The James Sandeno Memorial Fund

Biographical Sketch

James Sandeno, 66, of Corvallis died Sunday October 24 1999 in Good Samaritan Hospital.

  Born in Chicago to Leif Einar and Mabel Ruth Langlois Sandeno, he graduated from Taft High School in Chicago and served as a communications specialist in the Navy on Adak Island in Alaska's Aleutian Islands during the Korean War.  He earned a degree in horticulture from the University of Illinois.

  In January 1960, he moved to Corvallis, where he met Joan McMorris.  They were married June 14, 1961, in Grace Lutheran Church.

  He then earned a masters degree in botany and plant pathology from Oregon State University with Dr. Roy Young on "Diseases of Western Sword-Fern". He then did research for the University of California, Davis.

  He worked for Pennwalt Chemicals, now known as Elf Autochem, for 25 years in Tacoma, WA, Fresno, CA and Philadelphia.

  He returned to Corvallis in July 1987 to work for the state Department of Agriculture. He retired in 1998.

  He was a member of Grace Lutheran Church and was active in Boy Scouts as a youth and in Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts as an adult.  He enjoyed his garden and photography.  Survivors include his wife; son,  Eric, who is the outdoor recreation planner for the Hoosier National Forest and lives in Bloomington, IN ; daughter Robin Sandeno Ippoliti of Corvallis; sister, Doris Sandeno Chute of Schaumburg, IL;one niece and six nephews.  


upper picture taken 1962
lower picture taken 1993

The Fund

The memorial fund was established, in 1999, to support graduate student travel.