The Oregon State University Sesquicentennial Oral History Project

Sort Interviews by Affiliation or Theme

Affiliation: College of Agricultural Sciences

Tom Allen Oral History Interview - September 1, 2015

Tom Allen Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen and Karl McCreary.
September 1, 2015
Tom Allen (b. 1931) was a Botany professor at OSU from 1962 to his retirement in 1991. Shortly after arriving on campus, Allen acquired the university's first electron microscope and used it to study viruses in lilies, among many other plants. Allen is also an artist of regional consequence who is especially well-known for his watercolor paintings. While at OSU, Allen helped to found both the Corvallis Art Center as well as the Watercolor Society of Oregon. He also led the annual Art About Agriculture juried competition and traveling exhibit for more than twenty years. In his interview, Allen discusses his evolution as a scientist and artist; shares his institutional memories of Botany and agriculture at OSU; and reflects on his important involvement in the art community in Corvallis and across Oregon.

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Roy Arnold Oral History Interview - September 6, 2013

Roy Arnold Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Adam LaMascus.
September 6, 2013
Roy Arnold (b. 1941), a native of Nebraska, completed both a master's degree and a doctorate at Oregon State University in Food Science. For twenty years a faculty member at the University of Nebraska, Arnold came back to OSU in 1987 and, over nineteen more years, served in numerous roles including Dean of the College of Agriculture and University Provost. During his tenure as an upper administrator, Arnold oversaw many of the reductions that were put in place as a result of the passage of the Ballot Measure 5 property tax limitation initiative. He also pushed forward a number of new initiatives at OSU - the University Honors College, the Ethnic Studies department, and a dual admissions/dual enrollment program with Oregon's community colleges were all formed during his years as provost. His interview covers the breadth of his career, focusing primarily upon his long associations with the University of Nebraska and Oregon State University.

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George Arscott Oral History Interviews - December 5, 2014

George Arscott Oral History Interviews

Two life history interviews conducted by Chris Petersen.
December 5, 2014
George Arscott (b. 1923) is an alumnus of and an emeritus faculty member at Oregon State. A veteran of both World War II and the Korean War, Arscott completed his bachelor's degree in Poultry Husbandry in 1949, and was a member of the Poultry Science faculty from 1953 to his retirement in 1987. An accomplished researcher and expert in poultry nutrition, Arscott chaired Poultry Science for eighteen years, a time period during which a new poultry facility was built at OSU, and an era that also saw nearly all of the department's faculty participate in a five-year poultry extension and training program in the Yemen Arab Republic. In retirement, Arscott continued to serve internationally, consulting on poultry operations in Central and South America, Egypt, and Lithuania. Over two interviews, Arscott shares his memories of his military service, his research and progression through academia, and the activities of the Poultry Science department over his five decades of affiliation.

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Mike Beilstein Oral History Interview - July 7, 2016

Mike Beilstein Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
July 7, 2016
Mike Beilstein (b. 1951) is an OSU alum who was a member of the university's first undergraduate cohort in Biochemistry & Biophysics, completing his degree in 1973. After a two-year stint in the Peace Corps and two additional years of work and political engagement in the Washington, D.C. area, Beilstein returned to Corvallis and spent the next two decades researching selenium deficiency in the laboratory of Philip Whanger, an OSU professor of Agricultural Chemistry. In the early 1990s, Beilstein also returned to political activism, helping to lead a successful living wage campaign and ultimately serving for six terms as a member of the Corvallis city council. Retired from OSU in 2007, Beilstein is heavily involved with a number of environmental and social justice groups including, for a number of years, an annual trip to Cuba in protest of the United States trade and travel ban. His interview details his OSU student experience in the early 1970s; the influential two years that he spent as a Peace Corps volunteer in Lesotho; his research career at Oregon State; and his years of political activism and public service.

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Jerimiah Bonifer Oral History Interview - November 22, 2014

Jerimiah Bonifer Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
November 22, 2014
Jerimiah Bonifer (b. 1983) is a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, who grew up on the reservation and in nearby Pendleton, Oregon. From 2009-2014, while living in Pendleton and working full-time, Bonifer attended OSU through its Extended Campus online degree program, studying Fisheries and Wildlife. Bonifer completed his undergraduate work in 2014; his participation in commencement exercises that Spring at Reser Stadium marked his second ever visit to OSU's Corvallis campus. His interview focuses on his traditional tribal upbringing, his Ecampus experience, and his professional work in fisheries.

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Carl and Kim Casale Oral History Interview - November 6, 2015

Carl and Kim Casale Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
November 6, 2015
Carl Casale (b. 1961) and his wife Kim (Martin) Casale both graduated from OSU in 1983 with degrees in Agricultural Economics. In the years that followed, Carl moved up the executive ranks at the Monsanto Corporation, ultimately rising to the position of Chief Financial Officer. Kim enjoyed career growth as well, eventually becoming an Area Director at Bristol-Myer Squibb. In 2011, Carl accepted the position of Chief Executive Officer and President of CHS, Inc., the nation's largest agricultural cooperative and a Fortune 100 company. Though based in Minnesota, the Casales also own and operate a 100-acre blueberry farm near Aurora, Oregon, which they manage, in part, through cutting-edge precision agriculture technologies. Their wide-ranging interview touches upon their OSU experiences; their career trajectories; Carl's life as a chief executive; their blueberry farm; and their continuing connections with OSU.

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Emery Castle Oral History Interviews - October 14 - 15, 2014

Emery Castle Oral History Interviews

Three life history interviews conducted by Chris Petersen.
October 14 - 15, 2014
Emery Castle (b. 1923), a widely respected agricultural economist, made a significant impact on Oregon State University over four decades of service. At various points the chair of the Agricultural Economics department, the Dean of the Graduate School, and the head of the University Graduate Faculty of Economics, Castle was also one of three co-chairs of the Commission on University Goals, a group that played an important role in shaping the strategic agenda of the university in the early 1970s. A major contributor to conversations on natural resources and the rural economy, Castle also led a Washington, D.C.-based public policy think tank, Resources for the Future, from 1976-1986, before returning to Corvallis for the final seven years of his career. In three interviews, Castle discusses his education and service during World War II; his scholarly achievements in agricultural economics and rural studies; and his diversity of experiences as an administrator in Corvallis and elsewhere.

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Memories of Clackamas County Extension - November - December 2016

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.

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The Extension Tradition in the Columbia River Gorge - August 9, 2016

The Extension Tradition in the Columbia River Gorge

Two life history interviews conducted by Chris Petersen.
August 9, 2016
The Extension and Experiment Station traditions in Oregon's Columbia River Gorge date back well over one-hundred years to the founding of the Mid-Columbia Experiment Station in 1913, and the first employment of agricultural agents in Wasco County in 1916 and Sherman County in 1918. In August 2016, two interviews were conducted with individuals closely associated with the more modern history of Extension and Experiment Station efforts across the region. Billie Stevens (b. 1951) is a retired 4-H Extension agent who served Hood River County from 1985 to 2009. Sandy Macnab (b. 1953) is an OSU alum who has spent nearly his entire life in Sherman and Wasco Counties, playing a major role in a wide variety of area Extension efforts since 1979.

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Dennis Dimick Oral History Interview - December 15, 2014

Dennis Dimick Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
December 15, 2014
Dennis Dimick (b. 1951) graduated from OSU in 1973 with a degree in General Agriculture. While at Oregon State, Dimick also pursued a growing interest in photojournalism and eventually built a career as a photographer, reporter and editor at several newspapers. From 1980 to 2015, Dimick was a staff member at National Geographic, retiring as the magazine's Executive Environment Editor. In 2013, Dimick received the Joseph A. Sprague Memorial Award, which is the most prestigious honor granted by the National Press Photographers Association. His interview focuses on his roots in agriculture, the development of his skillset as a journalist, his memories of National Geographic, and his influential work documenting and reporting on contemporary environmental issues.

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Leon Hubbard Oral History Interview - December 18, 2013

Leon Hubbard Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
December 18, 2013
Leon Hubbard (1917-2014), the son of two Oregon Agricultural College graduates, earned a degree in Horticulture from Oregon State College in 1941. Hubbard was engaged with agriculture in Oregon for the whole of his life. A well-known and much respected crop specialist and cannery administrator, Hubbard spent nearly four decades working for Birds Eye General Foods, the Gresham Berry Growers Cooperative and its successor organization, Norpac Foods, Inc. His interview focuses on his upbringing in rural Oregon, his undergraduate experience at OSC, his seven years as an independent farmer, and his long career as a field representative for agricultural operations in the northern Willamette Valley.

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The Lives of International Students - March 3 - 6, 2015

The Lives of International Students

Three life history interviews conducted by Chris Petersen.
March 3 - 6, 2015
In 2015, Oregon State University served as a home away from home for over 4,000 international students hailing from 107 different countries. Over the course of three interviews conducted in March 2015, the experiences and perspectives of four current OSU international students were recorded, with particular emphasis paid to changing perspectives on U.S. culture, contrasting systems of education around the world, and the major social and cultural adjustments required of international students studying at Oregon State. The international students who shared their stories are Jenny Urbina, a Ph.D. candidate from Colombia; Kong Zheng Yeang, an undergraduate from Malaysia; Andrea Jara, also a Ph.D. student from Colombia; and Chidi Okonkwo, a master's candidate from Nigeria.

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Bob and Kaety Jacobson Oral History Interview - January 20, 2015

Bob and Kaety Jacobson Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
January 20, 2015
Bob Jacobson (b. 1939) attended Oregon State as an undergraduate and member of the Beaver basketball team, graduating with a degree in Business and Technology in 1963. Three years later, he became the country's first Marine Extension Agent, working with coastal fishermen and seafood processors, as well as state-wide policymakers, for nearly three decades. His daughter Kaety Jacobson (b. 1981) is a 2003 OSU graduate in Natural Resources. In 2005, she too began a career as a Marine Extension Agent, operating out of her hometown of Newport. In their interview, the Jacobsons reflect on their closely connected experiences as OSU students and Marine Extension Agents on Oregon's coast, commenting on the similarities and differences that each has observed over the decades.

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Chris Johns Oral History Interview - December 15, 2014

Chris Johns Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
December 15, 2014
Chris Johns (b. 1951), a native of Central Point, Oregon, attended OSU from 1970-1974, studying Agriculture before changing his major to Technical Journalism. A photojournalist for the OSU student newspaper, Johns went on to become a lauded photographer for several newspapers and magazines, and was named National Newspaper Photographer of the Year in 1979. In 1988 Johns began a formal association with National Geographic magazine, where he was hired as a staff photographer, and spent the next two years living and working in Africa. In the late 1990s, Johns joined the magazine's editorial staff and, in 2005, he was named Editor in Chief, the ninth such person to hold this position since the founding of National Geographic in 1888. His interview focuses on the roots of his love for photojournalism and the arc of his career as a photographer, writer and editor.

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Zhian Kamvar Oral History Interview - June 19, 2015

Zhian Kamvar Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
June 19, 2015
Zhian Kamvar (b. 1984) is a Ph.D. student in Botany and Plant Pathology who is conducting research on plant pathogen bioinformatics. Kamvar is also the co-founder and a co-host of Inspiration Dissemination, a student radio talk show broadcast weekly on KBVR-FM. Created in 2012 to provide a forum for OSU graduate students to discuss their research, and meant to inspire undergraduates to consider further education as graduate students, the show was honored with the Most Innovative Radio Program Award at the 2014 Intercollegiate Broadcasting System Conference. In his interview, Kamvar reflects on his own educational path up to his current life as a doctoral student, discusses the history and progression of Inspiration Dissemination, and shares his perspective on graduate student culture at Oregon State.

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A Century of Extension in the Klamath Basin - July 2015 - March 2016

A Century of Extension in the Klamath Basin

Five life history interviews conducted by Chris Petersen and Geoff Somnitz.
July 2015 - March 2016
The Klamath Basin has been home to OSU Extension and Experiment Station activities for more than one-hundred years. In July 2015, four interviews conducted at the Klamath Basin Research and Extension Center traced this history, with particular emphasis placed on the work of legendary Extension Agent Charlie Henderson (1892-1969), as well as that of Extension Veterinarian Guy Reynolds (1920-1995). Each of these sessions, as well as a fifth interview conducted in March 2016, touches upon the impact that Extension and Experiment Station work has made on the region and provides perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing the Klamath Basin today. Of particular interest are the interviewees' thoughts on the water crisis that crippled the area in 2001, making national headlines in the process. Interviewees include Linda Weider, Sen. Doug Whitsett, Rodney Todd, Jean Pinniger, and Ron Hathaway.

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Kelvin Koong Oral History Interview - October 9, 2014

Kelvin Koong Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
October 9, 2014
Kelvin Koong (b. 1943) worked in numerous administrative and faculty positions at OSU from 1987 to 2011. During his tenure at Oregon State, Koong did much to advance the missions of the College of Agricultural Sciences, the College of Veterinary Medicine, and the OSU Extension and Experiments Stations. Known for his ability to work well with state legislators, in 2001 Koong secured funds to expand the university's veterinary medicine curriculum into a complete four-year program. He also led the fundraising campaign that resulted in the Oldfield Animal Teaching Facility, opened in 2012. His interview focuses on his upbringing in Taiwan, his education and research in animal sciences, and his multifaceted administrative career at OSU.

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Andy Landforce Oral History Interviews - May 2013 - October 2015

Andy Landforce Oral History Interviews

Six life history interviews conducted by Mike Dicianna and Debora Landforce.
May 2013 - October 2015
Andy Landforce (b. 1917) graduated from Oregon State College in 1942, serving as student body president his senior year. A World War II veteran, Landforce enjoyed a long career at Oregon State University, first as a County Extension Agent and later as a Wildlife Management Specialist. He also worked for an additional fifteen years in retirement as a professional fishing guide. Among many other topics, the Landforce oral history interviews focus on campus life at Oregon State College during the 1930s, the 1942 Rose Bowl game, his military service during World War II, and his post-war career at OSU.

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Bob Malouf Oral History Interview - April 19, 2017

Bob Malouf Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
April 19, 2017
Bob Malouf (b. 1946) spent his entire career in the world of Sea Grant, working on two coasts and intersecting with Oregon State University on three different occasions. Malouf earned his master's degree from OSU in 1971, a time period during which he distinguished himself as Oregon Sea Grant's first trainee. In 1975 he completed his Oregon State Ph.D. and, from 1991 to 2008, he served as Director of Oregon Sea Grant. At various points, Malouf also worked as a scientist and administrator for Sea Grant programs in Delaware and New York. In his interview, Malouf recounts key points in his evolution as an academic and leader, and also provides detailed insight into the development of Oregon Sea Grant as well as the ways in which it compares with other Sea Grant programs on the Atlantic Coast.

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Bruce Mate Oral History Interview - September 8, 2016

Bruce Mate Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
September 8, 2016
Bruce Mate (b. 1946) has been associated with OSU for more than four decades, first as a post-doctoral fellow in Oceanography, then as a Marine Extension Agent, and ultimately as a faculty member and administrator. Mate is internationally recognized as the chief pioneer of radio and satellite tracking of marine mammals; specifically, of whale populations. Beginning in 1979, Mate and his research group have used increasingly sophisticated tagging and tracking devices to better understand the migratory, feeding and reproductive habits of a wide range of whale species across multiple habitats. Mate and his colleagues have tagged over eight-hundred whales in all of the world's oceans, traveling to fifty-five countries in the process. The founder and director of the OSU Marine Mammal Institute, Mate's scientific contributions have led to numerous policy initiatives that have helped to rehabilitate whale populations that were once bordering on extinction. His interview largely recounts the specifics of his groundbreaking research, while also touching upon the history of the Marine Mammal Institute as well as his personal memories of working in Extension.

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Mina McDaniel Oral History Interview - December 1, 2015

Mina McDaniel Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
December 1, 2015
Mina McDaniel (b. 1944) earned both bachelor's and master's degrees from OSU in Food Science and Technology. A sensory scientist, McDaniel returned to her alma mater in 1983 to lead the OSU Sensory Science Laboratory, overseeing projects related to beer, wine, and Asian noodles, among many other topics. McDaniel also emerged as an important advocate for women on campus, and filled numerous roles in this capacity during her years as a faculty member. She concluded her OSU career as Director of Academic Programs and Academic Assessment before retiring in 2006. McDaniel's interview provides a detailed account of campus life and the Food Science student experience in the 1960s. McDaniel also discusses the arc of her own career; the activities of the Sensory Science Lab during her years of association; and her sense of the changing status of women at OSU over five decades.

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Starr McMullen Oral History Interview - September 4, 2015

Starr McMullen Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
September 4, 2015
Starr McMullen (b. 1951) was a member of the OSU Economics faculty from 1980 to her retirement in 2014, serving as department chair from 2001 to 2005. An award-winning scholar of transportation economics, McMullen has also served on the Oregon Governor's Council of Economic Advisors since 2003. McMullen is likewise an accomplished violinist and fiddler, who won the 2014 National Senior Fiddle Championship at the National Oldtime Fiddle Contest. Her interview traces her work in economics; her institutional memories of the Economics department at OSU; her perspective on the struggles that women continue to face in academia; and her on-going pursuits as a musician.

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David Noakes Oral History Interview - June 4, 2015

David Noakes Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
June 4, 2015
David Noakes (b. 1947) is a professor of Fisheries and Wildlife at OSU as well as director and senior scientist at the Oregon Hatchery Research Center (OHRC). Noakes came to Oregon State in 2005 after a long and distinguished career at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, where he developed an international reputation as a scholar of fish behavior, evolution and genetics. Under Noakes' leadership, the OHRC engages with researchers from around the world as well as local groups in exploring the relationship between hatchery raised fish, wild fish, and the environment. Noakes' interview focuses on his upbringing and education in Canada, his academic work in fish behavior, and the on-going work of the OHRC.

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Gloria O'Brien Oral History Interview - October 13, 2016

Gloria O'Brien Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
October 13, 2016
Gloria O'Brien (b. 1960) is a Biological Science Technician in OSU's Department of Greenhouse Operations who has worked at Oregon State since 2008, specializing in integrated pest management. O'Brien is also actively involved with sub-local 083 of the statewide Service Employees International Union, serving for many years as a union steward and also completing a four-year term as president of the sub-local from 2010-2014. In 2015, O'Brien also became an OSU alumna, after earning a degree in Horticulture that she began pursuing, on a part-time basis, some seventeen years before. Her interview provides insight into union activities on campus, the issues facing classified workers across Oregon, and the roles filled by the Department of Greenhouse Services at Oregon State University.

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The OSU Extension Service Centennial Oral History Collection - August 2007 - June 2009

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.

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Erwin Pearson Oral History Interview - July 8, 2016

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.

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Bob Schoning Oral History Interview - November 5, 2014

Bob Schoning Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
November 5, 2014
Bob Schoning (b. 1923) spent over fifty years working as a fisheries biologist and policymaker at various levels of government. A nationally ranked handball player for much of his life, Schoning also served his country as a Marine during World War II and the Korean War, and was honored with the Bronze Star for his courage on the battlefield. As director of the National Marine Fisheries Service, Schoning was heavily involved with the crafting of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, an important piece of legislation which established a 200-mile fishery conservation zone buffering the shorelines of the United States. Schoning spent four years as a visiting professor with OSU's Fisheries and Wildlife Department and another sixteen years on the advisory board of the Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station. His interview focuses on his military service; his work as a fisheries policymaker; and his multiple associations with OSU.

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Larry Sidor Oral History Interview - November 6, 2015

Larry Sidor Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Tiah Edmunson-Morton.
November 6, 2015
Larry Sidor (b. 1950) is a 1972 graduate of Oregon State University in Food Science. He has since established himself as a leading brewer in the Pacific Northwest, having spent twenty-three years working in various capacities at the Olympia Brewing Company, followed by stints as brewmaster at the Deschutes Brewery in Bend, and now at the Crux Fermentation Project, which he founded in 2013. Sidor's father was an OSU Extension Agent, and in his interview, Sidor reflects on the impact that was made upon him by his exposure to his father's work. He likewise recalls his memories of the undergraduate academic experience in Food Science at OSU in the early 1970s; traces his long and influential career in the brewing industry; and shares his thoughts on the future of craft brewing in the Northwest and nationwide.

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Dick Smiley Oral History Interview - November 21, 2014

Dick Smiley Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
November 21, 2014
Dick Smiley (b. 1943) was a Professor of Plant Pathology at the Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Center (CBARC) for nearly thirty years, and served as director of the branch from 1985 to 2000. CBARC is located just outside of Pendleton, Oregon, and the research and extension work conducted there serves eastern Oregon's farmers and ranchers, and focuses primarily on agricultural concerns related to wheat and other dry land crops. Smiley created the region's first plant pathology research program when he arrived at the station in 1985, and later conducted important work on the impact of nematodes on area crops. His interview focuses on his scientific research in soils and plant pathology, and his institutional memories of life, work and community engagement in Oregon's wheat country.

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Fred Stormshak Oral History Interview - December 22, 2015

Fred Stormshak Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
December 22, 2015
Fred Stormshak (b. 1936) is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Animal Sciences who was a member of the OSU faculty from 1968 to his retirement in 2001. Stormshak spent much of his career at Oregon State studying the ovary and uterus of the domestic animal, with particular attention paid to the functioning of the corpus luteum, an ephemeral and short-lived gland that plays a crucial role in the reproductive process. In 1996, he and a colleague began a program of research on the biological basis of male-oriented behavior in rams; work that eventually made headlines around the world. Funded by the NIH and continuing to this day, the studies have focused on a group of neurons in the anterior hypothalamus that may play a crucial role in the scientific understanding of sexual behavior in sheep. Stormshak's interview details his upbringing in rural Washington; his education in Dairy Science and Endocrinology; the broad array of research that he has conducted at OSU; and his institutional memories of Animal Science at OSU.

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Dale Story Oral History Interview - January 9, 2014

Dale Story Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
January 9, 2014
Dale Story (b. 1942) overcame polio as a child and developed into an elite distance runner, breaking the national high school record for the one-mile run in 1959. Story attended Oregon State as an undergraduate from 1961-1965. During that time, he set numerous school records as a cross country and track athlete, often training and competing barefoot. Perhaps the pinnacle of Story's collegiate career came in 1961 when he won the NCAA cross country championship, leading OSC to the team title at that same event. The Story oral history interview focuses on his upbringing in California, his athletic achievements and extracurricular interests at Oregon State, and his lifelong passion for the outdoors.

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Bernadine Strik Oral History Interview - August 21, 2015

Bernadine Strik Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
August 21, 2015
Bernadine Strik (b. 1962) is an OSU Professor of Horticulture who has been a member of the Oregon State faculty since arriving in 1987. In addition to her Extension, research and teaching appointment within the Department of Horticulture, Strik is the Berry Crops Research Leader at the North Willamette Research and Extension Center in Aurora, Oregon. Recognized internationally as an expert on numerous berry crops, Strik's research and Extension programs have directly impacted crop yields and diversification in the Pacific Northwest through her work on plant physiology and nutrition, as well as crop production and harvesting systems. Her interview traces her broad and active program of research while at OSU, and her deep connection to furthering the Land Grant mission in Oregon.

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John Talbott Oral History Interview - June 29, 2015

John Talbott Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
June 29, 2015
John Talbott (b. 1955) has been the director of the Sun Grant Western Regional Center at OSU since arriving on campus in 2011. Under his leadership, Sun Grant has facilitated important scientific research on biofuels, life cycle analysis, and bioproduct conversion processes, all projects that seek to improve environmental sustainability while also contributing to a more diversified agricultural and industrial economy. Since 2013, Talbott has also served as Assistant Director of the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station, managing the grant processes, work plans, and research emphases for Experiment Station faculty across the state. His interview provides an overview of his career in carbon sequestration and environmental sustainability, and details the mission and activities of Sun Grant at OSU from its inception up to present day.

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Robert Tanguay Oral History Interview - April 21, 2017

Robert Tanguay Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
April 21, 2017
Robert Tanguay (b. 1966) is a Distinguished Professor of Molecular Toxicology who joined the OSU faculty in 2003. The Director of the Sinnhuber Aquatic Research Laboratory, Tanguay has built an international reputation for his use of zebrafish as a model for analyzing the toxicological impact of thousands of different chemical compounds. In 2009, his laboratory received a major grant from the Environmental Protection Agency that was used to conduct the largest in vivo toxicological study to date - an examination of some 1,200 compounds yielding data on half a million zebrafish. Tanguay also speaks regularly to both public and private entities on the biosafety of various commercial developments, including flame retardants and the practice of fracking. His interview traces his career in science with particular attention paid to his zebrafish studies at OSU.

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Bryan Wolfe Oral History Interview - October 31, 2014

Bryan Wolfe Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
October 31, 2014
Bryan Wolfe (b. 1944) is a farmer and rancher whose family has worked lands in eastern Oregon for five generations. A 1966 OSU graduate in Agricultural Economics, Wolfe has devoted his entire adult life to agricultural concerns, based primarily in the Hermiston area. The founder of the Wolfe Feedlot and the W. Bryan Wolfe Ranch, Wolfe has also served on the Umatilla Energy Cooperative Board of Directors, the Oregon Board of Forestry, and the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council. His interview concentrates on the rich tradition of agriculture in the Wolfe family, his experiences as an OSU student, the expansion and diversification of the family's agricultural operations, and his own civic engagement both locally and regionally.

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Ron Wrolstad Oral History Interview - December 14, 2015

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.

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Russ Youmans Oral History Interview - May 7, 2015

Russ Youmans Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
May 7, 2015
Russ Youmans (b. 1936) joined the OSU faculty in 1966 as a researcher and Extension liaison operating out of the Agricultural Economics department. From 1977 to his retirement in 1999, Youmans headed the Western Regional Development Center (WRDC), a federally funded organization based at OSU and charged with linking land grant universities with local policymakers to more effectively address issues of socio-economic development in rural communities. As director, Youmans oversaw a wide swath of activities focusing on, among other issues, health care, economic progress, and leadership education in rural areas all across the western United States. His interview recounts his own rural upbringing and education in agricultural economics; the creation and mission of the WRDC; and the many activities with which he was involved as center director.

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