W. Lester Powell attended Oregon Agricultural College during the 1912-1913 through 1916-1917 academic years. He enrolled initially as a forestry student, but changed to horticulture in 1915; he did not complete a degree from OAC. Powell was a photographer for the 1916 Orange yearbook and also for Ball Studio in Corvallis. During the 1920s and 1930s, he lived with his family on Kiger Island near Corvallis. William Lester Powell was born February 18, 1893 and graduated from Citrus High School in Azusa, California, in 1912. He died in 1978 in Medford, Oregon.
Powell's daughter, Mary Lou (known as Lou), was born July 21, 1918, in Seattle. She graduated from Corvallis High School in 1936 and attended Oregon State College in 1936-1937 and 1937-1938. Her married name was Lou Richards.
From the guide to the W. Lester Powell Photograph Collection, 1913-1956, 1913-1917, (Oregon State University Libraries)
