Fred Brauti was born in Wheeler, Oregon, on the coast near Nehalem Bay. After graduating from Wheeler High School in 1943, he joined the U.S. Navy and completed a three-year officer’s training program. He began his training at the University of Idaho in Pocatello (now Idaho State University) and then transferred to the University of Minnesota, graduating in 1946. He was in active duty on a U.S. Navy cruiser in the Atlantic for six months before coming to Corvallis to attend pharmacy school. Fred graduated from Oregon State in 1949 and from University of Oregon Medical School (now OHSU) in Portland in 1953. He went back to Minneapolis to complete an internship and residency in radiology at the University of Minnesota, finishing in 1958. He then joined a private radiology practice in Minneapolis.
Mary Brauti was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, and attended Elmhurst College in Chicago. When her mother became ill, she transferred to McAllister College in Minneapolis to be closer to the family, and graduated from McAllister with a teaching degree in 1958.
Fred and Mary met on a blind date, and they were married in 1963. In 1965, Fred and Mary traveled to Woodburn, Oregon, to visit Fred’s parents and decided to take a side trip to Corvallis so Fred could show Mary where he went to school. As they drove down a street in Corvallis, Fred recognized the names of two Navy buddies—Art Ovregaard and Mike Merrill—on a sign for Corvallis Radiology. He decided to stop and say hello, and ended up with a job offer. The lure of small-town life was compelling, and the couple moved to Corvallis in 1966. Fred practiced with Corvallis Radiology until he retired in 1987.
Fred and Mary have three children—David, Susie, and Annie—and six grandchildren. Despite her busy family commitments, Mary found time to sing in the choir at the First Presbyterian Church and volunteer for community organizations including the Assistance League, PEO, Samaritan hospital auxiliary, local schools, and Meals on Wheels. Mary and Fred are active in the Corvallis Country Club. They travel extensively in the United States and abroad, enjoy playing bridge, and are avid Beaver fans.
The Fred & Mary Brauti Endowment Fund supports Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts, Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis, Old Mill Center, and 4-H activities.