Lloyd Anderson papers, 1929-1979

Lloyd Alva Anderson was born in Roy, Washington on August 4, 1902. He worked on his Uncle Dave Hay's dairy farm in Roy to save money. He attended the University of Washington in Seattle and earned a degree in Electrical Engineering in 1924. An avid outdoorsman, he began climbing mountains in 1929 and scaled over 400 peaks in his lifetime. In 1936 he ordered a $12 ice ax from a Seattle distributor but was disappointed to receive a poor quality product that cost him a full day's wages. He decided to order the ice ax he wanted directly from Austria for $3.50. This experience served as the inspiration for Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) which he founded together with Mary Anderson. REI began operations out of the attic of their West Seattle home in 1938. Anderson also worked as an engineer for the Seattle Transit System. He retired in 1971 and died Sept 13, 2000, aged 98.