Irene Hazard Gerlinger

Irene Strang Hazard Gerlinger (December 3, 1876 – April 5, 1960) was an American fundraiser and the first woman on the University of Oregon Board of Regents. She is the namesake for Gerlinger Hall on the University of Oregon campus.

Irene Hazard, daughter of James Rider Hazard and Evangeline Strang, was born in 1876 in Orange County, New York, on her family's farm. Her father had a large cattle ranch in Arizona, where Gerlinger spent some of her early childhood. She died in 1960 after being a resident of Oregon for 24 years. She described herself as "a simple housewife, the 'cruel' mother-in-law to three fine young sons-in-law, grandmother to four young descendants, and a volunteer public servant by way of an avocation." She did not like the Dallas schools, so she hired a live-in governess for her daughters. Not wanting them to be in seclusion, she later opened a private kindergarten in their home and invited other girls to attend.

Gerlinger was educated in public and private schools in California, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, and a Master of Arts degree from the University of Oregon.

Gerlinger founded the Dallas Public Library in 1905 in a room of the old Fireman's Hall, and in 1912, a building was constructed with local funds. The library was supported by Andrew Carnegie, who helped build 1,679 public libraries in the United States between 1883 and 1929.

In 1935, she founded Republican Women of Oregon Inc. with Ella Allen Scott. It became the Oregon chapter of Pro America, National Federation of Republican Women and Gerlinger was its first president.

She died of a massive intestinal hemorrhage in San Francisco, California in 1960, aged 83.

University of Oregon Black-and-white image of a drawing of Irene Gerlinger, the first female regent at the University of Oregon, drawn in 1928 by an artist named Sydney. The last name of the artist is illegible. The University of Oregon's Gerlinger Hall and Gerlinger Annex are named for her.

Gerlinger was the first female Regent of the University of Oregon from 1914–1929 and Vice-President of the board when it was abolished in 1929. She was active in the building and financing of Doernbecher Children's Hospital, being Chairman of the Medical School committee. She helped the University of Oregon secure the Women's Building (Gerlinger Hall), Prince Campbell Memorial Art Museum (Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art), women's dormitories and other buildings on campus.

The building was a symbol of the voice of women on campus. Gerlinger was the voice of the women on campus during the creation of this building. She describes the great living room in the hall, "The cultivation of the pleasant amenities and graces of life is a very valuable part of any person's education."