Archives West Finding Aid

The Rodney Tripp Collection documents Tripp's association with Oregon State University and consists primarily of ephemera, memorabilia, and artifacts. The collection includes buttons, a coin, a key chain, a membership card, newspaper clippings, a paddle, a patch, publications, a photograph, and a small Benny the Beaver statue. The publications include a 1940 alumni newsletter sent to graduates of the Secretarial Science Department, an 1875 edition of the Benton County Almanac, and the August 13, 2001 issue of Sports Illustrated, which featured the 2001 football team. The Almanac includes a brief introduction with information about Benton County, Corvallis, and other communities and advertisements for local and regional businesses. Tripp's membership in the Beaver Club, the booster club for Oregon State Athletics, is represented by the key chain, membership card, and the patch. The collection includes 26 buttons, most documenting Shriner's Club gatherings on Marys Peak in 1946-1981. Buttons for the 1962 homecoming football game, Bill Glass, and the 2001 OSU Alumni Association bowl tour are also included. The paddle reflects Tripp’s' membership in the Theta Xi fraternity. The Benny the Beaver statue is about 10 inches high and is modeled on the Benny the Beaver mascot of the 1990s. It was carved in wood by an unidentified artist. The coin commemorates the 1957 centennial celebration of the founding of Corvallis.

Of special note is a carte-de-visite photograph advertising the Stryker & Dohse Photograph Gallery in Corvallis. It includes portrait images of Stryker, Dohse, and W.S James (designer and illustrator) as well as a description of the gallery's services. David S. Stryker and Henry M. Dohse opened a photograph studio in Corvallis in 1867.