Ken Austin, co-founder of A-dec in Newberg, died Wednesday. He was 87.

Austin and his wife, Joan, co-founded A-dec in 1964, building it into a multi-million dollar international company and the largest privately owned dental manufacturing company in the United States. A-dec was also Newberg’s largest employer with more than 1,000 workers.

Born in Missoula, Montana, Austin grew up on a farm in Newberg, where his family had moved when he was 2 years old. He showed the first sign of his future as an innovator and entrepreneur when he started a car-repair business while still in high school.

After graduating from what was then Oregon State College in 1953 with a bachelor of science in engineering, he served in the Air Force and worked at several companies, including Tektronix and the dental equipment supply company Denesco.

Armed with an idea for his own dental device -- an air-operated saliva evacuator dubbed the Air Vacuum System -- he and Joan launched their own company in a 1,000 square foot Quonset hut in Newberg.

The couple eventually grew A-dec into a global leader that manufactures dental chairs, lights, stools, equipment and more. Notably, A-dec introduced the now-ubiquitous dental tray that makes instruments easily reachable by a seated dentist, helping to usher in the era of “sit-down” dentistry.

Over the years, the Austins became known as generous benefactors, contributing to organizations including Rotary International, which provides portable dental units for missionary projects, and Oregon State University College of Business, where Austin Hall was dedicated in 2014.

Through the years, Austin had been open about his struggle with alcoholism. But he was able to turn his battle into a positive force, becoming a beacon for others seeking hope by founding the drug and alcohol treatment center Springbrook Northwest. The center, which he created with this wife, is now owned by Hazelden.

Austin’s story of personal adventures and challenges is detailed in the book American Dreamers: How Two Oregon Farm Kids Transformed an Industry, a Community, and a University, published by the Oregon State University Alumni Association.

"Ken Austin built a legacy at Oregon State University, and in Oregon, that is unmatched,” said Ed Ray, president of OSU in a statement about the donor and engaged alumnus.

“Ken helped launch the Austin Family Business Program and contributed significantly to the construction of Austin Hall, where tomorrow’s leaders will learn from the past and shape the future.”

Austin is best known for his business acumen, his generous donations and his philanthropic pursuits. But he had an alter ego that perfectly captured his spirit: Austin became the first student to perform as what has become the beloved Oregon State mascot “Benny the Beaver,” donning a homemade beaver costume in 1952.

“Whether it be on the farm, or on jobs or at school, it’s all an education," Austin has been quoted as saying. "At first I thought it was just experiences, until a school teacher told me that experiences are just the best kind of education you can get.”

Austin is survived by two children, five grandchildren, their spouses and five great-grandchildren. They all live in and around Newberg. His wife preceded him in death in 2013.