Fall 2023 9 I found the Oregon Stater’s Spring food issue to be a very enjoyable read. The university’s food science and technology program has an impressive history, but you may not be aware that McDonald’s french fries are also a product of a graduate of the department:William (Kenneth) Strong,’50, who attended OSU on the GI Bill. In 1963, my father went to work as a food technologist for a promising drive-in chain called McDonald’s. In 1965,a patent for“Process forPreparing Frozen French Fry Potato Segments”wasappliedforwithhisname listed as assignor to McDonald’s Systems Inc. My father’s work involved traveling the world for 25 years, working with food suppliers to ensure that the chain’s french fries tasted the same no matter where they were purchased. In the early 1990s, the frying oil was changed from animal fat to vegetable oil, slightly altering the original flavor — something he was not in approval of — but the product has still been a favorite the world over for the past 60 years, with everyone from children to Julia Child. MURRAY STRONG, ’ 81 I graduated in 1973. By the end of that year, I was married and living in Hawaii. My parents came out to visit the next year. Mom filled our request for Togo’s. She drove to Corvallis, ordered two Bombs, refrigerated and wrapped them and brought them over to us in Hawaii. We were ecstatic! I was also a student food taster whilst attending OSU. I really enjoyed tasting and commenting on the various items.Wasn’t always able to do all the taste tests that I wanted, but always tried! Great issue. Some of the items I knew but others I did not. Thanks! ROSLYN (SOLANDER) TAYLOR, ’ 73 The Oregon Stater Food Issue is very nice, except for not representing an opposing view on the direction we should be taking to feed the world and preserve our environment, like in the film “Eating Our Way to Extinction” (eating2extinction.com). There’s probablyrefuting research,but it is a conversation my university should be visibly hosting and welcoming. JOAN SCHWARZE, ’85, M.S. ’98 Hey, dietitians/nutritionists, you were not on the ball when you o"ered the recipe for Beaver Bites [in “8 Ways to FuelYour Body”].Where is the nutrition information? I’m a retired registered dietitian and give out snack ideas to high school athletes,nursing mothers, weekend warriors and kids for after school. These are easy to make and modify with other nut butters, maple syrup in place of honey, etc. Great tips and a great recipe! LYNNE KINGSLEY, ’ 74 Nurturing Free Speech As a horticulture graduate, I was delighted to read the Food Issue,but the small story about OSU’s 10th-place rank in the College Pulse free speech survey [in “Beaver Brags”] deserves comment. This is a survey of 200 schools conducted by FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, which promotes campus free speech. OSU’s written speech policy was the biggest factor in the No. 10 ranking. But OSU scored low in several concerning areas, including 159th out of 200 in the category that rates how easy students find it to talk honestly about controversial topics, 115th for students’ comfort disagreeing with a professor, and a mediocre 88th in students’ confidence that the administration protects their speech rights. As alumni, we can encourage OSU to make changes to ensure that the atmosphere on the ground matches the university’s stated policy. FIRE o"ers support at thefire.org/get-involved for launching an alumni group with that aim. We can help build tomorrow’s successful leaders by pushing universities toward a climate of open and vigorous debate that challenges students to listen to both sides of issues, and to learn the value of compromise and mutual respect. HEATHER HALL, ’ 89 Flagpole Hijinks A letter in the Spring 2023 Oregon Stater talked about The Black Bag, and how a bag was on top of the campus flagpole the next day. Easy prank and the reason many flag hoisting ropes are now locked. Tie a stick to the rope at the stick’s middle and botYOU MAY NOT BE AWARE THAT McDONALD’S FRENCH FRIES ARE ALSO A PRODUCT OF A GRADUATE OF THE DEPARTMENT. ڿ Kenneth Strong, ’50, cutting french fries in the McDonald’s food laboratory, outside Chicago in 1965. Strong developed the patented method for creating the popular fries. COURTESY OF MURRAY STRONG
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