The Oregon State University Sesquicentennial Oral History Project

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An Oral History of the OSC Class of 1959. February 14, 2014

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

Location:  Valley Library, Oregon State University.

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.