OSHA Past President Jane McDonald was a strong proponent of the OSHA scholarship program. In 1990, she spearheaded a 50-50 raffle during the business luncheon at the annual fall conference, with the proceeds dedicated toward scholarships. University programs in Oregon that provide graduate education in the professions each nominate one outstanding student annually to receive this recognition.

In 2016, the OSHA scholarship program was named in honor of Dr. Bob Buckendorf, an esteemed master clinician and professor, beloved mentor, and OSHA Past President who passed away unexpectedly in August of that year. OSHA began to receive inquiries from individuals who wished to contribute to a tax-deductible scholarship fund in Bob’s honor. In order to accept bequests and tax-deductible donations, OSHA needed to create a separate tax-exempt foundation to manage these funds.

The Oregon Speech-Language and Hearing Association Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation that was first established in September of 2018. The Foundation was approved by the Internal Revenue Service in 2019 as a tax-exempt charitable organization. It is governed by a Board of Directors that is separate from the Board of OSHA.

Supporting students and education in the field demonstrates that we believe in the future of our professions. We believe in the potential for these students to step forward into their careers and change people’s lives with the gift of communication.

Please consider making a donation of any size. All major credit or debit cards accepted (You do not need a PayPal account to donate).

Donations by check should be made out to the OSHA Education Foundation and can be sent by mail to:

OSHA Education Foundation

PO Box 8040

Salem, OR 97303

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Bob Buckendorf (1949-2016) was a pillar of our professional community for decades. Across a 40+ year career, Bob worked in the schools; ran private practices; served as director of Speech Pathology services at the Child Development and Rehabilitation Center in Portland; earned a Ph.D. from Wichita State University; supervised dozens of students and clinical fellows; taught at multiple universities; and traveled the world, from Cuba to Kenya, from Ukraine to Kazakhstan, from Saudia Arabia to Japan, teaching and training local professionals in working with children with communication disorders. He was a frequent presenter at OSHA Conferences, and he was an active OSHA Board member, including serving as President of OSHA in 2005. Bob was awarded the Honors of the Association in 2010.

Bob retired in 2016, and moved with his family to Boise Idaho. Tragically, he passed away just months later, on August 28, 2016, following a massive stroke. He had been scheduled to return to Portland to present at the OSHA Conference just six weeks later.

Bob was a lifelong supporter of training of new professionals, and he was particularly supportive of the OSHA Scholarship fund, which provides funding for a scholarship to a student from each of Oregon’s SLP training programs each year. Following Bob’s sudden passing, the OSHA Board of Directors voted to rename the scholarship fund in Bob’s memory. 

The newly-formed OSHA Education Foundation has been formed as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with the mission to support educational activities in our professional community. A primary activity of the Foundation is to administer the Bob Buckendorf Scholarship fund, ensuring its sustainability and development in order to provide ongoing support for the next generation of speech-language pathologists and audiologists. Our ability to provide student scholarships is entirely dependent on funds raised through our professional community. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Foundation today.