Apperson served on the OAC board of regents from 1888-1917 and was president of the board from 1894 to 1901. Apperson (1834-1917) was also a steamboat captain, Clackamas County sheriff, and Oregon legislator who also served in the Oregon Cavalry during the Civil War. The second Mechanical Hall was named Apperson Hall in his honor in 1920.
The commandant (center) was likely Captain Charles E. Warren (Ret’d.), who served from January to July 1892. The cadet officers are in their gray uniforms. The college catalog for that year described the uniforms as follows:
Prominent in the foreground is the Bandstand. Visible from left to right are the Administration Building (present day Benton Hall), the Paleontology Lab (present day Women's Center) and Science Hall (present day Furman Hall). Downtown Corvallis is seen in the distance. Visible are the Benton County Courthouse, the central school and the Presbyterian Church.