Dr. George C. Brown III

Dr. George W. Brown III

January 31, 1939 - June 9, 2023

On June 9, our beloved father, husband and friend Dr. George W. Brown III passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his immediate family. George was born January 31, 1939, to George and Fern (Dierking) Brown in Warrensburg, MO. The family moved later to Lexington, MO where he served as an Eagle Scout, and graduated from Lexington High School in 1956. Following graduation, he attended Colorado State University where he completed a Bachelor of Science, in Forest Management and a Master of Science in Watershed Management.

In 1964, George moved to Germany where he served two years on active duty with the Army as an Intelligence Officer. Following his military service, he began his doctoral studies at Oregon State University where he received the first Ph.D. in forest hydrology in 1967. He was awarded the Phi Sigma award as the top graduate student in biological sciences in 1966 and was inducted into Phi Kappa Phi.

George then joined the College of Forestry faculty in 1966 where he focused his research and teaching on the relationship between timber harvesting and water quality in small, forest streams of western Oregon. His seminal work on predicting temperature changes following clearcut logging was selected as a benchmark paper in forest hydrology in the 20th century by the International Association of Scientific Hydrology.

In 1973, George was appointed department head in Forest Engineering, Associate Dean for Research in1986 and Dean of the College of Forestry and Director of the Oregon Forest Research Laboratory in 1990 and retired in 1999. During his tenure as Dean, the College of Forestry continued to grow significantly despite budget cuts and under his leadership, was recognized as the top forestry program in the nation. Richardson Hall, located on the west side of campus was built entirely without state funding due to his diligent fundraising efforts and steadfast commitment to research.

George was elected as a Fellow in the Society of American Foresters in 1988 and chosen as an Honor Alumnus of the College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University in 1997. He received a Lifetime Achievement award from the international Council of Forest Engineering, an organization he helped found. He served on the first board of directors for the Oregon Forest Resources Institute and the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board.

In addition to George's accomplished professional career, he was an active member of the Corvallis community, volunteering and fundraising for community service organizations. He served as a board member of Community Outreach Inc. in Corvallis and served on many boards and committees of the First United Methodist Church. He also volunteered for the Boys and Girls Club. His commitment to serving the Corvallis community, particularly families in need, was a reflection of his strong and unwavering faith.

The center of George's life was his family. He is survived by his loving wife Joan, daughters Christen Maier, Annie Brown Kurowski, son in law, Brad Maier, three exceptional grandchildren, sister Sally Presson, nieces Kim Blaes, Amy Presson and nephews Don and Matt Presson.

The family asks that gifts be made to the Dean's Fund for Excellence & Innovation in the College of Forestry or the George W Brown Scholarship Endowment through the Oregon State University Foundation, 4238 SW Research Way, Corvallis, OR 97333. Donations also can be made online at fororegonstate.org. Please note "in memory of George W Brown" on the memo line or in the online giving form.