EDITORS NOTE: To obtain a scanned photo of Don Tykeson in tiff format, call the UO Office of Communications, (541) 346-3134.

EUGENE–Don Tykeson, a trailblazer in the Oregon television industry, will receive the 2001 University of Oregon Pioneer Award at a gala event on May 11 in Portland.

The 1951 UO business graduate will be honored for his achievements during an evening program at the Portland Downtown Marriott.

"Don Tykeson demonstrates every day how much difference one person can make in his community with hard work, a positive attitude and a generous spirit," says UO President Dave Frohnmayer. "His personal courage and his willingness to share his success are inspiring to me and to many others on campus."

The May 11 black-tie event, expected to attract several hundred people, will include a reception, dinner, program and dancing. Net proceeds will fund a UO Presidential Scholarship, and those who wish can contribute to the scholarship fund even if they don’t attend. For more information about tickets and the scholarship fund, call the Special Events Office in the UO Office of Development, (541) 346-0783.

Inaugurated in 1979, the UO Pioneer Award is presented to alumni and others who have become leaders and risk-takers in their fields. Last year’s award went to Bob and Beverly Lewis, philanthropists and thoroughbred horse-racing enthusiasts from Newport Beach, Calif., who met at the UO in the late 1940s.

Tykeson got his first job in television in 1953 as an ad salesman for KPTV in Portland. In 1963, he bought an interest in KEZI-TV in Eugene, a small station with a net worth of $26,000 and 37 employees. Over the years, Tykeson’s company, Liberty Communications, purchased other stations and then branched out into cable television in Oregon and other states, eventually becoming one of the top 20 cable companies in the country.

By the time Tykeson sold Liberty in 1983, it was a multimillion-dollar company with about 1,000 employees, six TV stations and more than 40 cable systems in 10 states. Tykeson retained ownership in Bend Cable Communications.

Tykeson has been an active supporter of the University of Oregon and community organizations including the Boy Scouts of America, United Way, the Sacred Heart Medical Center Foundation and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

At the age of 30, Tykeson was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a progressive degeneration of nerve tissue that can affect movement, speech, vision and energy. He now gets around by walking with canes or using an electric cart. Despite his disability, he is an ardent golfer and swimmer.

Tykeson has been a UO Foundation trustee since 1996 and serves on the Charles H. Lundquist College of Business Advisory Council. He and his wife, Willie, have established endowments for undergraduate teaching in the UO College of Arts and Sciences and a professorship in the Lundquist college. They also have contributed to the business college’s new teaching facility, the Museum of Art renovation project, the Oregon Bach Festival, student scholarships and Duck athletics.

In 1997, the Tykesons received the UO Presidential Medal for their service to the university.

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