EUGENE, Ore. -- (Nov. 5, 2009) - The University of Oregon will celebrate Veterans Day with a photography display, reception, rededication of a lounge in the Military Science Building and a toy drive.

On Wednesday, Nov. 11, all students, faculty, staff, alumni and the general public are invited to help honor veterans and their families who have served in the country's military forces.

Events include a Veterans Day reception and ceremony from 10:30 to 11:50 a.m. in the EMU Ballroom. UO President Richard Lariviere will provide opening remarks. Speakers will include veterans from the university community. In addition, photographs provided by UO students, faculty, staff and university archives collections will be on display.

At noon, LTC Thomas W. Lingle will rededicate the Ralph Amato Lounge at the Army ROTC's Military Science Building, 1679 Agate St., to honor the important UO alum. In the 1930s, Amato was a three-star letterman on the UO baseball team and the Army ROTC. He graduated in 1938 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He rose in position to battalion executive officer and was awarded the Silver Star (posthumously) for his heroism during an attack on Bataan in April 1942. Amato was captured and held as a Prisoner of War of the Japanese for three years. He was killed in 1945 during an allied bombing attack while being transported to another POW camp.

To raise awareness of the family impacts of deployment and assist local children, the Veteran and Family Student Association (VFSA) will put on a toy drive from 1 to 4 p.m. in the EMU amphitheater. The VFSA will collect new, unwrapped toys for the children of deployed soldiers from the Springfield-based A Company 2nd/162 Infantry. There are 63 children with at least one parent serving in the unit. For more information or to donate, contact VFSA at 541-346-4305.

UO administration organized the second annual Veterans Day Recognition events in conjunction with the UO Nontraditional Student Programs, VFSA, UO Army ROTC and university archives.

About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of the 62 leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.

Contact: Julie Brown, 541-346-3185, julbrown@uoregon.edu

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