Robert Schaefer Collection

Robert (Bob) Schaefer was born in Seattle, Washington on April 19, 1930. He grew up in Vancouver, Washington and attended Vancouver High School and Clark College. Schaefer later enrolled at Willamette University and Willamette Law School, graduating in 1955. Following graduation Schaefer opened a law practice in downtown Vancouver and later served as deputy prosecuting attorney for Clark County. In 1959, he served the first of four terms in the Washington State Legislature. In his final term, he served as Speaker of the House until 1967. One of his notable accomplishments while in the legislature was the establishment of Battle Ground Lake state park and Paradise Point state park. Following his tenure in the House, Schaefer returned to his law practice and was also an active lobbyist for high-tech manufacturing in Clark County. He became a board member of the Columbia River Economic Development Council. In the early 1980s, Schaefer turn his attentions toward efforts to get better higher education opportunities for residents in Southwest Washington. Schaefer found the region severely underserved in the area of upper division level higher education. In a document he authored with Denny Heck (future U.S. Representative) titled “High Technology Training Needs: An Educational Delivery System for Southwest Washington”, Schaefer made the case that an established research institute with upper-division and graduate offerings was of utmost importance to attract and retain the high-tech industry to the region. Following this initial assessment Schaefer helped to establish a consortium of Washington universities, the Southwest Washington Joint Center for Education, in 1983. The Joint Center, as it was known, operated initially at Hudson’s Bay High School and then later moved operations to the Clark College campus at Bauer Hall. Washington State University (WSU) helped to administer the Joint Center’s programs for the next five years. In 1989, when a WSU branch campus at Vancouver was formally authorized under Senate Bill 6095, Joint Center operation were absorbed. Schafer’s initial work in establishing the Joint Center and WSU's presence in Clark County is recognized as the foundation for the four-year university in Southwest Washington. In 2013, Schaefer was recognized as Clark County First Citizen with acknowledgement of his work in establishing higher education in the area.