Archives West Finding Aid

Don Coons attended Oregon State College in the 1930s and graduated with a B.S. in Agriculture in 1939.  Coons was a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity and excelled in football, military work, and academics.  He was an honor graduate in field artillery based on "character, academic grades, and demonstrated efficiency in military work".  Coons also received the 1939 Locey Athletic Award "given annually to the senior student who, while maintaining a high standard in athletic participation, citizenship, sportsmanship, and inspirational leadership, has excelled in scholarship."

Donald William Coons was born June 25, 1915 in Lisbon, North Dakota, and moved to Salem, Oregon, with his family as a child.  Coons was Assistant Chief of Staff of the G-2 84th Infantry Division during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II.  He served 14 years in the U.S. Army and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. Coons owned a hardware store in Salem for 30 years until his retirement in 1987.  He was the founder and past president of the Oregon Forest Homeowners Association and past presidents of the National Forest Recreation Association and the Salem Men's Garden Club.  Coons died on December 25, 1997; his ashes are interred at Arlington National Cemetery.