Affiliation: Linus Pauling Institute
Joe Beckman Oral History Interview
Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
September 15, 2015
Joe Beckman (b. 1953), a Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics, has
been a Principal Investigator at the Linus Pauling Institute and a member of the OSU
faculty since 2001. A leader in the study of neurodegeneration, Beckman has spent
more than twenty years investigating the cause of, and searching for a cure for, amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease). Since 2002, Beckman has also served
as Director of OSU's Environmental Health Sciences Center, an organization that works
to foster and promote research on the impact of the environment on human health.
His interview focuses on his scientific education and military service; his breakthroughs
researching neurodegenerative disease; promising new studies that may result in an
effective treatment for ALS; and the institutional evolution of the Linus Pauling
Institute, the Environmental Health Sciences Center, and OSU itself.
Balz Frei Oral History Interview
Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
January 10, 2014
Balz Frei (b. 1958) served as Director of the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State
University from 1997 to 2016. A Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and
Biophysics, Frei's research has focused on the mechanisms causing chronic human disease,
in particular atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease, and the role that micronutrients,
phytochemicals and dietary supplements might play in ameliorating these diseases.
His interview provides an overview of his life experiences and career path, beginning
with his formative years in Switzerland and continuing on to his academic appointments
in the United States. The interview's primary emphasis is Frei's tenure at OSU, with
particular attention paid to the growth of the Linus Pauling Institute under his leadership.
An Oral History of the Linus Pauling Institute
Six interviews with Steve Lawson, conducted by Chris Petersen.
August - December 2011
The Linus Pauling Institute was founded in 1973 by Linus Pauling and two colleagues,
and was originally located near the campus of Stanford University. Primarily devoted
to exploring Pauling's controversial ideas on the health benefits of large doses of
vitamin C, the Institute gradually developed a broad and eclectic research agenda
that included work on superconductivity, molecular evolution, and metabolic profiling.
Consistently hamstrung by financial woes and further embattled by personnel disputes
that resulted in legal actions, the Institute was on the brink of closure by the time
of Pauling's death in 1994. Buoyed by a handful of timely donations and the administrative
acumen of Pauling's eldest son, Linus Pauling Jr., the Institute managed to stay afloat
and, in 1996, relocated to Oregon State University. Today the Linus Pauling Institute
is a thriving research enterprise that makes regular contributions to the fights against
cancer and cardiovascular disease, and to the promotion of healthy aging. Over the
course of six interviews, Steve Lawson, an Administrative Officer at LPI who has worked
for the Institute since 1977, relays his memories of the Institute's colorful history
and shares his impressions of Linus Pauling, whom Lawson knew as a colleague and as
a friend for nearly two decades.
Chris Mathews Oral History Interview
Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
September 2, 2011
Chris Mathews (b. 1937) is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and
Biophysics who worked at OSU from 1978 to his retirement in 2002, chairing the Department
of Biochemistry and Biophysics for the whole of that time. Internationally recognized
as a major contributor to the field of biochemistry with an emphasis on enzymology,
virology, and genetics, Mathews is also a co-author of a highly successful textbook,
Biochemistry, now in its third edition. Mathews was likewise involved with the creation of the
Center for Gene Research at OSU, as well as the establishment of the Linus Pauling
Institute on the OSU campus and the planning of the Agricultural and Life Sciences
Building. His interview focuses on his path through academia, the research that he
has pursued in biochemistry, and his memories of involvement with numerous initiatives
in the sciences over a twenty-four year career at OSU.
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.
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.
Paul Risser Oral History Interviews
Two life history interviews conducted by Janice Dilg.
March 24 - 25, 2014
Paul Risser (1939-2014), an internationally renowned botanist, served as President
of Oregon State University from 1996-2002. While President, Risser did much to increase
enrollments and expand the Corvallis campus, while also establishing a branch campus
in Bend, Oregon and boosting the reach of OSU's online course offerings. His interviews
discuss the formation and implementation of his presidential agenda including important
changes in the Colleges of Business and Engineering, and a renewed emphasis on athletics.
He also reflects upon numerous capital projects that came to fruition during his time
in Corvallis as well as the establishment of the Bend campus, the creation of the
University Honors College, and the arrival of the Linus Pauling Institute.
Maret Traber Oral History Interview
Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
June 23, 2014
Maret Traber (b. 1950) is the Director of the Oxidative/Nitrative Stress Core Laboratory
at Oregon State University's Linus Pauling Institute. Traber joined the Institute
as a principal investigator in 1998 after twenty-two years spent working in support
of others' research efforts. The author of over 180 peer-reviewed papers, Traber is
now internationally recognized as a leading authority on Vitamin E, and has helped
to establish the recommended daily allowance for the vitamin. Her interview focuses
on her long journey to institutional stability, the research that she has conducted
in nutrition and biochemistry, and her reflections on change and growth at the Linus
Pauling Institute.