Rainey Family Endows ROTC Scholarship

Joan and JB Rainey established the Bond-Foster-Rainey Families Endowed ROTC Scholarship, in memory of Roberta Rainey, to honor the military service of the Bond, Foster, and Rainey families. The scholarship is funded through the generous donations of family and friends.

Roberta was the daughter of Colonel Aubrey and Faye Elizabeth Bond. Colonel Bond served at many U.S. Army camps in the United States and its territories, and was an assistant professor of military science at Oregon State College.

Roberta was born at Camp Lewis, Washington, in 1925. She was employed by the U.S. State Department and stationed in Japan as an intelligence analyst. She married Captain James W.P. (“Pat”) Rainey and they had six children—Shawn, Erin, James B., Katherine, Walter, and Rochelle—who all earned their bachelor’s degrees from Oregon State University. Both sons received their commissions through the Army ROTC program and entered active duty. Roberta passed away in 2008.

Roberta’s son, James B. (“JB”), entered active service in 1979 as an armor officer. He met Joan Foster in the Oregon State Army ROTC program and they were stationed with the same brigade in Northern Germany. They married in 1981 in Osterholz-Scharmbeck, Germany. JB retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1999.

Both of Joan’s grandfathers served in World War I, and her father, Edward Foster, fought with the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II. Edward earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal. After graduating from college, he was called back for the Korean War and flew missions over enemy territory again.

Edward eventually returned to the U.S. and was stationed at Moses Lake, Washington, where he met and married Joan’s mother, Helene Perkins. Helene was a member of the cadet nurse corps and was commissioned as an army nurse in 1945.

Joan went to junior college in the Portland area, eventually transferring to Oregon State University and joining the Army ROTC program. Upon graduation, she was commissioned as a Medical Service Corps officer and entered active service. She became ill while on active duty and was medically retired. Joan passed away in May, 2010 while living in Corvallis with JB Rainey, her husband.

Other members of the Bond, Foster, and Rainey families also served in the military. Both families have a rich history of serving their country in various capacities.