About Bob Richardson
Robert Paul Richardson was born in Ontario, Canada on December 7, 1888 to John S. and Melissa Richardson. He was educated in the public schools of Alpena, Michigan, and spent his entire life in the logging and lumbering business. He came to Grays Harbor, Washington in 1906 and remained there until 1925 when he joined the C.D. Johnson Corporation and moved to Toledo.
Bob was the superintendent of the C.D. Johnson Mill in Toledo. The mill, which later was purchased by Georgia-Pacific Corp., was and continues to be a significant factor in the economy of the Toledo area.
When Bob Richardson died in 1951, a newspaper memorial recalled of him that “his countless charities and help to those in need will never be known because he never spoke of all his generous deeds. There’ll be many a tear shed by the rough and tough boys on the green chain, and many a prayer (will) ascend into heaven from the lonely loggers’ shacks along the Siletz.”
About the Scholarship
A great believer in education, Bob Richardson is honored in memory by the establishment of this scholarship through the will of Lila Mae Richardson, Bob's wife. Established in 1989, The scholarship makes it possible for the relatives of many of those same mill workers and loggers, as well as all Toledo High School graduates, to expand their educational horizons after high school.