1990

Dr. Sam Stern, Oregon State University College of Education, becomes the first American appointed to an endowed chair in Japan.

1990

Corvallis population: 44,757; Benton County: 70,811.

1991

Corvallis Farmer's Market begins.

1991

Oregon State University is designated a Space Grant university.

1991

Corvallis Sister Cities Association is formed; it establishes a sister city relationship with Uzhhorod, Ukraine.

1991

The northern spotted owl is listed as threatened, and timber harvests on U.S. Forest Service lands in Benton County decline to 0.

1992

The Corvallis-Benton County library expands its building.

1993

Oregon State University celebrates its football centennial.

1994

Three firefighters with OSU connections, all members of the elite Hot Shots, die while battling a blaze on Storm King Mountain in Colorado. John R. Kelso and Robert A. Johnson were 1991 OSU graduates, and Terri A. Hagen was a senior when she last attended OSU in 1993. Two other Oregon Staters survive the fire, 1994 graduate Brian J. Lee and student Tommie L. Rambo.

1994

A library service district is created by Benton County voters.

1994

A study released by the University of Southern California lists Oregon State University as the Pac-10's safest campus.

1994

Linus Pauling, Oregon State University's most distinguished graduate, dies on August 19.

1994

High tech employment surpasses timber products manufacturing employment in Region 4 (Linn, Benton, and Lincoln counties).

1995

The Philomath Community Library opens in a building built by community volunteers.

1995

OSU's Horner Museum closes. Over the next decade, the collection will be stored and inventoried, and ownership will be transferred to the Benton County Historical Society.

1995

Vegan Magazine lists Corvallis as "one of the 13 best towns to be a vegetarian."

1996

Raised in Corvallis and a graduate of Corvallis High School, author and adventurer Jon Krakauer publishes Into Thin Air, the story of his ascent of Mt. Everest in May, 1996, in which eight fellow climbers are killed by the sudden appearance of a rogue storm. His other books include Into the Wild, Eiger Dreams, and Under the Banner of Heaven.

1996

Heavy February rains and snow melt cause significant flooding in Corvallis. Several OSU buildings suffer damage as a result of the flooding. In November, record rainfall for a 24-hour period leads to flooding in 10 OSU buildings and causes power outages and loss of heat in others.

1996

Paul Glissan Risser becomes the 13th president of Oregon State University. He had previously served as the president of the Miami University of Ohio.

1997

Raised by her mother in Corvallis in the 1960s and 70s, singer/songwriter/guitarist Meredith Brooks is nominated for a Grammy Award for her hit song "Bitch."

1999

Oregon State University is named one of America's 100 most wired colleges and universities, according to a survey in the May issue of Yahoo! Internet Life.