 In mid-1919, Edwin E. Mayer, a camera enthusiast who had just graduated from the North Pacific College of Pharmacy (in Portland), bought out Carleton Sawyer's stake in the company bearing his name.Later the same year, Mayer and three relatives acquired the remaining stake from A. R. Specht.According to a 1946 article in "The Oregonian", "For 20 years Mayer retained membership in the pharmaceutical ranks, but never practiced his profession," working instead on building up the photofinishing business of Sawyer's.