Dr. Lillian S. Olsen was an instructor in chemistry from 1946-47. She was born in 1914 in Napa, California. She received a certificate in home economics, chemistry, and biochemistry from Sacramento Junior College in 1936. She received a Bachelor of Arts from University of California, Berkeley in 1939, and her Ph.D from UC Berkeley in 1944, in the fields of nutrition, physiology, histology, and chemistry. She was a member of Sigma Xi, and her thesis for her doctorate was titled “Utilization of Carotene and Vitamin A.” Before coming to OSC, she worked at UC Berkeley as a teaching and research assistant, and then as an assistant professor at Washington State College. Her husband was transferred, so they moved to Oregon. At the time, OSC considered its organic chemistry department to be seriously understaffed, and so they hired Olsen on a temporary basis. She was hired as temporary instructor in chemistry for the fall and winter terms at a salary of $900 per term, and extended her employment through spring term.