Affiliation: Alumni - 1950s
Ken Austin Oral History Interview
Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna and Chris Petersen.
March 24, 2015
Ken Austin (b. 1931) attended Oregon State College from 1949-1953, graduating with
a degree in Industrial Engineering. While at OSC, Austin became the first Benny Beaver
mascot, wearing a costume of his own design and construction, and entertaining fans
with antics that often incorporated a starter's pistol that he wore on his hip. Following
the completion of his studies and a stint in the Air Force, Austin worked eight jobs
in eight years before launching his own business, Austin Dental Equipment Company,
or A-dec. Mechanically inclined and a habitual tinkerer, Austin's innovations revolutionized
the practice of dentistry and fueled dizzying growth for A-dec. Later on, Ken and
his wife Joan became heavily involved in numerous philanthropic endeavors, generously
supporting several programs at OSU and providing the lead gift for a new home for
the College of Business, Austin Hall. Austin's interview focuses on his life-long
interest in machinery, his rich undergraduate experience at OSC, the creation and
growth of A-dec, and his family's experiences in philanthropy.
Rollie and Laverne Bilyeu Oral History Interview
Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
March 26, 2015
Rollie (b. 1933) and Laverne Bilyeu (b. 1932), both raised in rural northeast Oregon,
met as sophomores at Oregon State College and married during the summer before their
junior year. Majoring in Business Administration and Home Economics respectively,
the Bilyeus lived, studied and worked as a married couple for two years before graduating
with the class of 1955. In their interview, Rollie and Laverne reflect on OSC's campus
culture during the early 1950s, discuss their shared experience as married students,
and outline their varied occupational pursuits in the years that followed, including
Laverne's association with several county branches of the OSU Extension Service.
Ralph Cheek Oral History Interview
Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
October 15, 2014
Ralph Cheek (b. 1930) graduated from Oregon State College in 1952, completing a degree
in Business while also participating in Naval ROTC. Following a period of military
service, Cheek embarked upon a career with Kaiser Aluminum that would span more than
thirty years. Beginning as a scrap foreman, Cheek eventually advanced to the position
of Vice President of Manufacturing and Sales for Kaiser Aluminum Europe, while also
serving as a member of the Kaiser Aluminum Europe board. In 1986 Cheek retired from
Kaiser Aluminum and accepted a position as CEO of IMCO Recycling, which he built up
to become the world's largest recycler of aluminum cans. In his interview he discusses
his OSC years, his many positions with Kaiser Aluminum, and his influential leadership
of IMCO Recycling.
Memories of Clackamas County Extension
Two life history interviews conducted by Mike Dicianna.
November - December 2016
The Oregon State University Extension Service traces its roots in Clackamas County
to 1917, when the service assigned a home economist to the region for the first time.
Today, the Clackamas County office oversees a robust schedule of programming focusing
on trees and forests, 4-H youth, family and community health, home gardening, agriculture,
and watershed health. In anticipation of Clackamas County Extension's one-hundredth
anniversary, two interviews were conducted in 2016 with individuals who maintain close
ties to the region and the office. Merilly Enquist, a 1959 OSC graduate and fourth-generation
descendent of Oregon pioneers, manages timber stands on her family's 300-acre estate
near Molalla, Oregon. Harold Black, a World War II veteran and 1947 OSC Farm Crops
graduate, worked as a 4-H Extension agent and administrator for more than three decades
in Columbia, Clackamas and Multnomah counties.
Ralph Coleman, Jr. Oral History Interview
Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
July 8, 2014
Ralph Coleman, Jr. (b. 1931) is a 1954 OSC graduate in Business Administration. A
Corvallis native, Coleman played baseball for his father, Ralph Sr., during his Oregon
State years. Ralph Coleman, himself a graduate of Oregon Agricultural College, led
Beaver baseball for parts of five decades, beginning in the mid-1920s and lasting
until his retirement in 1966. Coleman was also an early track coach and director
of the school's intramural sports program. Ralph Coleman, Jr.'s interview focuses
on memories of his father, growing up in Corvallis in the 1930s and 1940s, and the
early years of Oregon State baseball.
An Oral History of the Francois Gilfillan family
An interview with Nan Jensen and Ellen Johnson conducted by Anne Bahde and Trevor
Sandgathe.
November 1, 2013
An iconic figure in the history of Oregon State University, Francois Gilfillan (1893-1983)
was a Pharmacy alum of Oregon Agricultural College, graduating in the class of 1918.
After a period of time spent on the East Coast, Gilfillan returned to his alma mater
serving as its Dean of Science and, from 1941-1942, Acting President. A professionally
trained chemist, Gilfillan was instrumental in furthering science education both regionally
and nationally. Gilfillan was also a true Renaissance man who spoke or read at least
nine languages, including Chinook, collected rare books and antique silver, and cultivated
an authentic Japanese garden. With his wife Violette, Gilfillan raised four children
including Elizabeth (Ellen) and Nansie, who share their recollections of Gilfillan
family life in this interview.
Ruth Jones and Rita Kilstrom Oral History Interview
Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
August 21, 2014
Corvallis natives Ruth (Martin) Jones and Rita (Young) Kilstrom, both born in 1938,
have been friends since kindergarten and attended Oregon State College together, graduating
in the class of 1959. Kilstrom is the daughter of D. Palmer Young, an early professor
of speech and theater craft at Oregon State College. Though Education majors, both
Jones and Kilstrom were heavily involved with the OSC drama program during their college
years. Their interview focuses on growing up in Corvallis in the 1940s and 1950s,
the OSC campus climate in the mid- to late 1950s, and the early years of theater arts
at Oregon State.
LaMont Matthews Oral History Interview
Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
July 1, 2015
LaMont Matthews (b. 1934) graduated from Oregon State College in 1956, earning a degree
in Mechanical Engineering. As a senior at Oregon State, Matthews began working part-time
at a local engineering firm called Cornell, Howell, Hayes, and Merryfield. The thirtieth
employee hired by what was later known as CH2M Hill, Matthews spent nearly fifty years
as an engineer, project manager and executive with the company, ultimately rising
to the position of Vice President of Industrial and Energy Systems and serving on
the CH2M Hill Board of Directors. His interview is largely devoted to reflections
on Matthews' many years at the company, with memories of undergraduate engineering
study at OSC included as a secondary topic.
Mike Newton Oral History Interview
Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
March 15, 2016
Mike Newton (b. 1932) is an Oregon State alum - having completed a master's degree
in Forestry in 1959 and a Ph.D. in Botany in 1964 - and also an emeritus member of
the OSU Forestry faculty. Over a forty-year career at Oregon State, Newton conducted
influential research on weed control in forested settings, work that took him to Vietnam
in the early 1970s to investigate the biological impact of Agent Orange. A highly
productive scholar, Newton also led long-term studies focusing on competition between
tree and plant species in areas of differing rainfall and soil type; tree growth in
cold weather climates; and the cultivation of mature forests through managed thinning
and harvesting. In his interview, Newton reflects primarily on the research that he
has conducted in forested areas all around the world, and on contemporary controversies
surrounding forest management. His upbringing in rural New England and his years as
a student at Oregon State College are also included as secondary topics.
An Oral History of the OSC Class of 1959
An interview with Jim and Jane Schaeffer, Harley Smith and Dave Socolofsky, conducted
by Mike Dicianna.
February 14, 2014
The Class of 1959 alumni interviewed here relate their experiences in student government,
running on the "Shamrock Party" ticket. The participants likewise relay their memories
of campus life in the late 1950s, with special focus upon athletics, military training
and, of course, student politics. Three of the interviewees held student offices
in 1958 and 1959, and all four participated in ROTC. Jane Saling was the first female
to take military training classes at Oregon State College and Harley Smith drafted
the Student Senate petition to rename Oregon State College as Oregon State University.
The participants are also responsible for donating and installing the Trysting Tree
sculpture in the Memorial Union lounge that bears its name.
The OSU Extension Service Centennial Oral History Collection
Sixteen life history interviews conducted by Elizabeth Uhlig.
August 2007 - June 2009
In anticipation of its centennial in 2011, the Oregon State University Extension Service
interviewed several of its emeritus faculty in 2007, 2008, and 2009. These interviews
help to tell the story of Extension in Oregon over a fifty-year period following World
War II, and cover topics including agriculture, 4-H, home economics, energy, community
development, Sea Grant, communications, administration, and support. The interviewees
who are included in the collection that is presented here are: Roberta Anderson, Len
Calvert, Dean Frischknecht, John Hansen, Bob Jacobson, Duane Johnson, Alberta Johnston,
Harold Kerr, Glenn Klein, Linda Modrell, Owen Osborne, Jack Ross, Jane Schroeder,
Walt and Sally Schroeder, Greg Tillson, and Tom Zinn.
Erwin Pearson Oral History Interview
Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
July 8, 2016
Erwin Pearson (b. 1932) graduated from Oregon State College in 1954 with a bachelor's
degree in Animal Husbandry. Following a career in private veterinary practice that
spanned nearly two decades, Pearson earned a master's degree from the OSU College
of Veterinary Medicine and later joined its faculty, working primarily in the college's
teaching hospital. A full-time member of the faculty for eighteen years, Pearson spent
an average of 1,200 hours per year teaching practical veterinary medicine to OSU's
Vet Med students, and also established himself as an expert on the impact of different
toxins on animal livers. In addition, Pearson chaired the college's curriculum committee
for many years and was central to the creation and implementation of a new organizational
plan that was put into place once Vet Med had secured funding for a full four-year
program at OSU. His interview touches upon his student experience and his years in
private practice, but is more centrally focused on the sometimes tumultuous history
of OSU's College of Veterinary Medicine.
Pat Reser Oral History Interview
Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
April 24, 2015
Pat Reser (b. 1938) and her family have made a major impact on OSU as donors, leaders
and high profile advocates for a variety of university initiatives. Pat and her husband
Al both graduated from Oregon State College in 1960, she in Elementary Education and
he in Business Administration. A public school teacher and mother of five children,
Pat organized Reser family life while her husband worked long hours building Reser's
Fine Foods from a family business to an international corporation employing more than
3,000 people. The Reser family later played a significant role in advancing multiple
goals important to OSU, including the renovation and expansion of the school's football
stadium, which was renamed Reser Stadium in 1999 in honor of a major gift made by
the family. The Resers later provided lead gifts for two signature projects of the
Campaign for OSU - the Linus Pauling Science Center and Austin Hall. Pat Reser served
as a co-chair of the school's capital campaign, and later was elected as the first
chair of the OSU Board of Trustees. Reser's interview focuses on her life and partnership
with her husband Al, her professional work in education and her volunteer work in
Beaverton and Corvallis, and her insight into the Reser family's key involvement with
development at OSU.
Jack Van Loan Oral History Interview
Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
November 7, 2014
Jack Van Loan (b. 1931) is a career military officer who graduated from Oregon State
College in 1954 and was promptly commissioned into the United States Air Force. A
fighter pilot, Van Loan flew both Super Sabre and F-4 Phantom aircraft during the
early years of his career. Van Loan's life changed dramatically in May 1967, when
his jet was shot down over North Vietnam. Van Loan was promptly captured and spent
the next 2,116 days - nearly six years - as a prisoner of war. He was released in
March 1973 as part of Operation Homecoming and, after a period of recovery, resumed
his military career until retiring in 1984 with the rank of Colonel. His interview
touches upon his undergraduate years at OSC, but primarily focuses on his experience
of being imprisoned in the "Hanoi Hilton."
Tony Van Vliet Oral History Interview
Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
November 14, 2013
Tony Van Vliet (b. 1930) is both an alum and an emeritus member of the OSU faculty.
Van Vliet studied Forestry at Oregon State College, graduating with a B.S. in 1952
and attaining a master's degree in Forest Products in 1958. He began his teaching
career in 1955, a tenure that lasted until 1990 and included thirty-five years on
faculty in the College of Forestry. From 1971-1978, Van Vliet was also involved with
the university's Career Planning and Placement Center, serving as Director from 1978
until his retirement from OSU. Van Vliet likewise built a second career as a legislator
in the Oregon House of Representatives. A moderate Republican, Van Vliet served in
Salem from 1974-1995, during which time he focused on support for education and revision
of the state's tax system. His interview focuses on his background and early years,
his experiences as an OSC student, his memories of working in the legislature, and
his successful advocacy of the Corvallis Riverfront project.
Warren Washington Oral History Interview
Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
May 29, 2015
Warren Washington (b. 1936) earned two degrees from Oregon State College, completing
a B.S. in Physics in 1958 and, two years later, a M.S. in General Science with a concentration
on meteorology. Washington subsequently went on to a career at the National Center
for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) that has spanned more than five decades, a time period
during which he has established himself as a leading thinker on climate modeling.
An adviser to five different presidential administrations, Washington received the
2010 National Medal of Science for his achievements as a scientist and administrator.
Washington and his colleagues at NCAR also made fundamental contributions to the work
of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a body that was awarded the Nobel
Peace Prize in 2007 for its efforts to create an "ever-broader informed consensus
about the connection between human activities and global warming." Washington's interview
focuses on his experience as an African American youth growing up in Oregon; the progression
of his research in the atmospheric sciences; his experiences operating in Washington,
D.C.; and his thoughts on the issue of climate change.
Jim Welty Oral History Interview
Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
April 21, 2015
Jim Welty (b. 1933) earned three degrees from Oregon State, completing bachelor's
(1954) and master's (1959) studies in Mechanical Engineering, as well as a doctorate
in Chemical Engineering, which he finished in 1962. His Ph.D. in hand, Welty was
promptly hired to the Oregon State Mechanical Engineering faculty, where he remained
until retiring in 1996. During this time, Welty served as department chair for fifteen
years, from 1970 to 1985. A respected scholar of fluid dynamics and heat transfer,
Welty, along with two OSU colleagues, co-authored a hugely successful textbook that
was first published in 1969 and is still used in classrooms today. His interview provides
an overview of a personal association with Oregon State's College of Engineering that
has few parallels, one that spans parts of seven decades.
Ron Wrolstad Oral History Interview
Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
December 14, 2015
Ron Wrolstad (b. 1939) is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Food Science and Technology
who attended Oregon State College as an undergraduate and was an active member of
its faculty from 1965 to his retirement in 2004. An accomplished and highly cited
agricultural scientist, Wrolstad has made important contributions to the study of
fruit juice adulteration, ultimately becoming a trusted authority on the subject and
receiving funding from both public and private sources to act as a check on fruit
juice producers worldwide. Wrolstad likewise contributed to the body of research on
natural colorants, including a project investigating the use of radish extract to
achieve the red color associated with maraschino cherries. In his interview, Wrolstad
reflects on his undergraduate years at OSC; comments on the legacy of maraschino cherry
work at Oregon State; details the themes of his research over time; and shares his
institutional memories of a sixty-year association with the Food Science and Technologies
Department.