Giustinas' $4 million gift endows forestry and turf positions
Towering Oregon forests and the rolling greens of golf courses are two landscapes that the late Nat Giustina loved.
They are also two landscapes closely-associated with his alma mater, Oregon State University, home of a top-ranked forestry college and a turf program that has produced superintendents of some of the nation’s best golf courses.
When the Giustina family met to decide how to honor Nat’s wish to be a part of OSU’s first comprehensive campaign, they chose to give $3 million to establish an endowed professorship in forest management and another $1 million to start a professorship in turf management.
“My father had always been supportive of Oregon State, and he really wanted to be a part of the campaign,” said his son Larry Giustina, a 1971 OSU graduate. “The family came together, and we decided to direct the gift to two areas he loved.”
The Giustina family has been deeply connected to Oregon’s timber history, and Nat Giustina led the Eugene-based family timber and wood products business for many years. He also loved to golf, so much so that he created the Tokatee Golf Club in the McKenzie River Valley and spearheaded the effort to create Trysting Tree Golf Course in Corvallis, the proceeds of which benefit OSU.
Giustina, a 1941 OSU graduate, was a long-time volunteer and supporter of OSU, including serving more than 25 years on the OSU Foundation Board
“Nat Giustina truly made a mark on OSU, and his family carries on his legacy of civic duty and pride in their university,” said OSU President Ed Ray. “I am confident that he would have loved to see the impact these professorships will have not only on OSU, but also on nation’s forests and golf courses -- landscapes that are such a big part of our economy, beauty, and environmental heritage.”
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