| Harry Merlo | |
|---|---|
| File:Harry A Merlo.PNG | |
| Born | March 5, 1925 |
| Died | October 24, 2016 (aged 91) |
| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley |
| Occupation | Businessman, philanthropist |
| Known for | President of Louisiana-Pacific |
| Spouse(s) | Flo Newton |
| Children | 1 |
Harry A. Merlo (March 5, 1925 – October 24, 2016) was an American businessman and philanthropist in the state of Oregon. A native of California, he was chief executive of then Fortune 500 company Louisiana-Pacific after it was divested by forest products company Georgia-Pacific, which were both then headquartered in Portland, Oregon.
Early life[]
Harry A. Merlo was born on March 5, 1925, the son of emigrants from Italy.[1] He grew up in Northern California in Stirling City where his mother ran a boarding house.[2] During World War II he was an officer in the United States Marine Corps.[2] He also graduated from the University of California, Berkeley.[2] After the war he started working in the timber business with Rounds and Kirkpatrick Lumber Company in 1949 were he remained until moving to Georgia-Pacific, another lumber company, in the 1960s.[1][2] He married Flo Newton, and they had one son, Harry Merlo Jr.[1]
Career[]
Merlo worked for Georgia-Pacific when Louisiana-Pacific (LP) was divested in 1973.[1] He was the CEO of the then Portland, Oregon-based company.[1] In July 1995, he was forced to resign from LP by the board of directors after the company faced several lawsuits over siding problems.[3] During his time as leader of LP, he also was a professional sports owner. He owned the Portland Timbers, then of the NASL, from 1979 to 1982.[4] As a philanthropist, he donated money to the University of Portland, who named its soccer stadium in his honor.[1] Merlo also donated funds to the World Forestry Center and St. Mary's Home for Boys, among others.[1] The World Forestry Center's Merlo Hall and The Harry A. Merlo Award are both named in his honor.[2] He also had LP sponsor tennis events, including the Louisiana Pacific Coast Indoor.[5]
Later life[]
Following his departure from LP, he spent time running his winery in Sonoma County, California, along with his ranch in Eastern Oregon near La Grande.[4] In 2013, he led a failed effort to convert the Portland Water Bureau into an independent, but still public, entity.[6] Merlo died on October 24, 2016, at the age of 91.[4]
See also[]
- Merlo Station High School
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Manning, Jeff (November 2, 2016). "Harry Merlo, last of the great timber chiefs, dies at 91". The Oregonian/OregonLive. http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2016/11/harry_merlo_last_of_the_great.html. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Harry A. Merlo". World Forestry Center. March 2003. http://www.worldforestry.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/MERLO-HARRY.pdf. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
- ↑ Schine, Eric (1 October 1995). "The Fall Of A Timber Baron". Bloomberg. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/1995-10-01/the-fall-of-a-timber-baron. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Jaquiss, Nigel (October 30, 2016). "The Timber Baron Harry Merlo Died Last Week". Willamette Week. http://www.wweek.com/news/2016/10/30/timber-baron-harry-merlo-died-last-week/. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
- ↑ Eggers, Kerry (October 27, 2016). "Shoes, Roses, Merlo and more". Portland Tribune. http://portlandtribune.com/pt/12-sports/329554-209299-shoes-roses-merlo-and-more. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
- ↑ Jaquiss, Nigel (October 1, 2013). "Mystery Man Revealed". Willamette Week. http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-21228-mystery-man-revealed.html. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
External links[]
The original article can be found at Harry Merlo and the edit history here.