A life of military service and a legacy of giving began with teammates who stood together in defeat, agreeing to enlist en masse if they lost one more game. 

In the fall of 1948, the entire EOSC football team capped their losing season with a march downtown to join the . Among them was Willard “Bill” Carey, ’49, who would go on to serve as the youngest federally recognized brigadier general in the Army National Guard of the United States. 

Carey earned his associate degree at EOU and transferred to the , where he was student body president and president of Phi Kappa Psi. From there, he earned a law degree from Willamette University. 

In 1959, he married the love of his life, Audrey, and they set up a life and a law practice in La Grande, eventually with three children. Toward the beginning of his law career, Carey started the EOU Foundation and continued to contribute to the university until his passing in May 2001.   

“He wanted young men and women to have the kind of opportunity that he had.” – Audrey Carey

“Coming back to his own community, he recognized the need for a fundraising source for the college, so he formed the Eastern Oregon Advancement Association,” Audrey said. “He’d go out and raise money among the business people in Eastern Oregon to fund this committee, which then became, under his leadership, the [EOU] Foundation.” 

When Carey took an assignment at the in San Francisco, he commuted from his La Grande Law office and was the Deputy Commanding General for Reserve Components, Sixth US Army, which covered the 13 Western States. During this time, Carey was responsible for over 100,000 people, his wife said. 

“It was just the most wonderful experience,” Audrey said. “I got to watch him go from Captain and La Grande Company Commander all the way to Major General.” 

Carey was the first President of the EOU Foundation and served on the board for 24 years. In 1982, he was awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award and was twice recognized with the Jaycees Distinguished Services Award in addition to being named Man of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce in 1966 and 1986. His wife remembers Carey teaching a business class at the college as well. 

When he retired from the military in 1987, Carey’s troops gifted him with their personal funds to start the “Major General Willard Carey Scholarship” and he continued to put his money into it, too. At the time of his death, Carey’s family directed donations in his honor to expand the scholarship even further.  

“He had a close attachment to Eastern and that’s why the scholarship became [what it did],” Audrey said. “He wanted young men and women to have the kind of opportunity that he had. It was becoming more financially difficult for people to go to college and so it was really important to him that there was this scholarship. He wanted it to go to people who were going to have a military career, as well a college education.” 

The scholarship provides up to $2,500 annually, and has allowed students to access higher education since 1989. To qualify for the annual scholarship, students must be part of the GOLD program, which aims to strengthen the officer candidate program at EOU while providing training exercises and trips to historical military sites across the country. 

Audrey Carey has received many letters of thanks from student recipients over the years, and she treasures their words of gratitude. One excerpt reads: 

“I look forward to the day I am also able to give back to young soldiers like myself and continue the tradition of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage throughout our armed forces community. I promise you, personally, I will continue to work hard and become an exemplary model for others to follow.”

I am thrilled to be on-board as the Executive Director of Philanthropy, and am looking forward to getting involved in La Grande and surrounding communities that EOU serves.

I am originally from Moscow, Idaho but spent many years moving around the Pacific Northwest. I returned to Moscow in 2000 and began my career in higher education. I spent 10 years working in development at the University of Idaho’s Department of Athletics, specializing in annual giving, board development, campaign project management, stewardship and special events. Most recently, I served as a major gift officer in the College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences at .

I look forward to working with our constituents and communities to help build on the foundation that already exists through the great efforts of the EOU Foundation Trustees and University Advancement staff. Working together, I believe we can accomplish our fundraising goals and fulfill the mission of the Foundation.

I love spending time with my two teenage kids, attending their sporting events, helping them with homework and seeing them grow as wonderful young adults. I also enjoy being outdoors, hiking, running, biking, kayaking and camping, and I am excited to explore the Grande Ronde Valley. 

‘Engage, Invest, Enhance’ through the EOU Foundation

Visions, missions and strategic plans have a bad habit of accumulating dust, but leaders of the EOU Foundation are determined to keep theirs living and breathing. 

Chair of the Finance Committee Marcy Haines is a fifth-generation East Oregonian, and although she only attended EOU for a year, the university’s critical role in the region inspired her to get involved. 

“I think it’s so important to increase the economic viability of our rural communities, and the college and foundation do that,” Haines said. 

After earning a degree from and starting a financial planning business, her commitment to improving lives through education led Haines to a position as a Foundation Trustee.

“I’m so impressed with the amount of scholarships being awarded, and the generosity of gifts to the foundation,” she said. “We have a broad base of support from different people from a wide range of places.”

The foundation’s renewed focus boils down to “Engage, Invest, Enhance.” Trustees, led by the Board of Directors, hope to expand involvement and increase philanthropic giving in line with EOU’s strategic plan, “The Ascent: 2029.”

“There’s been a focus on engaging and reaching out to more people,” Haines said. “I’m realizing how many people have a love for EOU and want to support it—it had been here all along, but I’ve seen it accelerate.” 

She said more people are investing in Oregon’s Rural University through gifts of cash, stock, estates, payroll deductions, and credit card donations. 

“The vision for the foundation is to grow at a reasonable rate and continue expanding our impact on campus and online,” Haines said. “We’re focused on enriching that experience and allowing students to thrive.” 

A new range of locally based philanthropic committees have emerged in metro centers across the Northwest for EOU stakeholders in Boise, Spokane, Portland and other areas to connect with one another.

“Being able to build a tribe within your community—it’s really about those personal relationships in the long-term,” Haines said. “We really are very global at this point, and expanding EOU’s global-ness means more impact.”
The EOU Foundation can be reached at foundation@eou.edu or 541-962-3740.

The Mountaineer is primarily funded by the EOU Foundation. Visit eou.edu/foundation and make a gift to support the alumni magazine!

returned to the diamond in February 2021, following a hiatus that lasted 14 years, nine months and four days. Off-season recruiting and COVID-19 safety protocols are beginning to pay off as the reinvigorated team competes this spring. Plans are in development for an on-campus baseball field and expanded scholarship offerings to student-athletes. Contact the EOU Foundation for more information and to get involved!