Affiliation: Extension and Experiment Stations
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.
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.
John Bliss Oral History Interview
Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
August 21, 2015
John Bliss (b. 1951) was the first Starker Chair in Private and Family Forestry, occupying
this position within the OSU College of Forestry from its inception in 1998 to his
move into administration in 2012. A leading researcher on private forest policy and
forest-based rural development, Bliss has conducted influential work on the socioeconomic
impact of the forestry industry, paying particular attention to the roles played by
small woodland foresters. From 2012 to his retirement in 2016, Bliss served as Associate
Dean for Graduate and International Programs within the College of Forestry and, in
this capacity, contributed significantly to the increasing internationalization of
the college. His interview traces the progression of his academic career; his close
involvement with research and experiential learning opportunities both globally and
in Oregon's rural communities; and the advancement of the OSU College of Forestry
during his years of association.
John Byrne Oral History Interviews
Four life history interviews conducted by Chris Petersen.
January - February 2014
John Byrne (b. 1928) has made an indelible impact on Oregon State University through
an association that has spanned over five decades. A trained geologist, Byrne arrived
in Corvallis in 1960 as one of Oregon State College's first faculty members in Oceanography.
Over time, Byrne assumed chairmanship of the Oceanography Department and later became
Dean of OSU's newly formed School of Oceanography. In 1976 Byrne moved into upper
administration, first as Dean of Research and later as Vice President for Research
and Graduate Studies. Following a three-year stint in Washington, D.C., where he
served as head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Byrne returned
to Corvallis as the twelfth President in OSU history. Byrne's presidency lasted from
1984-1995, a time period during which he did much to modernize university operations
amidst a budget crisis caused by significant reductions in state funding for higher
education. The Byrne oral history interviews trace the arc of his entire life, from
his childhood on Long Island to his graduate studies at USC, and on to his tenures
at Oregon State and with NOAA.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Melinda Manore Oral History Interview
Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
November 30, 2015
Melinda Manore (b. 1951) received her Ph.D. in Nutrition from Oregon State University
in 1984. In 2001, Manore returned to OSU, joining the faculty as chair of what was
then the Department of Nutrition and Food Service Management. A pioneering scholar
of the intersections between nutrition and exercise, Manore has published widely on
topics including rural obesity in children, nutrition and exercise for women, and
healthy eating for athletes. Her interview traces the arc of her academic career with
a particular focus on her achievements in research. Included as a secondary topic
are Manore's institutional memories of the transformation of the College of Home Economics
into what is now the College of Public Health and Human Sciences.
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.
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.
Clara Pratt Oral History Interview
Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
August 4, 2015
Clara Pratt (b. 1948) worked as a faculty member at OSU for more than thirty years,
directing the university's Gerontology program from 1974 to 1993, and also serving
as Oregon State's final dean of Home Economics. It was in this latter capacity that
Pratt was closely involved with the dissolution of what was then known as the College
of Home Economics and Education, and the creation of the predecessor to today's College
of Public Health and Human Sciences. Pratt was likewise involved in the early conversations
surrounding the creation of a branch campus in Bend, and to this day works part-time
as an instructor at OSU-Cascades. Her interview touches upon her forty year association
with OSU and her key involvement in major changes within Gerontology, Home Economics,
Health and Human Sciences, and OSU-Cascades.
Ed Ray Oral History Interviews
Four life history interviews conducted by Chris Petersen.
June - August 2015
Ed Ray (b. 1944), the fourteenth President of Oregon State University, has overseen
both historic growth on campus and a major recalibration of university ambitions.
Trained as an economist, Ray spent thirty-three years at Ohio State University, where
he served as chair of the Economics department before moving into central administration,
first as Chief Information Officer and later as Provost. Ray came to OSU in 2003
and set in motion a strategic planning process that realigned university structures
and goals. He also launched OSU's first comprehensive capital campaign, The Campaign
for OSU, which raised $1.142 billion and resulted in a busy period of campus construction
as well as the endowment of seventy-nine faculty positions and the creation of over
600 scholarship and fellowship funds. Over four interviews, Ray reflects on his upbringing
and education; discusses his roots as a scholar and an administrator; and shares his
perspective on a wide array of initiatives that have moved forward during his tenure
as OSU President.
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.
Gilbert Shibley Oral History Interview
Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
November 10, 2015
Gilbert Shibley was born in Estacada, Oregon in 1938 on land that his family homesteaded
in 1863. After spending a decade teaching Biology at Lawrence University in Appleton,
Wisconsin, Shibley returned to the family property and found work as a 4-H Extension
Agent in Multnomah and Columbia Counties. After retiring in 1990, Shibley became increasingly
interested in family forestry, completing the Extension Service's Master Woodland
Manager program in 1993, and ultimately moving into a half-time position as Extension
Forestry Assistant for Clackamas County, from which he retired in 2008. Shibley's
interview details his deep family ties to the Estacada area and concentrates, in large
part, on his experiences managing the family property and working to educate other
family foresters on issues of resource management, taxation, and political action.
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.
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.
Jean Starker Roth Oral History Interviews
Four life history interviews conducted by Maia Fischler.
September - November 2007
Jean Starker Roth (1920-2015) was an influential alumna who supported a wide range
of initiatives on the OSU campus and in the Corvallis community. The daughter of
T.J. Starker - an OAC graduate and faculty member in Forestry, and a successful businessman
and civic leader - Starker Roth completed her degree in Home Economics in 1942. She
worked for seven years as a teacher and Extension staffer, and also supported the
war effort at Camp Adair and elsewhere. In 1948 she married Kermit Roth, and over
the decades that ensued the couple raised four children. After Kermit's death in 1979,
Jean assumed control of the family's business activities while also giving back generously
to the community and to her alma mater. Over the course of four interviews, Starker
Roth recalls her upbringing and schooling in Corvallis, her management of the Roth
family household, her involvement with a variety of business concerns, and her many
philanthropic activities.
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.
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.
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.
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.