Born on the grounds of Fort Ord to a military family, Eric William Bilderbeck ’93 spent the first part of his life in Turkey and Spain—an auspicious start to an adventurous and curious traveler. He moved with his family to Salem, Oregon, in 1978, and earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at Santa Clara. Eric worked for Caterpillar Inc., as a field service representative and designer, traveling around the U.S. and Canada modifying equipment for logging applications. In 2006, he began working for Morrow Equipment as an engineer and project manager, helping to make sure that construction teams around the world were able to do their jobs safely and quickly. Eric grew up hiking and camping in Oregon, and developed deep friendships while discovering the many ways to stay dry while being outside in Western Oregon. He maintained a life-long love of hiking, skiing and camping and the Deschutes Wilderness in particular. He was a strong and inspirational member of the Ultimate Frisbee community in Salem for many years, and shared his knowledge and appreciation of the sport as a coach for the Willamette University Women’s Ultimate Frisbee team. A gifted storyteller with sharp wit, a fantastic friend of unparalleled generosity, Eric died unexpectedly on December 3, 2019 at 49 years old.