Hallie Brown Ford (March 17, 1905 – June 4, 2007) was an American business person and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

. A native of

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, she acquired her wealth in

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

through the timber industry. As a philanthropist she made donations to many institutions in Oklahoma and Oregon to support education and the arts. Shortly before her death in 2007, she made a donation of $15 million to the

Pacific Northwest College of Art The Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) is an art school of Willamette University and is located in Portland, Oregon. Established in 1909, the art school grants Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees and graduate degrees including the Master of Fine ...

, the largest single donation to any cultural group in Oregon history. The

Hallie Ford Museum of Art The Hallie Ford Museum of Art (HFMA) is the museum of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. It is the third largest art museum in Oregon. Opened in 1998, the facility is across the street from the Oregon State Capital in downtown ...

and several other institutions at

Willamette University Willamette University is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college with locations in Salem, Oregon, Salem and Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest college in the Western United ...

and

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and a variety of graduate and doctor ...

in Oregon are named in her honor, as are several items at her alma mater

East Central University East Central University (ECU or East Central) is a public university in Ada, Oklahoma. It is part of Oklahoma's Regional University System. Beyond its flagship campus in Ada, the university has courses available in McAlester, Shawnee, and Duran ...

in Oklahoma.

Early life

Hallie Brown was born in

Red Fork, Oklahoma Red Fork is a community in Southwest Tulsa. It was founded in 1883 as a railhead on the Arkansas River. It is famous for being the location of the first oil well in Tulsa County, the Sue A. Bland #1. Naming of the town The town is sometimes sai ...

, on March 17, 1905.Much, Justin. Philanthropist gave to variety of causes. ''

Statesman Journal The ''Statesman Journal'' is the major daily newspaper published in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1851 as the ''Oregon Statesman'', it later merged with the ''Capital Journal'' to form the current newspaper, the second-oldest in Orego ...

'', June 13, 2007. At the time it was

Indian Territory Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United States, ...

, with

becoming a state in 1907.East Central University benefactor Hallie Brown Ford dies in Oregon. US States News, June 11, 2007. She attended Beggs High School where she was valedictorian. She worked her way through college at East Central State Normal School (now East Central University) in the town of

Ada Ada may refer to: Arts and entertainment * '' Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle'', a novel by Vladimir Nabokov Film and television * Ada, a character in 1991 movie '' Armour of God II: Operation Condor'' * '' Ada... A Way of Life'', a 2008 Bollywo ...

. There she earned a teaching certificate and a bachelor's degree in 1930. After college she began teaching in Oklahoma.

Oregon

She moved to

Lebanon, Oregon Lebanon ( ) is a city in Linn County, Oregon, Linn County, Oregon, United States. Lebanon is located in northwest Oregon, southeast of Salem, Oregon, Salem. The population was 19,690 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Lebanon sits be ...

, with her parents and began teaching in that area during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. She met Kenneth W. Ford there, and the two married in 1935. After their marriage they moved to the

Roseburg, Oregon Roseburg is the most populous city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Oregon. It is located in the Umpqua River Valley in southern Oregon. Founded in 1851, the population was 23,683 at the 2020 census, making it the principal city of th ...

, area where they started and ran the Roseburg Lumber Company (now Roseburg Forest Products Company). They had a daughter, Carmen, and a son, Allyn. In 1957, with her husband, she helped found the charitable organization that became the Ford Family Foundation. In 1959, she worked with artist Harry Widman on a 200-plus piece art exhibit for Oregon's Centennial in Roseburg. In Roseburg she was a civic leader, and was given the First Citizens Award in 1967 by the local chamber of commerce.

Later years and philanthropy

Hallie moved to

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, w ...

, in 1972. In 1975, she became a member of the board of trustees at

in Salem. In 1992 her alma mater,

, named her as a distinguished alumni. The Fords' charity created the Ford Scholars Program scholarships for Oregon students in 1993.Walker, Charles L
Investing in People.
''NW Education'', Winter 1998. Retrieved December 15, 2007. She then started the Ford Opportunity Scholarship Program in 1995 for single parents. Ford became a lifetime member of the board of trustees at Willamette in 1996, and received the

Governor of Oregon The governor of Oregon is the head of government of Oregon and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. ter ...

's Arts Award for Arts Patronage. That year her charitable foundation became the Ford Family Foundation. Her husband Kenneth died on February 8, 1997. In 2002, she moved to an assisted living facility in

Monmouth, Oregon Monmouth () is a city in Polk County in the U.S. state of Oregon. It was named for Monmouth, Illinois, the origin of its earliest settlers. The population is 11,110 at the 2020 Census and it is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area. Th ...

. In 2006, Ford donated an additional $8 million to Willamette University, the largest single donation in that school's history.Kim, Eunice. Willamette University plans academic building on State St. ''

'', November 23, 2007. In May 2007, Hallie Ford donated $15 million to the

, the largest donation in that school's history.Libby, Brian. PNCA Receives $15 Million Gift. ''Portland Architecture'', May 22, 2007. The donation would primarily be used for a visiting artists program. This donation to the college was the largest donation to any cultural group in Oregon's history. Also that month she was given the Distinguished Philanthropist Award by East Central University. Given before her death, but announced after her death was an $8 million donation to

, the alma mater of her daughter Carmen Ford Phillips.Wood, Shelby. OSU gets $8 million to help state families. ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the West Coast of the United States, U.S. West Coast, founded as a weekly by Tho ...

'', June 15, 2007. The gift went toward the Hallie Ford Center for Healthy Children and Families as part of the school's College of Health and Human Sciences.Museum Gets $12-Million; Other New Donations. ''

The Chronicle of Higher Education ''The Chronicle of Higher Education'' is an American newspaper and website that presents news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty and student affairs professionals, including staff members and administrators. A subscription ...

'', June 28, 2007. GIVING; Pg. 17 Vol. 19 No. 18.

Death and legacy

Hallie Ford died on June 4, 2007, in

, at the age of 102 after a brief illness. Ford Hall and the Hallie Ford Museum at Willamette University are named in her honor, as is the school's English and literature endowed professorship. At East Central University the Hallie Brown Ford Fine Arts Center and the Hallie Brown Ford Award for Philanthropy honor her legacy at the school where she donated approximately $7 million over the years.

References

External links

Corvallis Gazette Times coverage of OSU donationObituary of Hallie FordHallie Ford's legacy for Oregon's children
- ''Oregon Stater'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Hallie 1905 births 2007 deaths Businesspeople from Tulsa, Oklahoma East Central University alumni Philanthropists from Oregon Willamette University people People from Salem, Oregon People from Roseburg, Oregon American women centenarians Pacific Northwest College of Art People from Monmouth, Oregon 20th-century American philanthropists 20th-century American businesspeople