Phil Brogan
Encyclopedia
Philip Francis Brogan was an Oregon
journalist and author. He was a reporter, writer, and editor for the Bend
Bulletin
for 44 years, earning numerous awards for his work. He was also a well known historian
, geologist
, paleontologist, geographer
, meteorologist, astronomer
, and outdoorsman. He served as president of the Oregon Geographic Names Board
for over twenty years. Brogan wrote East of the Cascades in 1964, an important source of information on the geology, geography, and history of Central Oregon
. Phil Brogan Viewpoint near Lava Butte
in Newberry National Volcanic Monument
is named in his honor.
. He grew up on a stock ranch near Ashwood
. As a young man, he worked on ranches in the area around Ashwood and Antelope, Oregon
, and then as a sheep camp tender in the Cascade Mountains near the McKenzie Pass
. Brogan served as a signalman in the United States Navy
during World War I
. After the war, he returned to Oregon to work on his uncle’s cattle and sheep ranch. Brogan also wrote a few articles for the Antelope Herald newspaper.
In 1919, while working at a sheep camp in the western Cascades a sheep herder from a nearby camp was murdered. Brogan was called to Eugene
as a witness. While in Eugene, he applied to the University of Oregon
in order to take advantage of a state education program that paid veterans $25 a month for college expenses. Because he had not finished high school, Brogan was required to take a special examination. After passing the test, he entered the university as a journalism student.
To earn spending money and gain reporting experience, Brogan began writing geology related articles for the Eugene Register-Guard. He conducted his research while on field trips with geology professors from the university. After four years, Brogan left the University of Oregon without a degree. He was missing an algebra
class and a military training course, which he had never been able to work into his schedule. When he finally received his bachelor’s degree thirty years later, it was presented by two of Brogan’s university classmates; one was governor of Oregon at the time and the other was governor of Idaho
.
. Brogan was hired and spent the next 44 years as a reporter, writer, and editor for the Bulletin.
Brogan was a popular, awarding winning writer. In addition to writing for the Bulletin, he was also the Central Oregon correspondent for the Portland
Oregonian
and wrote a popular column in the Sunday Oregonian for many years. Over the course of his career, Brogan trained numerous young journalists including Tom McCall
, who later became Oregon’s governor. When Brogan retired in 1967, he was one of the best known journalists in the state.
Over the course of his career as a journalist, Brogan won numerous awards. These included the 1954 Amos Voorhies Award, that recognizes Oregon’s most outstanding newspaperman; the Fraternal Order of Eagles Civic Award for public service in 1957; the Oregon Historical Society
’s American Heritage Award in 1963; and the Edith Knight Hill Award from the Association for Women in Communications also in 1963. That same year, Brogan received the University of Oregon Distinguished Service Award, an honor he shared with Senator Wayne Morse
.
awarded Brogan its first Thomas Jefferson Award for outstanding service in 1960.
Brogan was a member of the Oregon Geographic Names Board
for many years, serving as the board’s president from 1947 to 1958 and the then again from 1960 to 1968. He was also a director for the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
, a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
, director of the Oregon chapter of the American Meteorological Society
, and a fellow of the Geographical Society of the Oregon Country. In 1966, when the National Aeronautics and Space Administration brought twenty-two astronauts to Central Oregon to practice moon walking in the volcanic areas around Bend, Brogan was asked to be their outback guide.
Brogan was interested in a wide range of scientific subjects including geology, paleontology, geography, astronomy, meteorology, forestry, and the environment. By 1970, he had written an estimated four thousand articles on various scientific topics, most were related to Oregon in some way.Brogan, Phil F., East of the Cascades (Third Edition), Binford & Mort, Portland, Oregon, 1965.
, owner and publisher of the Bulletin, spent years trying to persuade Brogan to compile his extensive knowledge of Central Oregon into a book. Finally, Chandler order Brogan to work on his book every afternoon until it was finished. The book, East of the Cascades, was published in 1964. At least three editions of the book have been published since 1964. Today, East of the Cascades remains an important source for information on the geology, geography, and history of Central Oregon.
The United States Forest Service
named Phil Brogan Viewpoint in his honor. The viewpoint in located at a high point along the Trail of the Molten Land near Lava Butte
in the Newberry National Volcanic Monument
south of Bend. From the viewpoint, visitors have a panoramic view of the central Cascade peeks.
In 1967, the University of Oregon established an astronomical observatory at Pine Mountain east of Bend. To recognize Brogan's contribution to astronomy, the library at Pine Mountain Observatory
was named in his honor in 1970.
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
journalist and author. He was a reporter, writer, and editor for the Bend
Bend, Oregon
Bend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States, and the principal city of the Bend, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city, and, despite its modest size, is the de facto metropolis of the region, owing to the low population...
Bulletin
The Bulletin (Bend)
The Bulletin is the daily newspaper of Bend, Oregon, United States. The Bulletin is owned by Western Communications, a family-owned corporation founded by editor Robert W. Chandler. WesCom owns nine publications in Oregon and California.-History:...
for 44 years, earning numerous awards for his work. He was also a well known historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
, paleontologist, geographer
Geographer
A geographer is a scholar whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society.Although geographers are historically known as people who make maps, map making is actually the field of study of cartography, a subset of geography...
, meteorologist, astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
, and outdoorsman. He served as president of the Oregon Geographic Names Board
Oregon Geographic Names Board
The Oregon Geographic Names Board is responsible for recommending names for geographic features in the state of Oregon. The board submits its recommendations to the United States Board on Geographic Names for approval...
for over twenty years. Brogan wrote East of the Cascades in 1964, an important source of information on the geology, geography, and history of Central Oregon
Central Oregon
Central Oregon is a geographic region in the U.S. state of Oregon and is traditionally considered to be made up of Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook counties. Other definitions include larger areas, often encompassing areas to the north towards the Columbia River, eastward towards Burns, or south...
. Phil Brogan Viewpoint near Lava Butte
Lava Butte
Lava Butte is a cinder cone located in central Oregon, USA, just west of US Highway 97 between the towns of Bend, Oregon, and Sunriver, Oregon. It is part of a system of small cinder cones on the northwest flank of Newberry Volcano, a massive shield volcano which rises to the southeast...
in Newberry National Volcanic Monument
Newberry National Volcanic Monument
Newberry National Volcanic Monument was designated on November 5, 1990, to protect the area around the Newberry Volcano in the United States. It was created within the boundaries of the Deschutes National Forest and is managed by the U.S. Forest Service...
is named in his honor.
Early life
Brogan was born on 23 March 1896 in The Dalles, OregonThe Dalles, Oregon
The Dalles is the largest city and county seat of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The name of the city comes from the French word dalle The Dalles is the largest city and county seat of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The name of the city comes from the French word dalle The Dalles is...
. He grew up on a stock ranch near Ashwood
Ashwood, Oregon
Ashwood is an unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Oregon, United States, northeast of Madras. It is considered a ghost town.Ashwood was named for its proximity to Ash Butte, a butte with volcanic ash deposits on its sides, and to honor Whitfield T. Wood, who settled in the area in the...
. As a young man, he worked on ranches in the area around Ashwood and Antelope, Oregon
Antelope, Oregon
Antelope is a city in Wasco County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 46.-History:The Antelope Valley was probably named by members of Joseph Sherar's party who were packing supplies to mines in the John Day area. Sherar became known as the operator of a toll bridge...
, and then as a sheep camp tender in the Cascade Mountains near the McKenzie Pass
McKenzie Pass
McKenzie Pass is a mountain pass in the Cascade Range in central Oregon, United States.It is located at the border of Linn and Deschutes counties, approximately 20 mi northwest of Bend, between the Three Sisters to the south and Mt. Washington to the north...
. Brogan served as a signalman in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. After the war, he returned to Oregon to work on his uncle’s cattle and sheep ranch. Brogan also wrote a few articles for the Antelope Herald newspaper.
In 1919, while working at a sheep camp in the western Cascades a sheep herder from a nearby camp was murdered. Brogan was called to Eugene
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
as a witness. While in Eugene, he applied to the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
in order to take advantage of a state education program that paid veterans $25 a month for college expenses. Because he had not finished high school, Brogan was required to take a special examination. After passing the test, he entered the university as a journalism student.
To earn spending money and gain reporting experience, Brogan began writing geology related articles for the Eugene Register-Guard. He conducted his research while on field trips with geology professors from the university. After four years, Brogan left the University of Oregon without a degree. He was missing an algebra
Algebra
Algebra is the branch of mathematics concerning the study of the rules of operations and relations, and the constructions and concepts arising from them, including terms, polynomials, equations and algebraic structures...
class and a military training course, which he had never been able to work into his schedule. When he finally received his bachelor’s degree thirty years later, it was presented by two of Brogan’s university classmates; one was governor of Oregon at the time and the other was governor of Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
.
Journalist
After leaving the University of Oregon in 1923, Brogan got a job interview with Robert W. Sawyer, owner of the Bend Bulletin. Sawyer was looking for a science writer for the Bulletin. He liked Brogan's geology articles, but that was not enough. To test Brogan’s science knowledge, Sawyer pointed out a bright star on the horizon and asked its name, Brogan replied that it was the planet VenusVenus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
. Brogan was hired and spent the next 44 years as a reporter, writer, and editor for the Bulletin.
Brogan was a popular, awarding winning writer. In addition to writing for the Bulletin, he was also the Central Oregon correspondent for the Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
Oregonian
The Oregonian
The Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850...
and wrote a popular column in the Sunday Oregonian for many years. Over the course of his career, Brogan trained numerous young journalists including Tom McCall
Tom McCall
Thomas Lawson McCall was an American politician and journalist in the state of Oregon. A Republican, he was the 30th Governor of Oregon from 1967 to 1975. A native of Massachusetts, he grew up there and in Central Oregon before attending the University of Oregon...
, who later became Oregon’s governor. When Brogan retired in 1967, he was one of the best known journalists in the state.
Over the course of his career as a journalist, Brogan won numerous awards. These included the 1954 Amos Voorhies Award, that recognizes Oregon’s most outstanding newspaperman; the Fraternal Order of Eagles Civic Award for public service in 1957; the Oregon Historical Society
Oregon Historical Society
The Oregon Historical Society is an organization that encourages and promotes the study and understanding of the history of the Oregon Country, within the broader context of U.S. history. Incorporated in 1898, the Society collects, preserves, and makes available materials of historical character...
’s American Heritage Award in 1963; and the Edith Knight Hill Award from the Association for Women in Communications also in 1963. That same year, Brogan received the University of Oregon Distinguished Service Award, an honor he shared with Senator Wayne Morse
Wayne Morse
Wayne Lyman Morse was a politician and attorney from Oregon, United States, known for his proclivity for opposing his parties' leadership, and specifically for his opposition to the Vietnam War on constitutional grounds....
.
Interest in science
In 1923, Bend’s official weather data were collected by the Bulletin staff at their office. As the newest member of the staff, Brogan was assigned the task of taking daily weather measurements and reporting the information to Portland. He liked the job and continued to collect Bend's official weather data for the next 47 year without missing a day, eventually moving the official weather collection site to his home. When he was out of town his wife recorded the weather data; and when both were away, a group of specially train high school students took the measurements. For his accomplishments, the National Weather ServiceNational Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
awarded Brogan its first Thomas Jefferson Award for outstanding service in 1960.
Brogan was a member of the Oregon Geographic Names Board
Oregon Geographic Names Board
The Oregon Geographic Names Board is responsible for recommending names for geographic features in the state of Oregon. The board submits its recommendations to the United States Board on Geographic Names for approval...
for many years, serving as the board’s president from 1947 to 1958 and the then again from 1960 to 1968. He was also a director for the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry is a museum located in Portland, Oregon, United States. It contains two auditoriums, including an IMAX Dome theatre, and a variety of hands-on permanent exhibits focused on natural sciences, industry, and technology...
, a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
, director of the Oregon chapter of the American Meteorological Society
American Meteorological Society
The American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership...
, and a fellow of the Geographical Society of the Oregon Country. In 1966, when the National Aeronautics and Space Administration brought twenty-two astronauts to Central Oregon to practice moon walking in the volcanic areas around Bend, Brogan was asked to be their outback guide.
Brogan was interested in a wide range of scientific subjects including geology, paleontology, geography, astronomy, meteorology, forestry, and the environment. By 1970, he had written an estimated four thousand articles on various scientific topics, most were related to Oregon in some way.Brogan, Phil F., East of the Cascades (Third Edition), Binford & Mort, Portland, Oregon, 1965.
Legacy
Over the years, Brogan wrote thousands of articles on Central Oregon history and the area's natural environment. Bob ChandlerBob Chandler
Robert Donald Chandler was an American football wide receiver in the National Football League.-Professional career:...
, owner and publisher of the Bulletin, spent years trying to persuade Brogan to compile his extensive knowledge of Central Oregon into a book. Finally, Chandler order Brogan to work on his book every afternoon until it was finished. The book, East of the Cascades, was published in 1964. At least three editions of the book have been published since 1964. Today, East of the Cascades remains an important source for information on the geology, geography, and history of Central Oregon.
The United States Forest Service
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
named Phil Brogan Viewpoint in his honor. The viewpoint in located at a high point along the Trail of the Molten Land near Lava Butte
Lava Butte
Lava Butte is a cinder cone located in central Oregon, USA, just west of US Highway 97 between the towns of Bend, Oregon, and Sunriver, Oregon. It is part of a system of small cinder cones on the northwest flank of Newberry Volcano, a massive shield volcano which rises to the southeast...
in the Newberry National Volcanic Monument
Newberry National Volcanic Monument
Newberry National Volcanic Monument was designated on November 5, 1990, to protect the area around the Newberry Volcano in the United States. It was created within the boundaries of the Deschutes National Forest and is managed by the U.S. Forest Service...
south of Bend. From the viewpoint, visitors have a panoramic view of the central Cascade peeks.
In 1967, the University of Oregon established an astronomical observatory at Pine Mountain east of Bend. To recognize Brogan's contribution to astronomy, the library at Pine Mountain Observatory
Pine Mountain Observatory
Pine Mountain Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by University of Oregon Physics Department.It is located Southeast of Bend, Oregon at an elevation of ....
was named in his honor in 1970.