greatly to the city’s activities.

            So….it was 59 years ago last Tuesday that the Marine hospital became not only a part of the community, but had great spinoffs such as our great OIT as well as some of the longest runways in the State which are now home to the Oregon Air National Guard.

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