Peter G. Corvallis

Corvallis, Peter 85 Jan. 25, 1931 Oct. 11, 2016 Show business was always in his blood. By age 9 Peter was projecting films for friends in his parents' NE Portland home before becoming a projectionist and on the stage crew at Irvington Elementary and U.S. Grant High schools, going onto working in local movie theaters. Peter will always be known for his tenacious hard work, even from an early age. Peter joined the Army in 1956. He studied film making at at the Signal School at Ft. Monmouth, NJ and then served as the base photographer for the 82nd Airborne Div. at Ft. Bragg, NC. Peter was the personal photographer during base tours for King Hussein of Jordon and Prince Constantine of Greece. After his service he studied photography at the Brooks Institute in Ventura, Calif. When television started in Oregon Peter was the first TV news film cameraman in the state shooting for KOIN-TV. One of Portland's first filmmakers, Corvallis worked with many Hollywood studios. He went on to become staff photojournalist for the Oregon Journal and the Oregonian from 1959-68. Peter shot presidents, starlets, sports stars and everyday people doing everyday things. More than 10,000 of his still photographs were published, earning five regional news and feature awards in the annual Associated Press photography contests. His pictures also appeared in Life, Detective, Parade and Time magazines. His subjects have included Supreme Court justice William Douglas, Louis Armstrong, Greek Orthodox Archbishop Iakavos, Bob Hope, JFK, Catholic Bishop Howard and 100 other celebrities. He directed fashion and tradeshows for Pendleton, Jantzen and White Stag, has taken photos, film and videos of hundreds of weddings. He started Peter Corvallis Productions in the basement of the Portland's Hilton Hotel and he and his family grew it into the largest event rental company in the NW, providing AV, event staging and décor to every imaginable client, from the Rose Festival to the White House. Peter was a life-long member of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, a member of Philoptochos, AHEPA (American Hellenic Education Progressive Assoc.) and AGRO (Assoc. of Greek Restaurant Owners). In 1994 Peter was awarded the AHEPA Plato Award for his outstanding contributions in the church and the local community. In 2005, Peter was the recipient of the Businessman of the Year Award for Oregon as part of the Ronald Reagan Republican Gold Medal by the National Republican Congressional Committee. In 2007, Peter was awarded the Archdiocesan Medal of St. Paul by His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America in recognition of his 70 years of documenting the Greek communities and church. Peter is survived by his wife, Catalina; daughters, Maria (Andy), Athena, and Demetria (Stephen); 8 grandchildren, who Peter cherished, Peter, Sophia, Anthea, Alex, Olivia, Will, Lena and Mia. Please send remembrances to Holy Trinity Senior Care Ministry, 3131 NE Glisan, Portland 97232.