How did Nixon meet Boxer?

In 1968 when the photographs above were taken, former Vice President Richard Nixon was a candidate in the Republican Presidential primary election.

Most states at the time selected the Republican nominee through caucauses, but Oregon was among a small number of states that elected the nominee by popular vote. So, despite Oregon being a small state with only six electoral votes, Nixon came out to campaign for the primary. 

Perhaps because it was considered safer than downtown Portland, Nixon was at the Ramada Inn near Beaverton. Pacific University's Professor Eldon Hout had connections with local Republican Party organizers. When he found out that Nixon would be in Washington County just thirty minutes away from our campus, Hout organized a group to go meet him that included several Alpha Zeta fraternity brothers. 

Alpha Zeta just happened to be in possession of Boxer, so they brought him along for the ride. The AZ brothers succeeded in getting two photographs with Nixon and Boxer together. In the years since, the images above have been among the most frequently reprinted images of Boxer of all time. 

Nixon won the primary and went on to win in the general election that fall.