Three generations of OSU

Some people just have Beaver blood. Instead of red they bleed orange. A sense of pride instilled in them generation after generation it almost becomes hereditary, creating a family legacy of Oregon State University pride and fandom. 

The Anderson family is just one such family with a story uniquely their own. Their ties to OSU go back three generations dating back to the ‘30s.

John and Anne Anderson attended OSU in the early ‘70s, both graduating on June 10, 1975, with degrees in business.

John was a member of Phi Delta Theta, and Anne was a member of Delta Gamma as well as a student athlete competing in swimming, track, and softball. The couple first met in an add/drop line changing classes in the administration building. 

The couple married shortly after graduation on Aug. 23, 1975, and are the parents of three OSU graduates. The oldest, Scott, graduated in 2006 with a communications degree. His younger siblings Wendy and Kevin quickly followed suit. Wendy graduated in 2007 with a health and human performance degree, and Kevin in 2008 with a degree in political science.

The Anderson family has more OSU graduates than most, but the roots of their OSU family tree run even deeper.

Anne’s parents George and Eileen Windedahl both attended OSU. George attended before World War II, but had to finish his degree at the University of Oregon after the war because OSU didn’t offer an accounting degree at the time. Eileen graduated from OSU in 1943.

With both parents and siblings having attended Oregon State, Anne had her sights set on OSU at an early age.

“When I graduated from high school I didn’t even think of going to any other school,” Anne said.

Even after graduation the couple hasn’t stopped coming to Corvallis. They’ve been season ticket holders in both football and basketball since 1976.

“We’ve had football and basketball tickets for 40 years,” John said. “We’ve seen great teams and horrible teams, but it’s just fun for us.” 

The family tailgates every home football game with friends, many of which are alumni. The Andersons have fostered Beaver pride.

“I’m proud because it’s a third generation thing,” Kevin said. “I have a lot of roots here.”

These roots keep spreading as Scott and his wife Chrissy had their first child, and John and Anne’s first grandchild last November, Bode Anderson. 

“He will be raised the same way I was,” Scott said. “He went to his first football game last week.”

When the time comes, Bode’s parents will let him choose the school of his choice, but if he does choose Oregon State he could be on track to graduate in 2037, which would make the Anderson family heritage at OSU span four generations and nearly a century.

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