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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 27, 2005 Local philanthropist Wally Iverson dies By JOHN DARLING for the Mail Tribune Noted philanthropist, property manager and lifelong Medford resident Wally Iverson is being hailed as major community leader and supporter of health and education causes. He died peacefully at his Rogue Valley Manor home on Thursday morning. He was 88. Out on his own in the middle of the Great Depression at age 14, Iverson set about acquiring and publishing several small newspapers and amassed a multi-million dollar fortune from building and owning apartment complexes in Medford, said his grand-nephew Bob Matthews, owner of Rogue Ski Shop. "He was an incredible person, very shy, not the flamboyant kind who would walk in and take control of a room," said Mathews. "He’d come in quietly and would gradually be giving me pointers about life and finances." Iverson was active in Medford Rotary and the Jackson County Republican Party most of his adult life, donating more than $200,000 to the Rotary Foundation for scholarships for high school students. The sum is about a third of the foundation’s total, and its earnings provide about $50,000 a year to 30 students. "He definitely was a philanthropist and a millionaire several times over," said fellow Rotarian Ace Carter of Medford. "He was a giver and every time you were working on a project, his name would come up." Advertisement Iverson, who remained unmarried all his life and had no children, left a difficult family situation at 14 to live with his sister Ada and her family. From them, said Mathews, he got the seed money to begin his real estate empire, building the Villa Rogue apartments on Siskiyou Boulevard, then the Highlander at Barnett and Highland. He was named Rental Owner of the Year in 1986 by the Affiliated Rental Housing Association of Oregon. His award-winning philosophy was to provide a feeling of safety and privacy, make prompt repairs, treat all residents alike, keep rents moderate and encourage good neighbors through taking good care of surroundings, he said in an interview at the time. At age 19, Iverson bought three weekly newspapers, the Jacksonville Post, the Gold Hill News and the Glendale Log. He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. On his return, he worked for the Medford News and owned Iverson Printing on the Ashland Plaza. A local precinct committeeman for many decades, Iverson got his political start in the Army as elections officer at Will Rogers Field in Oklahoma City. He worked regionally for the election of Thomas Dewey for president in 1948 and operated behind the scenes for other campaigns, including that of Circuit Judge L.A. Merryman. The county central committee created a Wally Iverson Award for the year’s outstanding committee person. In a 1988 interview, Iverson said, "I have always been interested in politics. I am interested 365 days a year, and not just at election time. I worked real hard for Dewey." Iverson dedicated much time and financial support to many causes, including the donation of his Highlander apartments to the Rogue Valley Medical Foundation. He served in the creation of Mount Ashland Ski Area and was an avid skier and member of the early Rogue Snowman, who would set up portable rope tows at Crater Lake. Marge Nave, a friend of 60 years, observed, "He was the most sweet and generous a person you’ll ever meet. He has just given and given and given," including causes like Salvation Army, Youth for Christ and Rogue Valley Medical Center. Iverson, she added, went annually to his condo in Switzerland and only five years ago, in his early 80s, skied the Matterhorn. Brad Hicks, director of the Medford Chamber of Commerce, lauded Iverson’s long service on its board, adding, "He was a prince of a guy. You’d have to look real hard to find someone who cared more about our community and the people in it. I looked up to him a great deal. When we’d inherit new problems or challenges, he’s the one we knew we could talk to for the big picture." Fellow Rotarian Jeff Cutler said, "He was a quiet, interesting man, very sensitive to people’s needs. He was extremely generous. His didn’t raise rent year after year for his tenants, because they’d become friends and he knew they couldn’t afford it. He did so many things anonymously because he just didn’t want credit, and that’s a characteristic of a true philanthropist. He took pleasure in seeing good things done." Services, being handled by Rogue Valley Alternatives, have not been scheduled. John Darling is a free-lance writer living in Ashland. 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