Thomas J. Autzen

rdf:langString Thomas J. Autzen

rdf:langString Portland, Oregon, U.S.

rdf:langString Hoquiam, Washington, U.S.

rdf:langString Businessman, Electrical engineer

rdf:langString Thomas John Autzen (June 8, 1888 – September 8, 1958) was a Danish-American pioneer in plywood manufacturing, and founder of a family-run philanthropic foundation known as the Autzen Foundation, based in Portland, Oregon. The Autzen Foundation supplied the single largest donation, US$250,000, to support the construction of the football stadium at the University of Oregon in Eugene that bears his name. Construction began in 1966, eight years after his death, and was completed in 1967. Autzen's heirs, led by his son Thomas E. Autzen, operated the foundation after his death, per the terms of his will. Although his name is popularly associated with Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Autzen was an alumnus of today's Oregon State University in Corvallis. His foundation's donation to the University of Oregon was as a parent; his eldest son Thomas E. graduated from UO in 1943. Through their Portland Manufacturing Company, Autzen and his family helped revolutionize wood-laminate milling methods still in use today. These discoveries, which were engineered and utilized at the Autzen plants, had an enormous impact on modern building methods and helped radically change plywood production throughout the industry.

rdf:langString Portland, Oregon