Thomas Edward Autzen (April 12, 1918 – November 29, 1997) was an American philanthropist based in

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, the eldest son of Thomas J. Autzen. He received a national reputation for his philanthropy and as an active member in many

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

charitable organizations. After his father's death in 1958, he presided over the Autzen Foundation and helped manage operations as a spokesperson and board member.

Early life and education

A lifelong resident of

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

, Autzen is best known as the son of famous northwest

plywood Plywood is a material manufactured from thin layers or "plies" of wood veneer that are glued together with adjacent layers having their wood grain rotated up to 90 degrees to one another. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured ...

manufacturing innovator and namesake of the University of Oregon football stadium, Thomas J. Autzen. He received a bachelor's degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

from the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

in 1943 where he was a member of the

Kappa Sigma Kappa Sigma (), commonly known as Kappa Sig, is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at the University of Virginia in 1869. Kappa Sigma is one of the five largest international fraternities with currently 318 active chapters and colo ...

fraternity. His attendance at the university led his father to create the Autzen Foundation as a fundraiser for construction of the school's football stadium.

Philanthropy

As president and board member of the Autzen Foundation, he is recognized for helping distribute many large donations to charitable organizations located mainly in Oregon. The foundation's focus, while under his and his father's leadership, has been to help youth services, education, the arts and nature. Autzen also chaired and participated as a board member in a number of other prominent Oregon philanthropic and non-profit organizations. Autzen chaired the University of Oregon Foundation, he also served on the boards of the Japanese Garden Society, the

High Desert Museum The High Desert Museum is located near Bend, Oregon, United States. Opened in 1982, it brings regional wildlife, culture, art and natural resources together to promote an understanding of natural and cultural heritage of North America's high ...

, the

Columbia River Maritime Museum The Columbia River Maritime Museum is a museum of maritime history in the northwest United States, located about southeast of the mouth of the Columbia River in Astoria, Oregon. It has a national reputation for the quality of its exhibits a ...

, Pacific Crest Outward Bound and

Good Samaritan Hospital Good Samaritan Hospital or Good Samaritan Medical Center may refer to: India *Good Samaritan Hospital (Panamattom), Koprakalam, Panamattom, Kerala *Good Samaritan Centre, Mutholath Nagar, Cherpunkal, Kottyam, Kerala United States *Banner - Univer ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Autzen, Thomas E. 1918 births 1997 deaths Businesspeople from Portland, Oregon University of Oregon alumni Philanthropists from Oregon 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American philanthropists