Sidney I. Fredrickson was born October 12, 1917, in Roseburg, Oregon. He enlisted on December 14, 1941, in Portland, Oregon, following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and was sworn in at Ft. Lewis, Washington. He went through boot camp at Camp Roberts, California, entered OCS at Ft. Benning, Georgia, June 2, 1942, and was commissioned August 28, 1942. Lieutenant Frederickson shipped out to England in September 1942 with the lst Bn 116 Regt 29th Infantry Division. He served in the European Theater of Operations. In June 1944 he was wounded at Normandy and captured by the Germans at St. Lo, France. He was held at Stalag IID and at Schubin, Poland, 0-FLAG 64. When the Russians got closer to 0-FLAG 64, the prisoners were marched west in the dead of winter through Stettin toward the sea coast. It was forty degrees below zero. They were then marched north toward the German sub pens at Peenemunde, then south and east to Lukenwaide, about 150 km from Berlin. They were there until the Russians came from the north and the Americans from the south. Lieutenant Fredrickson was taken by ambulance to Magdeburg, then flown to Camp Lucky Strike. He was discharged from the Army February 2, 1946, at Hoff General Hospital in Santa Barbara, California.
He served as commander of the American Legion Post 11 in Corvallis for two years and was active with the honor guard. Post 11 was established in 1919 as the eleventh post in Oregon and has provided many youth activities in the community, including Boys State and American Legion Baseball. It was work he truly enjoyed. He also enjoyed fishing and hunting and had his private pilot license. Lieutenant Fredrickson died May 30, 1997 and is buried at the Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, Oregon. Contributions to this memorial ROTC scholarship fund were made in his memory by his family, the American Legion, and members of the American Legion.
Robert M. Hamill was born in Clatskanie, Oregon, on June 15, 1897. He graduated with honors in engineering and journalism from Oregon State College in 1923. Bob came from a military family: his father fought on both sides during Boer War and his father-in-law served during the Civil War. Bob entered the Army in 1917 before the start of World War I and saw duty at Scofield Barracks near Pearl Harbor, where he trained troops. As an undergraduate student in chemistry, he was a laboratory bench partner with Linus Pauling, who later became a two-time Nobel Prize winner. During his senior year at OSC, Bob was the night editor of the campus newspaper, The Barometer. While a student he was a leader in providing a memorial on the OSU campus to World War I veterans.
In 1921 he married Ruth Pace and together they raised two sons, Caldwell and Robert. Following Ruth’s death, he married Emmy Oldright in 1973. After the war and college, he taught at Corbett, Oregon in 1923-24, then became principal and superintendent at Cascade Locks the following year. During the period 1925 to 1940 he was a teacher and head basketball coach at Benson Polytechnic High School in Portland. From 1926 to 1932 he served as member and chairman of the District 29 School Board in Multnomah County. In 1934 he obtained a master’s degree from the University of Oregon. He was chief administrator of vocational education for war production training for the Portland School District from 1941 to 1945. He was the supervising engineer for the construction of the Harvey Aluminum Company plant in The Dalles in the 1950s. He worked for the Portland City Engineer’s office and was chief of engineering for the Oregon Fish Commission from 1958 until he retired.
Bob was a past master of the Lents Masonic Lodge in Portland and was an active member of many organizations, including Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, the Military Officer Association, American Legion, National Rifle Association, Beaver Club, OSU Alumni Association, Benton County Historical Society, Horner Museum, and Westminster Presbyterian Church in Portland. He was an avid fisherman, hunter, gardener, photographer, writer, poet, and historian. He and his wife were fond of traveling and took trips all over the world. He was known for his excellent scenic photographs and was a strong supporter of OSU athletics. Bob died in 1993 at the age of ninety-five. He was proud to be an American and a veteran and he didn’t hesitate to let people know it. Generous donations of his longtime friends and members of the Military Officers Club of Corvallis helped fund this memorial ROTC scholarship Fund.
Lisa Maurer was born November 27, 1963 in Royal Oak, Michigan, to Jim and Diane Drake, she moved to Brookings, Oregon in 1972. Lisa had a younger sister, Carolyn Drake-Radda and an older brother Jimmy who died in a mountain-climbing accident at age twenty-three. She attended Brooking-Harbor High School and graduated with the honor of co-valedictorian in 1981. Lisa attended ROTC Basic Camp at Ft. Knox, Kentucky, during the summer of 1983 and returned to Oregon State University with a two-year ROTC scholarship. She was commissioned on June 9, 1985, and graduated a year later with highest honors with a degree in biochemistry and biophysics.
Immediately following graduation, Lisa went to Ft. Sam Houston, Texas, for the Medical Service Corps Officer Basic Course, which was to be followed by the Preventive Medicine Course. While taking the physical fitness test for the Preventive Medicine Course, Lisa suffered a massive seizure and was diagnosed with a low-grade malignant brain tumor. She was temporarily retired from the Army and lived in Manhattan, Kansas, with her husband, then Captain Ronald Maurer. While temporarily retired, she attended Kansas State University to complete an elementary education program. She was recalled to active duty in 1989 and returned to Ft. Sam Houston to complete the Preventive Medicine Course, where she was the distinguished honor graduate. She was assigned to Irwin Army Community Hospital, Ft. Riley, Kansas as an Environmental Science Officer. During the summer of 1990 her tumor returned with a vengeance. She was moved to Letterman Army Medical Center, The Presidio, California, in August 1990. There she received a myriad of treatments at both Letterman and the University of California at San Francisco Hospital. Lisa was permanently medically retired in early 1991. While at The Presidio, she lived on the base until her passing on December 1, 1991.
Lisa was a woman of great hope and of great strength. She fought a tremendous battle against great odds and she did not lie down when she learned of her illness. She rose up to fight and to meet the world head on. Lisa did not use her cancer as an excuse to retreat from living. She once wrote, “Hey, all anyone really has is today. Therefore, today I am just like everyone else with the same capacity for enjoyment, giving, caring, and loving.” Lisa enjoyed the world and found ways to give of herself. One of Lisa’s proudest accomplishments was to return to active duty after she was temporarily retired. It remains a mystery as to why she was returned to active duty, but there was not one moment’s hesitation in her decision to do so. She loved her work, was loved by her coworkers, and felt pride and honor in serving her country. Donations from her family and friends together with funds raised by the senior ROTC classes contributed to this memorial ROTC scholarship Fund.
Donate to the Lt Sidney Fredrickson, Lt Robert Hamill, Lisa Maurer Memorial Scholarship