About Us
Our mission is to promote education, health, and vibrant communities in Oregon.
Barbara Emily Knudson was the only child of Joel and Arna Emily. She was raised in Portland and following high school attended Oregon Agricultural College (OSU), majoring in Home Economics.
She fondly recalled working with “practice babies” and had a lifelong hobby of scrapbooking, evolving from her training in research and evaluation of all things to make a better home and family. She graduated in 1939 and married her college sweetheart Gene Knudson, a forestry major. She taught for a brief time and then set about building a successful family life supporting Gene’s rise through the ranks to the top level of leadership with Willamette Industries Timber Company.
She enjoyed travel and seeing the world; especially visiting relatives in the warm water and sun of the Caribbean Sea. She made multiple trips to Europe and Scandinavia and cherished wonderful memories of sights seen and people met.Over the years, she created a legacy of charitable giving. She was particularly fond of youth serving organizations and community services which helped provide needed services to children and their families.
Later in life, she elected to make a major gift to her former college and created the Barbara Emily Knudson Endowed Chair in Family Policy Studies at OSU in 1991. At the time, her gift of $2.7 million dollars through the College of Education was believed to be the largest single gift directly benefiting family policy issues anywhere. Dean Kinzey Green eventually appointed Dr. Clara Pratt, PhD as the first professor to occupy the position. Professor Pratt helped establish a highly respected and valuable resource of quantifiable data, guidance and information useful to educators and public policy makers alike.
An original bronze sculpture by artist Kenneth Scott of the famous OSU landmark “Trysting Tree” was commissioned by the OSU counsel of regents and presented to Barbara as a small token of their appreciation for her vision and generosity. The sculpture was adopted as the symbol of Barbara’s generosity as the Barbara Emily Knudson Charitable Foundation sprung to life following her death in 2009.
The foundation exists to honor her philanthropic goals and vision, providing assistance to non-profit organizations and educational institutions assisting children, families and adults to realize their basic needs and to achieve excellence in their lives. It is a fitting and proper testament to her own commitment in those areas of such priority to her during her life.
OSU recognized the significance of her gift in the obituary they printed in Synergies.
Barbara Knudson, a 1939 graduate in Home Economics and Education died on September 10, 2009 at her home in Keizer, Oregon. Her legacy of care for families lives on in the Barbara Emily Knudson Endowed Chair in Family Policy that she created in 1991. It was the first such chair in the nation that was held by emeritus professor Clara Pratt for 12 years. Human Development and Family Sciences Professor Alan Acock is the current chair. Barbara was a dedicated supporter of the College of Health and Human Sciences and regular attendee of the annual Celebration of Excellence honoring donors to the college. Just weeks before her passing, Barbara hosted an alumni tea in her Keizer home welcoming Tammy Bray and Home Economics graduates to bring alumni back into the Health and Human Sciences Family.
Following her graduation, Barbara taught high school in Junction City then married and moved to Portland where she did occasional substitute teaching. She was active in the American Association of University Women and served on the board of the Christie School. She became a regent of the OSU Foundation in 1951.
The foundation exists to honor her philanthropic goals and vision, providing assistance to non-profit organizations and educational institutions assisting children, families and adults to realize their basic needs and to achieve excellence in their lives. It is a fitting and proper testament to her own commitment in those areas of such priority to her during her life.
The Foundation’s History
The Barbara Emily Knudson Charitable Foundation originated from the estate planning goals established by Mrs. Knudson as a continuation of her long history of philanthropic giving. The directive to create the foundation was contained in her personal family trust at the time of her death in October 2009.
Lee Peterson, her longtime attorney, counselor, and friend was directed to create guidelines, recruit board members, and undertake the obligations involved in creating and obtaining state and federal approval of this new charitable organization. Consistent with Barbara’s wishes, the direction for the foundation’s work was born; it was based on her interest in assisting children, families, and adults to satisfy the fundamental needs of health, education, and general welfare in their lives and to provide an avenue for exceptional students and/or others in their quest for excellence. The scope of foundation services was defined as “within the boundaries of the State of Oregon so that all regions, urban, and rural would be served.”
Organization and training activity dominated the activities of the foundation throughout much of 2010 and IRS charitable organization recognition was received in October of that year. The foundation and its directors joined Grantmakers of Oregon and Southwest Washington and found their training, education, and networking resources to be invaluable in advancing their ability to accomplish the foundation’s philanthropic mission. Since 2011, the Foundation has provided approximately $150,000 in grants and $50,000 in student scholarships and grants each year.