Affiliation: Memorial Union
Michael Henthorne Oral History Interview
Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
August 29, 2014
Michael Henthorne (b. 1952) worked as an administrator at OSU's Memorial Union from
1987 to his retirement in 2016, serving as Executive Director of the MU beginning
in 1994. During his time at Oregon State, Henthorne guided significant physical renovations
to the MU building, while also bolstering MU programming and serving as a vital advocate
for the Student Experience Center, a sister facility which was completed in Spring
2015. His interview focuses on the state of the Memorial Union upon his arrival,
work that was done to improve the MU's physical space and programming outreach, the
genesis of the SEC building, and the exciting future that Henthorne envisions for
MU operations going forward.
Brent Lawrence Oral History Interview
Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
December 28, 2015
Brent Lawrence (b. 1958) attended OSU from 1977-1980, during which time he served
as the first chairperson of the Minority Affairs program at the Memorial Union. Not
long after completing his bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Lawrence also
came out to his family, revealing his identity as a gay man. After obtaining an MBA
from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, Lawrence embarked upon a successful
career as a project manager and independent consultant, working in fields as varied
as software development, team building, and psychometrics. For seven years, Lawrence
lived and worked in New Zealand, during which time he and his partner obtained dual
citizenship. In his interview, Lawrence traces his path through academia and the business
world, commenting in particular on his experiences as a gay man, and on the crucial
role that his multicultural perspective has played over the course of his life.