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CORVALLIS - Oregon State University has received a bequest of at least $1.2 million from the estate of an alumna and former educator that will benefit students and programs in the College of Business and OSU Libraries.

The bequest, which could include an additional $200,000 when the estate is closed in April, is from Doris Hageman Whalen, a 1939 OSU education graduate who died Jan. 29, 2001. She also received a master's degree in education from OSU in 1950.

About two-thirds of the gift will create endowed funds in the College of Business that will be used primarily for student scholarships. The scholarships will be awarded annually to business students based on outstanding achievement, financial aid, or potential for success.

"Scholarship through this endowment will help attract students to the critical education area of business and information technology," said Sabah Randhawa, interim dean of the College of Business. "This will be an important need in the 21st century."

The remaining third of the gift will create endowed funds for OSU Libraries, which will use them to bolster its general collections and the Information Commons - at the request of the donor.

"I never had the good fortune to meet Doris, but it is fascinating to me to think that she was able to anticipate that the future of libraries would revolve around collections and the technology to access them," said Karyle Butcher, the Donald and Delpha Campbell University Librarian at OSU. "What a wonderful way to show support for our students."

Whalen was born in Nebraska and moved to Oregon at age 10. After graduating from Corvallis High School, she entered OSU and majored in education while attending Alpha Gamma Delta sorority. Before returning for her master's degree, she served on the American Red Cross staff in France at the end of World War II, 1944-45.

She spent most of her professional career on the business faculty at the College of Marin in California. During her 30 years at the college, she wrote three books widely used in the business and educational communities - "The Secretary's Handbook," "The Business English Handbook" and "The Business Communications Handbook."

Whalen also taught at Lebanon High School, and Portland's High School of Commerce (now Cleveland) and Washington High School.