In the News: Alumnus A.C. Gilbert Dubbed "The Man Who Saved Christmas"

A story in the Dec. 21 edition of the Forest Grove News-Times chronicles Pacific University alumnus A.C. Gilbert's efforts in 1917 to persuade U.S. defense officials to lift a ban on toymakers imposed upon the nation's entry into the first World War.

Gilbert, whose legacy includes his invention of the Erector Set toy for children, received national acclaim by The Boston Globe, which proclaimed him the "Man Who Saved Christmas for Children." In 2002, CBS produced and broadcasted a movie with the same title, starring Jason Alexander as Gilbert.