George P. Griffis attended Oregon State College from 1926 to 1929 and studied engineering and business. During his student years, he was national advertising manager for the Barometer campus newspaper; he continued this work as promotion manager for The Oregonian newspaper in Portland, Oregon, from 1929 until 1951. In 1951, Griffis left the The Oregonian to work for the Pacific National Advertising Agency where he worked until 1963, when he formed his own advertising firm. The George P. Griffis Publishing Internship at the Oregon State University Press was established in 2010.
Oregon State alumnus Robert C. Ingalls was owner and publisher of the Corvallis Gazette-Times, state legislator, and member and president of the Oregon State Board of Higher Education. Ingalls was born in Corvallis, Oregon, on February 19, 1916; graduated from Corvallis High School; and attended Oregon State College until 1937 when he joined his family's Corvallis newspaper, the Gazette-Times. After military service during World War II, he served as business manager and editorial page editor. Ingalls succeeeded his father as editor and publisher in 1950. The paper was sold in 1969 to Lee Enterprises; however, Ingalls continued as editor and publisher until 1973, when another editor was appointed. Ingalls continued as publisher until his retirement in 1982. Ingalls served as state representative from Corvallis in 1969-1975; in the 1980s, he served two terms on the Oregon State Board of Higher Education, the last two years as president.
