The Centralia College Foundation is honoring a 1938 graduate of the college with a display of his paintings, sketches and wood carvings in the Ehret Lobby of the Walton Science Center.
Dr. Ross Galvin, 98, passed away July 13 in Olympia. He was a longtime supporter of the college and the nursing program. He was also a doctor in Centralia for 35 years.
Galvin attended Centralia Junior College between the Great Depression and World War II. He grew up in Centralia and decided to attend the junior college because it was convenient, close and affordable, according to a press release.
Once he graduated, he completed his pre-med studies at the University of Washington. Galvin then transferred to the University of Louisville in Kentucky to finish his medical degree, because during those times the University of Washington did not have its own medical school.
During his medical studies, World War II began. To stay in school, Galvin was made a private first class, according to the release. He returned to the Pacific Northwest with plans to complete his internship at Swedish Hospital in Seattle, but that was interrupted when he went into the army as a first lieutenant. He served as a medical officer in Indianapolis, where he helped injured soldiers returning from the war.
After he was discharged, Galvin and his wife moved to Oak Harbor, where he opened his first practice, according to the release. When his partner retired, he came to Centralia in 1946 on a temporary basis, but ended up staying for more than 35 years.
The free exhibit is open to the community from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays through the end of the year.
