Salem-News.com Eulogy articles

Oregon`s Oldest Beekeeper, Gone but Not Forgotten

Remembering 99-year old Oliver Wendell Petty, A Beekeeper’s Beekeeper
June 9, 1914 — April 6, 2014

(SALEM) - As an early beekeeper in the Willamette Valley, Oliver Petty was instrumental in convincing farmers to rent bee hives to improve crop yields. Prior to that time, most beekeepers made their living by selling honey.

“Oliver, in his beekeeping career, had seen things that only we can dream about- thousands of acres of hairy vetch blooming all over the Willamette Valley and other bee forage untouched,” said beekeeper Dirk Olson.