The Oregon State University Sesquicentennial Oral History Project

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George Abed Oral History Interview - December 16, 2014

George Abed Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
December 16, 2014
George Abed (b. 1938), a native of Jordan, attended Oregon State from 1958-1962, graduating with a degree in General Social Science. During his undergraduate years, Abed was heavily involved with campus life and especially with student government, ultimately serving as the school's first foreign-born student body president. After completing a Ph.D. in Economics, Abed went on to a lengthy and multifaceted career in international development and public policy, including more than two decades spent working for the International Monetary Fund. The founder and former director of the Palestine Welfare Association, Abed is also a former head of the Palestine Monetary Authority, which he oversaw for two years at the invitation of Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the State of Palestine. Abed's interview focuses on his Oregon State years, his career in public policy, and his association with development efforts all across the Middle East.

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Alan Acock Oral History Interview - March 2, 2017

Alan Acock Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
March 2, 2017
Alan Acock (b. 1944), a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Human Development and Family Science, chaired OSU's HDFS department for twelve years, beginning with its creation in 1990. An accomplished scholar in the field of family studies, Acock is also well-known for his work in quantitative analysis - one particularly influential book, A Gentle Introduction to Stata, is now in its fifth edition. He has likewise authored major papers on topics including the impact of divorce on children and improved methods for working with missing statistical values. In his interview, Acock traces his career as a sociologist at four different institutions; comments on growth and change within the HDFS department; and lends insight into his diverse body of scholarship.

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Kevin Ahern Oral History Interview - June 29, 2015

Kevin Ahern Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
June 29, 2015
Kevin Ahern (b. 1954) is an OSU Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics who is well-known for his innovative approach to undergraduate instruction. For many years a Senior Instructor, Ahern pioneered the use of unorthodox techniques - including limericks and songs, which he calls "Metabolic Melodies" - to help students understand and retain complex biochemical processes. Ahern was also on the forefront of the use of the internet to enable scientific education, and has been posting notes and lecture recordings online since 1995. The Director of Undergraduate Research at OSU, Ahern has also co-authored multiple textbooks. Included among these are a collection that he wrote with his wife, OSU Senior Instructor Indira Rajagopal, and made freely available online. His interview focuses on his personal scientific evolution, his passion for teaching and advising, and the innovations that he has applied to undergraduate instruction at Oregon State.

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Sami Al-AbdRabbuh Oral History Interview - September 13, 2016

Sami Al-AbdRabbuh Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
September 13, 2016
Sami Al-AbdRabbuh (b. 1987) is a Ph.D. student in OSU's Industrial Engineering program who completed his master's degree within the program in 2015. The CEO of a small start-up company, Al-AbdRabbuh has also been active in both student government and state politics, running as the Progressive Party candidate for state representative during the 2016 election cycle. Al-AbdRabbuh was born in the United States and raised in Saudi Arabia, and in his interview he provides perspective on the Muslim and Muslim American experience in both the U.S. and the Middle East. His academic and entrepreneurial pursuits as well as his community service projects are likewise included as secondary topics.

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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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Stacy Allison Oral History Interview - July 21, 2014

Stacy Allison Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
July 21, 2014
Stacy Allison (b. 1958) grew up on a farm near Woodburn, Oregon before attending OSU as an undergraduate majoring in Nutrition. While at Oregon State, Allison discovered a passion for mountain climbing that ultimately led to her dropping out of school in favor of pursuing the summits of many of the world's highest peaks. In September 1988, Allison made history when she became the first U.S. woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest. In addition to her noteworthy career as a mountaineer, Allison has also developed successful businesses as a motivational speaker and a general contractor. Her interview focuses on her early climbing years in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest, her two expeditions to Mount Everest, the advancement of women in mountaineering from the 1980s to present day, and her career outside of mountain climbing.

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Betty Lu Anderson Oral History Interview - June 1, 2017

Betty Lu Anderson Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
June 1, 2017
Betty Lu Anderson (b. 1923) attended Oregon State College from 1942 to 1945, during which time she majored in Home Economics and worked for the school newspaper, The Barometer, where she wrote sports copy and, as a senior, served as editor. Anderson's years as an OSC undergraduate coincided with the American entry into World War II, and her attendance at the college was marked in part by a notable absence of male students. Much of her interview focuses on this unique period in Oregon State's history. Anderson's later careers in journalism, librarianship and the church are included as secondary topics.

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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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Tana Atchley Oral History Interview - September 15, 2015

Tana Atchley Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
September 15, 2015
Tana Atchley (b. 1977) is a Modoc, Paiute and Karuk member of the Klamath Tribes, who grew up in Sprague River, Oregon on what had once been the Klamath Indian Reservation. After completing her undergraduate studies at the University of Oregon, Atchley pursued a master's degree in College Student Services Administration at OSU, completing the program in 2005. In the years since, she has worked as a counselor and advisor at Portland State University, and has been deeply involved with salmon camps and other forms of outreach to Oregon's tribal youth. Since 2013, Atchley has worked as the tribal workforce development and outreach coordinator at the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. Her interview focuses on her upbringing and tribal traditions; her educational path and professional career; her engagement with young people; and her reflections on the challenges and opportunities facing Native American communities in Oregon.

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Ken Austin Oral History Interview - March 24, 2015

Ken Austin Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna and Chris Petersen.
March 24, 2015
Ken Austin (b. 1931) attended Oregon State College from 1949-1953, graduating with a degree in Industrial Engineering. While at OSC, Austin became the first Benny Beaver mascot, wearing a costume of his own design and construction, and entertaining fans with antics that often incorporated a starter's pistol that he wore on his hip. Following the completion of his studies and a stint in the Air Force, Austin worked eight jobs in eight years before launching his own business, Austin Dental Equipment Company, or A-dec. Mechanically inclined and a habitual tinkerer, Austin's innovations revolutionized the practice of dentistry and fueled dizzying growth for A-dec. Later on, Ken and his wife Joan became heavily involved in numerous philanthropic endeavors, generously supporting several programs at OSU and providing the lead gift for a new home for the College of Business, Austin Hall. Austin's interview focuses on his life-long interest in machinery, his rich undergraduate experience at OSC, the creation and growth of A-dec, and his family's experiences in philanthropy.

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Terry Baker Oral History Interview - June 25, 2014

Terry Baker Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna and Chris Petersen.
June 25, 2014
Terry Baker (b. 1941) is among the most accomplished and celebrated athletes in Oregon State history. Winner of the 1962 Heisman Trophy as the nation's most outstanding college football player, Baker's Oregon State basketball team also reached the Final Four of the 1963 NCAA tournament. That same year, Baker was named "Sportsman of the Year" by Sports Illustrated magazine. Baker graduated from OSU in 1963 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Following a brief stint in professional football, Baker earned a law degree and enjoyed a successful career practicing in the Portland area. Baker's interview focuses primarily on his Oregon State memories, including his remarkable successes in 1962-1963 and the tremendous attention that they garnered.

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Eric and Jeff Ball Oral History Interview - July 13, 2015

Eric and Jeff Ball Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
July 13, 2015
Eric and Jeff Ball are brothers who were raised on a ranch near Roseburg, Oregon. Both attended OSU in the early 1980s and graduated with degrees in Mechanical Engineering. From there, both Eric and Jeff returned to the Roseburg area to help their father build a company, Orenco Systems Industries, that today is a world leader in wastewater treatment systems. Initially operated out of the Ball family home, Orenco now conducts business on an international scale and stands as the eighth-largest employer in Douglas County. The Balls' interview focuses on their experiences - both individual and shared - as brothers attending OSU. They also chart the growth of Orenco through their years of association and comment on the contemporary challenges facing their region of Oregon.

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Katy Barber Oral History Interview - November 12, 2015

Katy Barber Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
November 12, 2015
Katy Barber (b. 1969) graduated from OSU in 1992 with a bachelor's degree in American Studies. After obtaining graduate degrees from Washington State University, Barber joined the History faculty at Portland State University, where she teaches and conducts research on public history and the history of the Pacific Northwest. Barber is also the director of the Center for Columbia River History and has authored a book on the social and cultural impact made by the flooding of Celilo Falls in 1957. The primary focus of her interview is her undergraduate experience at Oregon State and her memories of campus culture during the early 1990s.

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Baseball National Champions, Back-to-Back - October 2015 - July 2016

Baseball National Champions, Back-to-Back

Four interviews conducted by Greg Garcia, Chris Petersen, and Mike Dicianna.
October 2015 - July 2016
From 2005 to 2007, the Oregon State University baseball program enjoyed a sustained run of success that is without parallel in university history. Over the course of three seasons, the Beavers participated in the College World Series three times, winning back-to-back national championships in 2006 and 2007. In the process, OSU also achieved multiple milestones that are unequalled in the history of college baseball: in 2006, the Beavers won six consecutive elimination games to claim the national championship, and in 2007 they won four tournament games by six runs or more. This unprecedented era of championship baseball is the primary subject of a collection of interviews conducted with four individuals: players Kevin Gunderson and Chris Kunda; broadcaster Mike Parker; and manager Pat Casey.

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Joe Beckman Oral History Interview - September 15, 2015

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.

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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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David Bella Oral History Interview - July 9, 2014

David Bella Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
July 9, 2014
David Bella (b. 1938) was a member of the OSU Civil Engineering faculty for thirty years, from 1968 to his retirement in 1998. In the 1970s, Bella's early interest in computer modeling of rivers, lakes and estuaries shifted to a focused analysis and application of systems theory, with a particular interest in human systems. Since then, Bella has examined a wide variety of social problems through the lens of systems theory, writing on the tobacco industry, nuclear waste disposal and global climate change, among other topics. Bella has also served as a consultant to two chemical weapons destruction operations, has proposed the creation of a Wild Salmon National Park, and spent six years observing the Reagan administration's Strategic Defense Initiative program meetings. His interview focuses on the arc of his career, his wide-ranging research interests, and his involvement with the local environmental movement.

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Julie Bentz Oral History Interview - June 14, 2013

Julie Bentz Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
June 14, 2013
Julie Bentz (b. 1964) graduated from Oregon State University in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Radiological Health. A United States Army Major General, Bentz, at the time of this interview, served as the Director, Strategic Capabilities Policy on the National Security Staff within the Executive Office of the President. While attending OSU, she was involved in the university's army ROTC program. The Bentz oral history interview covers her educational, social, and military experiences at OSU.

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Yvenson Bernard Oral History Interview - September 12, 2014

Yvenson Bernard Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
September 12, 2014
Yvenson Bernard (b. 1984) attended OSU from 2003-2007, majoring in Merchandising Management and starting for three years at running back for the football team. Known for his versatility and toughness as a football player, Bernard finished his career second on the school's list for career yards rushing and third in career touchdowns. The son of Haitian immigrants, Bernard also made news in 2010 by organizing a major relief effort in response to the earthquake that devastated Haiti on January 12th of that year. His interview focuses on his upbringing in Florida, his experiences as a student athlete at OSU, his outreach work in Haiti, and the importance that family has played throughout his life.

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Larry Bielenberg Oral History Interview - March 21, 2016

Larry Bielenberg Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
March 21, 2016
Larry Bielenberg (b. 1955) was a student-athlete on the OSU wrestling team who competed from 1974-1977. One of the most highly decorated wrestlers in Oregon State history, Bielenberg earned All American honors three times and won the NCAA championship as a heavyweight in 1975. Still the second-winningest wrestler in school history, Bielenberg was inducted into the OSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1994 and was named to the Pac-12 All Century Team in 2016. Graduating in 1978 with a degree in Health and Human Performance, Bielenberg pursued a career in the pharmaceuticals industry as a technician and manager. In a lengthy and wide-ranging interview, Bielenberg reflects on his hardscrabble upbringing as one of ten children; the evolution of his wrestling career, both collegiately and on the international level; the personality and influence of legendary OSU wrestling coach Dale Thomas; and Bielenberg's career and family life in the years after wrestling.

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Rollie and Laverne Bilyeu Oral History Interview - March 26, 2015

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.

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Andy Blaustein Oral History Interview - February 3, 2017

Andy Blaustein Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
February 3, 2017
Andy Blaustein (b. 1949) is a Distinguished Professor of Zoology who has worked at OSU since 1978. A leading scholar of animal behavior and chemical ecology, Blaustein has conducted especially important work on amphibian deformities and population declines, and on host-pathogen biology. Formerly the director of OSU's graduate program in Environmental Science, Blaustein is also a long-time editor of the journal Conservation Biology. In his interview, Blaustein traces his career in research and teaching, and shares his institutional memories of four decades spent at Oregon State University.

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John Bliss Oral History Interview - August 21, 2015

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.

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John Block Oral History Interview - August 5, 2014

John Block Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
August 5, 2014
John Block (b. 1938) was a member of the OSU Pharmacy faculty for thirty-seven years, serving from 1966 to his retirement in 2003. During his tenure at Oregon State, Block observed many changes in the Pharmacy curriculum as it modernized to adjust with changes in the profession. As a member of the Oregon Board of Pharmacy, Block was also involved with the interpretation and implementation of the state's physician-assisted suicide law. His interview focuses on the progression of his career, his memories of OSU Pharmacy over four decades, and his work off-campus, including his involvement with Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance as a Medicare counselor.

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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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The Books for Birmingham Project - March 20, 2014

The Books for Birmingham Project

An interview with Carlton Olson and Alice Rader, conducted by Mike Dicianna.
March 20, 2014
In January and February 1964, Oregon State University students collected over 14,000 books for transport and deposit at the Miles College library in Birmingham, Alabama. Miles College was the primary four-year college available to African-American youth hailing from the Birmingham area, yet its library was so inadequate that the school risked losing its accreditation. The Books for Birmingham project was a highly visible instance of OSU student participation in the Civil Rights Movement. In this interview, two students fundamental to the initiative, Alice (Elle) Rader and Carlton Olson, share their memories of the project and of subsequent civil rights and anti-war activism on the OSU campus and beyond.

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Sue Borden Oral History Interview - July 28, 2015

Sue Borden Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
July 28, 2015
Sue Borden (b. 1939) is an Oregon State alum who completed her master's degree in Mathematics in 1962 and who also worked as an early computer programmer for what was then the Department of Oceanography. In 1988 Borden was hired to lead the SMILE (Science and Math Investigative Learning Experiences) Program at OSU, an initiative seeking to promote interest in the STEM fields and enrollment in college among Oregon's minority and under-served youth. By the time of Borden's retirement from OSU in 1999, the program had been implemented in ten communities across the state and was acknowledged by the Clinton administration with a Presidential award. Borden's interview focuses on her own academic and career path as a woman in the sciences, her active involvement in local music organizations, and the history of the SMILE Program during her years as director.

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Harrison Branch Oral History Interview - February 23, 2015

Harrison Branch Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
February 23, 2015
Harrison Branch (b. 1947) worked in the OSU Art department for forty years as a professor of Photography, beginning with his arrival in 1973 and concluding with his retirement in 2013. As an artist, Branch primarily used bellows cameras, often for large format projects, and as a researcher he investigated platinum-palladium printmaking and Platinotypes, among other topics. Branch likewise taught a variety of photography classes, including courses on the history and science of the medium. In his interview, Branch touches upon his evolution as a photographer, his interests in various technical aspects of the art form, and his experiences as a teacher over four decades at Oregon State.

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Tammy Bray Oral History Interview - March 28, 2014

Tammy Bray Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
March 28, 2014
Tammy Bray (b. 1945) was the Executive Dean of OSU's Division of Health Sciences and Dean of its College of Public Health and Human Sciences from 2002 to her retirement in 2016. An accomplished researcher in the field of Nutrition, Bray arrived at OSU in 2002 following stints as research professor and administrator at the University of Guelph and the Ohio State University. As an OSU dean, Bray oversaw the expansion and reorganization of what was formerly known as the College of Health and Human Sciences. In 2014 the college achieved a major milestone when it became home to the first accredited public health curriculum in the state of Oregon. Bray's interview focuses on her upbringing in Taiwan, her academic career, and her efforts as a dean at Oregon State University.

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Geoffrey Brooks Oral History Interview - February 18, 2014

Geoffrey Brooks Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
February 18, 2014
Geoffrey Brooks (1947-2016), a native of Portland, attended Oregon State University from 1970 to 1973, graduating with a B.S. in Elementary Education. While at OSU, Brooks was heavily involved with student activist groups including the Black Student Union. Following the completion of his studies, Brooks began what would become a forty-year career with the Portland Public Schools. His connection with OSU continued through his service on the President's Board of Visitors, the Office of Equity and Inclusion's Board of Multicultural Advisors, and the College of Education, among other groups. His interview concentrates on his undergraduate experience at OSU with particular focus paid to student activism in the early 1970s and the circumstances faced by students of color at that time.

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Knute Buehler Oral History Interviews - August 2014 - August 2015

Knute Buehler Oral History Interviews

Two life history interviews conducted by Janice Dilg.
August 2014 - August 2015
Knute Buehler (b. 1964), a native of Roseburg, Oregon, attended Oregon State University from 1982 to 1986, where he played on the baseball team and graduated with a B.S. in Microbiology. Following the completion of his studies at OSU, Buehler was selected as a Rhodes Scholar, the first in OSU history. He completed his Oxford M.A. in Politics and Economics and went on to earn to earn an M.D. from Johns Hopkins University. Buehler now practices as an orthopedic surgeon in Bend, Oregon, and is active in both statewide and national politics. Over two interviews, Buehler discusses on his life at OSU, his experiences at Oxford, his medical training and career, and his interest in politics.

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Margaret Burnett Oral History Interview - January 10, 2017

Margaret Burnett Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
January 10, 2017
Margaret Burnett (b. 1949) is a Distinguished Professor of Computer Science who has been a member of the OSU faculty since 1993. A co-founder of the discipline of end-user software engineering, Burnett is perhaps most prominently known for her development of the GenderMag protocol, which helps software engineers to evaluate the gender inclusivity of the programs that they create. Burnett has also made important contributions to multiple visual programming languages and to the theory of information foraging. The evolution of her research and her experiences as a woman in the field of computer science are the primary emphases of her interview.

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Karyle Butcher Oral History Interview - May 8, 2014

Karyle Butcher Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
May 8, 2014
Karyle Butcher (b. 1942) was a member of the OSU Libraries faculty from 1981 to her retirement in 2010, serving as University Librarian for the final fourteen years of her career. As director of the OSU Libraries, Butcher oversaw a massive physical expansion of the campus' main branch library, promoted a culture of scholarship and innovation within the organization, and guided OSU Libraries to a position of leadership within an information landscape rapidly transitioning from paper to electronic. During Butcher's tenure as University Librarian, the University Archives and the OSU Press - with Butcher serving as director - also came under the umbrella of the OSU Libraries. Her interview traces her personal evolution as a librarian and as a leader, and also documents the massive changes that came about during her years of association with the OSU Libraries.

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John Byrne Oral History Interviews - January - February 2014

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.

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Darry Callahan Oral History Interview - August 6, 2015

Darry Callahan Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
August 6, 2015
Darry Callahan (b. 1942) graduated from OSU in 1964 with a degree in Chemical Engineering and moved directly into a career at Chevron that spanned some forty years. Over the course of that time, Callahan worked as a research engineer, financial analyst, manager and executive. At one time the president of Chevron Oil Bahamas, Callahan also served as the chief executive at Chevron Chemical Company as well as the succeeding company that he helped to merge, Chevron Phillips Chemical. Callahan has also been very actively involved with the OSU Foundation, the OSU College of Engineering, and the OSU Board of Trustees, of which he has been a member and vice chairman since its creation. His interview focuses on his undergraduate years in Corvallis, his long and varied career at Chevron, and his more recent activities with his alma mater.

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Margaret Carter Oral History Interview - April 18, 2016

Margaret Carter Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
April 18, 2016
Margaret Carter (b. 1935) is the first African American woman to hold elected office in the Oregon legislature. First joining the Oregon House in 1984, Carter later served in the state Senate, and was variously appointed as Senate President Pro Tempore and chair of the Joint Budget Committee. In 2009 she left the Senate to work as Deputy Director of the state's Department of Human Services, continuing with the department until her retirement in 2014. Carter and her five children left their native Louisiana in 1967, fleeing an abusive home environment. After obtaining a bachelor's degree in Education from Portland State University in 1972, Carter enrolled in Oregon State University's Portland-based master's in counseling degree program in 1973. Completing this degree a year later, Carter found employment at Portland Community College, where she worked as a counselor and as a faculty member for the next twenty-seven years. Her interview focuses on her southern upbringing and her relocation to Oregon; her educational experience at OSU; and a few highlights of her pioneering career in public service.

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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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Susan Castillo Oral History Interview - June 17, 2014

Susan Castillo Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
June 17, 2014
Susan Castillo (b. 1951) graduated from OSU in 1981, having returned to school at the urging of OSU's Affirmative Action Director, Pearl Spears Gray, for whom Castillo worked as a secretary. A Communications major, Castillo found employment as a news reporter with KVAL-TV Eugene, and her coverage of the Oregon legislature sparked her interest in running for office. In 1997 Castillo was elected to the state Senate, and in the process became the first Hispanic woman to occupy an office in the state's legislature. From 2003-2012, she also served as Superintendent of Public Instruction in the Oregon Department of Education, where she advocated for students of color and low-income families, among many other initiatives. Her interview focuses on her student experience at OSU and the arc of her career in journalism and politics.

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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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Ralph Cheek Oral History Interview - October 15, 2014

Ralph Cheek Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
October 15, 2014
Ralph Cheek (b. 1930) graduated from Oregon State College in 1952, completing a degree in Business while also participating in Naval ROTC. Following a period of military service, Cheek embarked upon a career with Kaiser Aluminum that would span more than thirty years. Beginning as a scrap foreman, Cheek eventually advanced to the position of Vice President of Manufacturing and Sales for Kaiser Aluminum Europe, while also serving as a member of the Kaiser Aluminum Europe board. In 1986 Cheek retired from Kaiser Aluminum and accepted a position as CEO of IMCO Recycling, which he built up to become the world's largest recycler of aluminum cans. In his interview he discusses his OSC years, his many positions with Kaiser Aluminum, and his influential leadership of IMCO Recycling.

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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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Lynne Clendenin Oral History Interview - February 19, 2015

Lynne Clendenin Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
February 19, 2015
Lynne Clendenin (b. 1953) attended OSU as a non-traditional student, beginning in 1986 and graduating in 1990 with a degree in Theatre Arts. While an undergraduate, Clendenin became involved both with a variety of student media productions as well as radio work at Oregon Public Broadcasting, then based on the Oregon State campus. Following the completion of her studies, Clendenin remained with OPB, serving as both producer and on-air talent. Since 2011 she has worked as vice president of programming for radio and television, and has co-hosted OPB television's Oregon Art Beat. Her interview focuses on her experiences as a non-traditional student of color, her involvement in student media and university theater, and the advancement of her career in public broadcasting.

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Ralph Coleman, Jr. Oral History Interview - July 8, 2014

Ralph Coleman, Jr. Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
July 8, 2014
Ralph Coleman, Jr. (b. 1931) is a 1954 OSC graduate in Business Administration. A Corvallis native, Coleman played baseball for his father, Ralph Sr., during his Oregon State years. Ralph Coleman, himself a graduate of Oregon Agricultural College, led Beaver baseball for parts of five decades, beginning in the mid-1920s and lasting until his retirement in 1966. Coleman was also an early track coach and director of the school's intramural sports program. Ralph Coleman, Jr.'s interview focuses on memories of his father, growing up in Corvallis in the 1930s and 1940s, and the early years of Oregon State baseball.

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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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Ted Cox Oral History Interview - June 7, 2016

Ted Cox Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Tiah Edmunson-Morton.
June 7, 2016
Ted Cox (b. 1947) is the owner and founder of the Old World Deli, a Corvallis institution that has been located in the south end of the city's downtown district since 1977. In addition, Cox is a former Peace Corps volunteer who spent two years teaching in Sierra Leone and another two years as the national track and field coach in present-day Belize. He is likewise an OSU alum, having completed his master's degree in Physical Education in 1975, a time period during which he also served as the first women's volleyball coach at Oregon State during the Title IX era. Through his work at the Old World Deli, Cox became a pioneering figure in the local homebrewing scene, selling equipment, providing instruction, and building community. His interview traces his upbringing in California and his experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer; his experiences as a student and coach at OSU; the early years of the Old World Deli and homebrewing in Corvallis; and the history of brewing in the city, dating back to the mid-1800s.

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Roosevelt Credit Oral History Interview - April 25, 2014

Roosevelt Credit Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
April 25, 2014
Roosevelt Credit attended OSU from 1986-1990, graduating with a degree in Music Education. Following graduate studies at Northwestern University in conducting and opera performance, Credit began a career as a stage and music performer, appearing on Broadway in "Porgy and Bess" and "Show Boat," and touring the United States in support of both productions. His interview discusses his upbringing in Oakland, California, his time at OSU and his life as a Broadway performer. During the interview, Credit also performs an impromptu version of "Carry Me Back," the OSU alma mater. Likewise included is a recording of a performance that Credit delivered later that day with OSU choir students at the Memorial Union.

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Brent Dalrymple Oral History Interview - August 28, 2013

Brent Dalrymple Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
August 28, 2013
Brent Dalrymple (b. 1937) served as Dean of the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University from 1994 to 2001. Prior to his tenure at OSU, Dalrymple was a distinguished geologist with the United States Geological Survey - where he conducted important work on the Earth's magnetic field, among other areas of interest - and a visiting professor at Stanford University's School of Earth Sciences. In 2005 he received the National Medal of Science to honor "his pioneering work in determining the geomagnetic polarity reversal timescale; a discovery that led to the theory of plate tectonics." His interview focuses on the major themes of his career at the USGS and Oregon State.

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Tracy Daugherty Oral History Interview - June 2, 2015

Tracy Daugherty Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
June 2, 2015
Tracy Daugherty (b. 1955) is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of English and Creative Writing, having taught and written at OSU from 1986 to his retirement in 2013. The author of four novels, four short story collections, a book of essays, and three biographies, Daugherty also played a key role in the creation of a Masters of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing at Oregon State. Among many other accomplishments, Daugherty has received the Oregon Book Award four times, most recently in 2010 for his biography of the author Donald Barthelme, Daugherty's mentor. His interview focuses on his development and methods as a writer, the evolution of the Creative Writing program at OSU, and the important role to be played in academia by citizen-scholars.

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Jodie Davaz Oral History Interviews - May 2014 - May 2015

Jodie Davaz Oral History Interviews

Two life history interviews conducted by Chris Petersen.
May 2014 - May 2015
Jodie Davaz (class of 2015), a Digital Communication Arts major and student in the University Honors College, spent the 2013-14 academic year as Station Manager at KBVR-FM. She is also the first editor of Beaver's Digest, successor publication to the Beaver Yearbook. Her first interview is devoted to the inner-workings of OSU's student radio station, her ambitions for Beaver's Digest and her sense of student culture on campus and within the community as it stood in 2014. Her second interview, recorded almost exactly one year later, focuses on the first year of Beaver's Digest and Davaz's broader reflections on her rich undergraduate experience.

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Jim Denison Oral History Interview - September 24, 2014

Jim Denison Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
September 24, 2014
Jim Denison (b. 1927) spent more than sixty years working in Oregon's forests as a timber cruiser, land surveyor and forestry consultant, co-founding two companies along the way - Denison Surveying and Coastal Land Management. A World War II veteran, Denison attended Oregon State College from 1946-1950, majoring in Forest Engineering and funded by the G.I. Bill. The primary focus of his interview is his long and multifaceted career in forestry, with his OSC and military experiences included as secondary topics.

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Tom Dietterich Oral History Interview - June 10, 2015

Tom Dietterich Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
June 10, 2015
Tom Dietterich (b. 1954), a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, was a member of the OSU faculty from 1985 to his retirement in 2016. A leading thinker in the field of machine learning, Dietterich has made numerous contributions to the advancement of artificial intelligence, including multiple applications of computing power to the solution of a variety of ecological problems. A co-founder and past president of the Machine Learning Society, Dietterich has also been involved with a number of several private sector ventures, including work as Chief Scientist at Strands, Inc. and BigML. His interview focuses on his life-long fascination with computers, his major contributions to machine learning, and the evolution of Computer Science over three decades at OSU.

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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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Natalie Dollar Oral History Interview - August 5, 2015

Natalie Dollar Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
August 5, 2015
Natalie Dollar (b. 1963) has been a member of the OSU Speech Communications department since 1993, and a member of the faculty at OSU-Cascades since 2002. Now the Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences at the Bend campus, Dollar has focused her scholarly research on cultures that choose to reside outside of the mainstream, a program of work that has led to study of houseless youths in the Seattle area as well as fans of the Grateful Dead music group. Her interview focuses on her southern roots and the impact that her upbringing made on her as an academic and as a person; her research on alternative cultures; and her long experience as a faculty member and administrator at the Cascades branch campus.

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Jenna Dorn Oral History Interview - September 17, 2013

Jenna Dorn Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
September 17, 2013
Jenna Dorn (b. 1950) graduated from OSU's Journalism department in 1973. Following graduate study in public administration, Dorn began a long and successful career as a public servant based in Washington, D.C. In the public sector, Dorn has served as Assistant Secretary of Labor and head of the Federal Transit Administration, and has held multiple positions in the U.S. Department of Transportation. She has also provided leadership to the American Red Cross in the role of senior vice president and has worked in similar capacities with the National Health Museum and the World Bank. At the time of this interview, Dorn held the position of Chief Executive Officer of the American Academy of Physician Assistants. Dorn's interview details her undergraduate experience at OSU as well as her life in public service.

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James Douglass Oral History Interview - December 5, 2013

James Douglass Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Bob Schapper, Chris Petersen and Steve Matthes.
December 5, 2013
James Douglass (b. 1936), served as Oregon State University's Director of Bands from 1968-1999. During that time he directed the OSU Symphonic Band and the OSU Marching Band, as well as other athletic bands. Under his leadership, the OSU Bands performed internationally, engaging in goodwill tours of Japan, Taiwan and Costa Rica. Douglass is also the founder of the Northwest Band Camp, which serves 450 middle school students each summer. He has appeared as an adjudicator, guest conductor, band clinician, and trumpet soloist at colleges and high schools in Europe, Canada, Taiwan, the Philippines, and the U.S. His interview focuses on his early musical interests, his tenure in the Navy Band, his long career at Oregon State University and some of the outstanding musicians who performed at OSU during his three decades in charge.

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Michael Driscoll Oral History Interview - October 9, 2013

Michael Driscoll Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen and Linda Richards.
October 9, 2013
Michael Driscoll (b. 1942) is a 1970 OSU graduate and an Atomic Veteran. Driscoll spent four years in the Navy, much of that time on an aircraft carrier, the USS Yorktown. During his service on the Yorktown, Driscoll was exposed to two nuclear blasts - Operation Frigate Bird and Operation Swordfish - both detonated in May 1962 as part of the Dominic I series of atmospheric tests. Driscoll is one of an estimated 400,000 U.S. military personnel subjected to nuclear tests of this type. Much of his interview details the specifics of his experiences as an Atomic Veteran, beginning in May 1962 and running to present day.

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Jeff Edgerton Oral History Interview - November 18, 2015

Jeff Edgerton Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Tiah Edmunson-Morton.
November 18, 2015
Jeff Edgerton (b. 1963) is a 1987 OSU graduate in Microbiology. Over the three decades that have followed his graduation, Edgerton has held multiple positions in the brewing industry, beginning with laboratory work at Blitz-Weinhard, and moving on to a successful career at BridgePort, where today he holds the titles of Brewmaster and General Manager. In his interview, Edgerton shares his thoughts on the radical shifts in brewing culture that have taken place in the Portland area since the 1980s. He likewise comments on his own work as a scientist, brewer and administrator at two iconic companies that are central to Oregon's rich brewing history.

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Jim Edmunson Oral History Interview - November 10, 2014

Jim Edmunson Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
November 10, 2014
Jim Edmunson (b. 1951) graduated from Oregon State University in 1973 with a bachelor's degree in Liberal Studies. As an OSU undergraduate, Edmunson was heavily involved with student journalism during a turbulent era in U.S. history. As news editor of the Daily Barometer, Edmunson coordinated coverage of anti-war protests and the murder of OSU student Nancy Wyckoff, among other topics. In 1983, following stints as a professional news reporter and editor, Edmunson began a new career as a lawyer and political figure, serving in the Oregon legislature from 1987-1995 and chairing the Democratic Party of Oregon from 1999-2007. His interview focuses primarily on his undergraduate experience with particular emphasis placed on his activities as a student journalist.

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Don Essig Oral History Interview - May 19, 2014

Don Essig Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
May 19, 2014
Don Essig (b. 1938) attended Oregon State College from 1956-1960, graduating with a degree in Elementary Education. Essig went on to a career as a public school teacher and administrator, primarily in the Eugene school system, that lasted for three decades. Since 1967, Essig has also served as the public address announcer for University of Oregon football and men's basketball games. His interview focuses on his undergraduate experience at OSC, his career in education, his experiences as the PA voice of the Ducks, and his unique perspective on the storied athletics rivalry between OSU and UO.

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Paul Farber Oral History Interviews - October 2014

Paul Farber Oral History Interviews

Two life history interviews conducted by Chris Petersen.
October 2014
Paul Farber (b. 1944) is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of the History of Science who worked at OSU from 1970 to his retirement in 2008. During his tenure as a member of the OSU faculty, Farber served as chair of the General Science department and, after the department's dissolution, the History department as well. A scholar of the naturalist tradition and evolutionary ethics, Farber has published on a variety of subjects, including the history of ornithology and changes in American views on race mixing. His interviews focus on his evolution as a historian, the means by which he acquired his scholarly toolkit, and his memories of General Science and History over four decades working at OSU.

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Steve Fenk Oral History Interview - August 12, 2014

Steve Fenk Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
August 12, 2014
Steve Fenk (b. 1963) is an OSU Liberal Studies graduate from the class of 1987. Fenk was heavily involved with the OSU Athletic Department as an undergraduate, a time period during which he served as a color commentator working alongside radio "Voice of the Beavers" Darrell Aune during Beaver basketball games. As a student, Fenk also helped to organize a number of Oregon State wrestling meets. In 1990 Fenk accepted a position with his alma mater as Assistant Sports Information Director. Since 2011 he has served as Associate Director of Athletic Communications. His interview focuses on his Oregon State undergraduate experience as well as his memories of key people and events in the modern history of OSU athletics.

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Dorothy Fenner Oral History Interview - March 22, 2014

Dorothy Fenner Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
March 22, 2014
Dorothy Fenner (b. 1917) attended Oregon State College as an undergraduate from 1935-1939 and as a master's student from 1939-1941, obtaining degrees from the college's Home Economics program. During World War II, Fenner served her country as a code-breaker, intercepting and interpreting Japanese signals from a base in northern California. After the war, she and her husband John engaged the OSU and Corvallis communities in numerous capacities, including work with the OSU Alumni Association, OSU Foundation and Music Department. Fenner's interview focuses on her years as an OSC student, her war service and her connections to the university in the decades that followed.

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Justin Fleming Oral History Interview - December 15, 2015

Justin Fleming Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
December 15, 2015
Justin Fleming (b. 1980) is a 2007 graduate of OSU, majoring in Business and minoring in Environmental Economics. While a student, Fleming was central to a number of activities related to environmental sustainability on campus, including the creation of the Student Sustainability Initiative in 2006. Following graduation, Fleming worked for OSU as a Business Analyst before being hired as Manager of the Motor Pool in 2008. Since then, Fleming has overseen the absorption of the University of Oregon Motor Pool into a larger University Motor Pool that is managed at OSU. He was also responsible for the first purchase of electric cars for inclusion in the Motor Pool fleet. His interview touches upon his involvement in multiple sustainability initiatives as well as the history, activities, work culture, and future of the University Motor Pool.

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Balz Frei Oral History Interview - January 10, 2014

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.

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Aya Fujii Oral History Interview - September 15, 2015

Aya Fujii Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
September 15, 2015
Aya Fujii was born in 1927 in Hillsboro, Oregon and grew up with six siblings on her family's farm. In May 1942, she and her family were forcibly relocated from their home as part of the war-era policy of Japanese American internment on the west coast. Fujii ultimately spent nearly all of her high school years in Adrian, Oregon, where her family participated in a field labor program for interned citizens that was administered by the Eastern Oregon Farm Labor Bureau. In fall 1945, just after the conclusion of World War II, Fujii enrolled at Oregon State College, where she majored in Home Economics. She later spent more than thirty years working as a dietician at two Portland-area hospitals. In her interview, Fujii shares her memories of her family background and upbringing; her experience of being interned for over three years; her undergraduate tenure at OSC; and her life and work following college.

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John Gardner Oral History Interview - August 13, 2014

John Gardner Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
August 13, 2014
John Gardner (b. 1939) was a member of the OSU Physics faculty from 1973-2001, during which time he established himself as a world leader in perturbed angular correlation spectroscopy, a discipline within the field of solid state physics. Afflicted with poor vision from birth, Gardner lost all sight in 1988, when surgery to stem glaucoma went awry. Gardner's blindness led to a shift in his research from solid state physics to accessibility initiatives for low- or no-sight students and researchers in the sciences. In 1996 he founded ViewPlus Technologies as a vehicle for developing and marketing products that support this accessibility work. Gardner's interview focuses on his upbringing and training, his career in solid state physics, the loss of his sight, and the changes that his blindness brought about, both personally and professionally.

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An Oral History of the Francois Gilfillan family - November 1, 2013

An Oral History of the Francois Gilfillan family

An interview with Nan Jensen and Ellen Johnson conducted by Anne Bahde and Trevor Sandgathe.
November 1, 2013
An iconic figure in the history of Oregon State University, Francois Gilfillan (1893-1983) was a Pharmacy alum of Oregon Agricultural College, graduating in the class of 1918. After a period of time spent on the East Coast, Gilfillan returned to his alma mater serving as its Dean of Science and, from 1941-1942, Acting President. A professionally trained chemist, Gilfillan was instrumental in furthering science education both regionally and nationally. Gilfillan was also a true Renaissance man who spoke or read at least nine languages, including Chinook, collected rare books and antique silver, and cultivated an authentic Japanese garden. With his wife Violette, Gilfillan raised four children including Elizabeth (Ellen) and Nansie, who share their recollections of Gilfillan family life in this interview.

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Legends of OSU Gymnastics - October 2014

Legends of OSU Gymnastics

Three life history interviews with Mary (Ayotte) Law and Joy (Selig) Petersen, conducted by Janice Dilg.
October 2014
Gymnastics national champions Mary (Ayotte) Law and Joy (Selig) Petersen are two of Oregon State University's most accomplished athletes. An Education major who attended OSU from 1978-1982, Law won the 1982 national title in the floor exercise and finished third in the all-around, still the highest all-around placing in school history. A seven-time first team All-American, Petersen won two national championships in the beam competition and another in the floor exercise. She graduated from OSU with a degree in Psychology in 1991. Over the course of three interviews, Law and Petersen reflect on their experiences as student athletes at OSU, sharing their memories of going to school while training and competing at the highest levels of collegiate athletics.

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Tim Hall Oral History Interview - June 25, 2014

Tim Hall Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
June 25, 2014
Tim Hall (b. 1955), a native of Los Angeles, attended Oregon State University from 1973-1978, graduating with a degree in Technical Journalism. Hall came to OSU during a period of damaged relations between African American students and the OSU and Corvallis communities. Hall has helped to rebuild these relationships, in part through his contributions to the founding of the Black Cultural Center while a student at OSU, and later through his service to the President's Board of Advisors for Minority Affairs. His interview focuses on the challenges faced by black OSU students in the 1970s, his experience of the African American student community that emerged during that time, and the impact that OSU made upon him as he pursued a career in public relations.

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Karim Hamdy Oral History Interview - October 10, 2014

Karim Hamdy Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
October 10, 2014
Karim Hamdy (b. 1952), a native of Tunisia, has been associated with OSU since 1981, first as a doctoral candidate in Civil Engineering, and later as an instructor of both French and Arabic. A student activist who helped to form multiple groups representing and supporting North African students at OSU, Hamdy later co-founded the university's Tunisia Study Abroad program. He has also taught Arabic classes at Oregon State since their first formation in 2002. His interview focuses on his upbringing in Tunisia, his experiences studying and working at OSU, and the evolution of the university's Arabic language courses and the Tunisia Study Abroad program.

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Paula Hammond Oral History Interview - December 4, 2013

Paula Hammond Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
December 4, 2013
Paula Hammond (b. 1956), a native of Klamath Falls, attended Oregon State University from 1974-1978, during which time she was one of eight undergraduate women in the university's Civil Engineering program. Following graduation, Hammond began a thirty-year career with the Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT), first as a field engineer and later in administrative roles of increasing responsibility. In 2007 she was appointed Secretary of Transportation for Washington state, a position that she held for six years until her retirement from WSDOT in 2013. Her interview focuses on her undergraduate experience at OSU as one of a handful of women in engineering, her career at WSDOT and her thoughts on the future of transportation.

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Memories of Hatfield Marine Science Center - April 12, 2015

Memories of Hatfield Marine Science Center

A series of interview vignettes conducted by Mike Dicianna.
April 12, 2015
Established by Oregon State University in 1965 on Yaquina Bay in Newport, Oregon, the Marine Science Center - re-named for Oregon Governor and Senator Mark Hatfield in 1983 - is both a leading marine research laboratory and a center for instruction of university students and the interested public alike. In April 2015, HMSC hosted a reunion of past students, faculty and staff, four of whom contributed their memories of the center on the occasion of its fiftieth anniversary. These interviews, conducted with Range Bayer, Warren Hanson, John Markham and Anja Robinson, touch on the evolution and impact of the Hatfield Center as observed over multiple decades.

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Erin Haynes Oral History Interview - July 25, 2014

Erin Haynes Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
July 25, 2014
Erin Haynes (b. 1950) attended OSU from 1968-1972, during which time he both played on and helped to coach the school's freshman football team, and also served as Senior Class President. Following graduation, Haynes built a long career at Oregon State, working in the Department of Admissions for eight years, the OSU Foundation for twenty-two years, and the Alumni Association for two more. Haynes has also served as an advisor to the OSU chapter of Phi Delta Theta fraternity for more than four decades. His interview focuses on fraternity culture at Oregon State, campus life in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and Beaver lore throughout its history, including several stories of notable Oregon Staters from the past.

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Charlotte Headrick Oral History Interview - April 7, 2015

Charlotte Headrick Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
April 7, 2015
Charlotte Headrick (b. 1948) is a professor of Theater Arts who, in 1982, became the first woman hired to the drama faculty at OSU since the 1930s. A scholar of the Irish theater and female playwrights, Headrick has directed in the vicinity of one-hundred theater pieces and readings during her tenure at Oregon State. An award-winning teacher, Headrick has also served as guest director at a variety of other colleges and universities, and has traveled to Turkey and Ireland to stage plays and research dramatic history. Her interview focuses on her deep family roots and upbringing in the American South, her institutional memories of the theater program at OSU, and her academic interests in Irish drama.

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Ken Hedberg Oral History Interviews - September - October 2011

Ken Hedberg Oral History Interviews

Four life history interviews conducted by Chris Petersen.
September - October 2011
Ken Hedberg (b. 1920) has a personal connection to OSU that spans parts of nine decades. Born in Portland and raised primarily in southern Oregon, Hedberg attended Oregon State College from 1939-1942, graduating with a degree in Chemistry. Following a stint working for Shell Development Company during World War II, Hedberg continued his education at the California Institute of Technology, completing his Ph.D. in 1948 and developing a friendship with Linus Pauling that would last until Pauling's death in 1994. Hedberg returned to his alma mater in 1956, accepting a position in the OSC Chemistry department and remaining on faculty until retiring in 1987. Recognized internationally as an expert on the determination of molecular structures through the use of electron diffraction, Hedberg has continued to work and publish in the years since his formal retirement, solving the structures of numerous compounds using an apparatus that he designed and built in the mid-1950s. Over four interviews Hedberg shares his memories of campus life in the years prior to World War II; discusses the environment at Caltech during its "golden age"; provides insight into the life, work and personality of Linus Pauling; and reflects on more than half a century of Chemistry at OSU.

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Joe Hendricks Oral History Interview - August 4, 2014

Joe Hendricks Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
August 4, 2014
Joe Hendricks (b. 1943) is an acclaimed gerontologist who chaired the OSU Sociology department from 1989-1995. On the OSU campus, he is more widely known for having served as the first Dean of the University Honors College (UHC), which he led from its formation in 1995 to 2008. As Dean, Hendricks helped to shape the UHC's admissions standards, grew enrollments, recruited teaching faculty, and carved out physical spaces, including an honors dorm and two dedicated honors study spaces. Hendricks' interview focuses on his scholarly achievements in gerontology, and the formation and growth of the University Honors College at OSU.

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John Henley Oral History Interviews - December 22, 2014

John Henley Oral History Interviews

Two life history interviews conducted by Chris Petersen.
December 22, 2014
John Henley (b. 1951) is a Portland native and appraiser of rare books and manuscripts who was instrumental in building Powell's Books, serving as the store's first manager and remaining on staff for more than a decade. He is also the son of Elizabeth Henley (1912-1981), an accomplished poet and former member of the English faculty at Oregon State. In the 1930s, during her tenure as an English professor at the University of Washington, Elizabeth Henley was active in the American Communist Party. In 1956, fearful of the potential repercussions that might arise from her past political activities, Henley consented to being committed to the Oregon State Penitentiary for the Criminally Insane. She remained there for more than two years before securing her release and joining the staff at Oregon State College. She taught English at Oregon State from 1959 to her retirement in 1975. Over two interviews, John Henley tells his mother's remarkable story; details the history of Powell's Books; and shares numerous other tales of a life spent scouting rare books and working in the retail book trade.

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Michael Henthorne Oral History Interview - August 29, 2014

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.

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Jack Higginbotham Oral History Interview - November 3, 2015

Jack Higginbotham Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
November 3, 2015
Jack Higginbotham (b. 1958) has been a member of OSU's Nuclear Engineering faculty since arriving in Corvallis in 1987, and has led the Oregon Space Grant program since 2002. During his years at Oregon State, Higginbotham has also served as Senior Reactor Operator and Senior Health Physicist at the OSU Radiation Center; chair of the Radiation Health Physics program; Associate Dean of the Graduate School; and President of the Faculty Senate. In a wide-ranging interview, Higginbotham discusses his education and academic work in nuclear science and engineering; his institutional memories of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science at OSU; and the activities of Oregon Space Grant during his years of association.

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Aki Hill Oral History Interview - April 14, 2015

Aki Hill Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
April 14, 2015
Aki Hill (b. 1940) is the winningest women's basketball coach in OSU history, compiling a career record of 274-206. A native of Japan who counted legendary UCLA coach John Wooden as among her mentors, Hill took over the Oregon State program during its third year in existence and spent the next seventeen years as head coach. During that timespan, OSU competed in the post-season eight times and won the National Women's Invitational Tournament on two occasions. In her interview, Hill details her introduction to and early love for basketball, the important role that John Wooden played in her advancement as a coach, and the years that she spent building the women's basketball program at OSU.

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Darlene Hooley Oral History Interview - February 3, 2014

Darlene Hooley Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
February 3, 2014
Darlene Hooley (b. 1939) graduated from Oregon State University in 1961 with a bachelor's degree in Physical Education. After fourteen years as a high school teacher, Hooley entered the political arena, first as a member of the West Linn city council, followed by stints in the Oregon legislature and on the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners. In 1996 she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon's fifth district. She served for six terms, retiring from political life in 2008. Her interview focuses on her upbringing, her college years, her transition into public service and her experiences in Washington, D.C.

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Tom House Oral History Interview - June 7, 2014

Tom House Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
June 7, 2014
Tom House, a veteran of both World War II and the Korean War, graduated from Oregon State College in 1949, serving as student body president his senior year. In a short interview, House reflects on his student years in the late 1940s and shares his memories of the Mt. St. Helens eruption in 1980.

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Chet Houser Oral History Interview - July 16, 2015

Chet Houser Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
July 16, 2015
Chet Houser (b. 1948) is a 1970 OSU graduate in Agricultural Economics who was involved in ROTC for most of his undergraduate years. Upon completing his degree, Houser was commissioned into the United States Army where he spent twenty years working in various capacities, including as a war planner. Following his retirement from the military, Houser spent another two decades as a public employee for Oregon OSHA, the state Vocational Rehabilitation Department, and the state Parks Department. His interview concentrates on his undergraduate experience as an ROTC member during the escalation of the Vietnam War; his career in the military; and his later work as a civilian.

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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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Katharine Jefferts Schori Oral History Interview - August 15, 2014

Katharine Jefferts Schori Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
August 15, 2014
Katharine Jefferts Schori (b. 1954) has lived a life inspired by both science and faith. Jefferts Schori received both a master's degree and a Ph.D. in Oceanography from Oregon State University, in the process becoming the first female to earn a doctorate from the university's Oceanography program. It was in Corvallis that Jefferts Schori also grew more actively involved in the Episcopal Church, first as a lay member and later as a member of the clergy. In 2000 Jefferts Schori entered into a more prominent leadership role within the church when she was elected Bishop of the Nevada diocese. And in 2006 she was elected to a nine-year term as Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church, the first woman to occupy this role. Her interview focuses on her upbringing and education, her development as a scientist and a woman of faith, and her experiences as a leader within the Episcopal Church.

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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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Becky Johnson Oral History Interview - August 3, 2015

Becky Johnson Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
August 3, 2015
Becky Johnson (b. 1955), Vice President for OSU-Cascades, has led OSU's branch campus in central Oregon since 2008. Prior to her shift into administration, Johnson was a natural resources economist in the OSU College of Forestry, whose research and teaching focused on the economic values and impacts of non-market resources. Johnson has been a member of the Oregon State faculty since first arriving in Corvallis in 1984 and her administrative appointments have included several years as Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and International Programs. Her interview provides insight into curricular and demographic shifts that she has observed within the College of Forestry; changes in the leadership roles that women have assumed at OSU in recent decades; the history and growth of OSU-Cascades; and Johnson's sense of challenges and opportunities that are specific to OSU-Cascades and its mission.

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Ruth Jones and Rita Kilstrom Oral History Interview - August 21, 2014

Ruth Jones and Rita Kilstrom Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
August 21, 2014
Corvallis natives Ruth (Martin) Jones and Rita (Young) Kilstrom, both born in 1938, have been friends since kindergarten and attended Oregon State College together, graduating in the class of 1959. Kilstrom is the daughter of D. Palmer Young, an early professor of speech and theater craft at Oregon State College. Though Education majors, both Jones and Kilstrom were heavily involved with the OSC drama program during their college years. Their interview focuses on growing up in Corvallis in the 1940s and 1950s, the OSC campus climate in the mid- to late 1950s, and the early years of theater arts at Oregon State.

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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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Nancy Kerns Oral History Interview - November 21, 2014

Nancy Kerns Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
November 21, 2014
Nancy Kerns (b. 1956) graduated from OSU in 1978 with a bachelor's degree in American Studies. After completing law school in 1981, Kerns began a career in the legal profession that has included stints as deputy district attorney for Umatilla County and, since 2011, city attorney for the city of Pendleton. Kerns is the first and only woman in Pendleton's history to have held the office of city attorney. Her interview includes reflections on the American Studies program at OSU during the mid-1970s; memories of law school and studying for the bar exam; and a look back on an accomplished legal career spent primarily in rural eastern Oregon.

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Ann Kiessling Oral History Interview - June 13, 2014

Ann Kiessling Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
June 13, 2014
Ann Kiessling (b. 1942), a native Oregonian, attended Oregon State University as a doctoral candidate from 1967-1971, ultimately obtaining her Ph.D. in Biochemistry & Biophysics. In 1996, after stints at Oregon Health Sciences University and Harvard Medical School, Kiessling founded the Bedford (Mass.) Stem Cell Research Foundation, an independent biomedical research institute that conducts stem cell and related research for diseases presently considered incurable. Kiessling is considered an international leader in both reproductive biology and stem cell research. Her interview focuses on her ties to the state of Oregon, including her upbringing in Baker City and Klamath Falls, and her memories of life as a Ph.D. student at OSU.

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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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Ilene Kleinsorge Oral History Interview - February 10, 2015

Ilene Kleinsorge Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
February 10, 2015
Ilene Kleinsorge (b. 1949) was a member of the OSU College of Business faculty from her arrival in 1987 to her retirement in 2015. For the final twelve years of her career, Kleinsorge served as the college's Dean, a time period that saw significant change within Business. As Dean, Kleinsorge oversaw broad changes to the college's curriculum as well as the implementation of several new programs, a strengthened emphasis on innovation, and the construction of a state-of-the-art facility, Austin Hall. Her interview focuses on her atypical career path - which included stints as a factory worker and licensed practical nurse - as well as the strategic planning process that was central to the renewal of the College of Business. She also discusses her interactions with Ken and Joan Austin, and recounts the story behind Austin Hall.

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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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Paul Kopperman Oral History Interview - September 2, 2014

Paul Kopperman Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
September 2, 2014
Paul Kopperman (b. 1945) has taught history at OSU since his arrival in 1978. Specializing in 18th century British military and medical history, Kopperman has also served as advisor to both the OSU History Club and the OSU Religious Studies Club. An active member of the local Jewish community, Kopperman has been closely associated with Holocaust Remembrance Week at OSU from the time of its initial organization in 1986. Kopperman has directed Remembrance Week activities since 1993 and, in this capacity, has been responsible for bringing to campus several prominent scholars of genocide as well as some two dozen Holocaust survivors. His interview focuses on his academic career, growth and change in the regional Jewish community, and the history of Holocaust Remembrance Week at Oregon State University.

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Milo Koretsky Oral History Interview - November 13, 2015

Milo Koretsky Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
November 13, 2015
Milo Koretsky (b. 1962) has been a member of the Chemical Engineering faculty at Oregon State since his arrival in Corvallis in 1992. Koretsky is recognized internationally as a pioneering scholar of engineering education whose textbook, Engineering and Chemical Thermodynamics, has been widely praised for its conceptual approach to the teaching of thermodynamics. At OSU, Koretsky has also been instrumental in the development of virtual learning modules that provide student engineers with practical experience that closely simulates the environment that they will encounter in the workplace. Koretsky has likewise been closely associated with OSU's MECOP internship program for the entirety of his career, and has been instrumental in its growth over the decades. His interview focuses on his personal development as an engineer and educator; his institutional memories of Chemical Engineering and MECOP at OSU; and his continuing efforts to rethink and improve engineering education.

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Denise Lach Oral History Interview - July 21, 2015

Denise Lach Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
July 21, 2015
Denise Lach (b. 1955) is a social scientist who has lead multiple research institutes at OSU, including the Center for the Analysis of Environmental Change, and the Center for Water and Environmental Stability. A member of the Oregon State faculty since 1996, Lach was named director of the College of Liberal Arts' School of Public Policy when it was created in 2010, and she continues to serve in that capacity today. Lach's interview focuses upon her path through academia, her development as a social scientist, her research on the social and policy dimensions of various natural resources issues, and her perspective on change and advancement within OSU's College of Liberal Arts.

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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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Brent Lawrence Oral History Interview - December 28, 2015

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.

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Phyllis Lee Oral History Interview - January 28, 2015

Phyllis Lee Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
January 28, 2015
Phyllis Lee (b. 1936) was the first Director of OSU's Office of Multicultural Affairs, which was created in 1991 and charged with promoting diversity and improving the campus climate for students, faculty and staff of color. A graduate of OSU's doctoral program in Education and a former member of the university's Board of Visitors, Lee spearheaded a number of outreach and curricular activities meant to promote dialogue on issues of diversity, both in the classroom and in the community. Lee retired from OSU in 2003. One year later, President Ed Ray created the Phyllis S. Lee Award, which is presented annually and honors a member of the OSU community who exemplifies Lee's commitment and dedication to social justice and to the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Her interview focuses on her education, her long commitment to diversity issues, and her many activities as Director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs.

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Jon Lewis Oral History Interview - May 4, 2017

Jon Lewis Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
May 4, 2017
Jon Lewis (b. 1955) is a Distinguished Professor of Film Studies who has been a member of the OSU English faculty since arriving in 1984. The first professor in university history to be dedicated full-time to Film Studies, Lewis created much of the curriculum used in OSU's film classes today. He is also a prolific author who has written well-received books on different shifts in Hollywood film culture, and is a scholar of the life and work of director Francis Ford Coppola. His 2010 book on The Godfather has been translated into French, Turkish and Mandarin. In his interview, Lewis reflects on his discovery and love of film; his work in creating a Film Studies program at OSU; and the different books that he has authored over the course of his career.

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An Oral History of the Linus Pauling Institute - August - December 2011

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.

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Walter Loveland Oral History Interview - July 22, 2015

Walter Loveland Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen and Linda Richards.
July 22, 2015
Walter Loveland (b. 1939) is a nuclear chemist who has been a member of the OSU faculty since 1968. A decorated scholar who has made important contributions to the study of super-heavy elements, Loveland enjoyed a twenty-three year collaboration with Glenn Seaborg (1912-1999), a Nobel laureate and fellow nuclear chemist who was based at the University of California, Berkeley. The organizer of a 2012 symposium to celebrate the centenary of Seaborg's birth, Loveland was honored by the American Chemical Society with the 2014 Glenn T. Seaborg Award for Nuclear Chemistry, an acknowledgement of his key contributions to the understanding of super-heavy elements and heavy-element synthesis. In a wide-ranging interview, Loveland shares his institutional memories of nuclear chemistry and radiation science at OSU; recalls his work and friendship with Glenn Seaborg; and provides his perspective on cultural and academic change at Oregon State.

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Jane Lubchenco Oral History Interviews - October 2014 - April 2015

Jane Lubchenco Oral History Interviews

Two life history interviews conducted by Janice Dilg.
October 2014 - April 2015
Jane Lubchenco (b. 1947), Distinguished Professor of Zoology, is among the most accomplished scientists to have ever served as a member of the OSU faculty. Professors in the Zoology Department since 1977, Lubchenco and her husband, Bruce Menge, have contributed greatly to the scientific understanding of marine ecosystems around the world. Since the late 1980s, Lubchenco has also been actively involved in the formation of science policy, especially as it relates to the nation's coastlines and oceanic environments. In 2009 Lubchenco was confirmed as the first female head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a post that she held until 2013. Her interviews discuss the arc of her education, her career path, highlights of her research program, her increasing interest in public policy, and her tenure as leader of NOAA.

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Bill Lunch Oral History Interviews - March 2015

Bill Lunch Oral History Interviews

Two life history interviews conducted by Chris Petersen.
March 2015
Bill Lunch (b. 1949) was a member of the OSU Political Science department from 1984 to his retirement in 2011, serving as chair of the department for his final eight years on faculty. For the majority of his time at Oregon State, Lunch also worked as a political commentator for Oregon Public Broadcasting, filing reports and offering his opinions on regional political affairs, and regularly appearing on both radio and television. Over two interviews, Lunch describes the ways in which this dual career evolved and flourished over the course of nearly three decades at Oregon State. He also offers his opinions on numerous individuals who have made a major impact on the university, and shares his perspective on the resignation of Governor John Kitzhaber, which took place just one month before these interviews.

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Bob Lundeen Oral History Interviews - July - August 2013

Bob Lundeen Oral History Interviews

Four life history interviews conducted by Chris Petersen.
July - August 2013
Bob Lundeen (1921-2016) graduated from Oregon State College in 1942 with a BS in Chemical Engineering. Lundeen served in the Army Air Corp during World War II as a weather officer stationed in China. After the war, he began working for Dow Chemical Co., eventually rising to the position of Chairman of the Board. Following his retirement from Dow in 1986, he served on the Board of Directors for Tektronix and later became CEO. In retirement Lundeen has made a deep impact at OSU as a donor, an honorary OSU trustee, and a member of the Board of Trustees for the OSU Foundation. Topics covered in the Lundeen interviews include his early life, his experiences during wartime, and his memories of Oregon State College. Other subjects discussed include his long career at Dow, family life, retirement and philanthropy.

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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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Melinda Manore Oral History Interview - November 30, 2015

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.

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Alyssa Martin Oral History Interview - May 13, 2014

Alyssa Martin Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
May 13, 2014
At the time of her interview, Alyssa Martin (class of 2015) was an OSU student athlete who had spent four years on the women's basketball team while majoring in Civil Engineering. The daughter of former Beaver basketball player Earl Martin, Alyssa concluded her OSU playing days with 985 career points and earned Pac-12 All-Academic accolades three years in a row. Her interview provides an insightful glimpse into the busy world of the student athlete, juggling school, sports, travel and social life.

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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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Chris Mathews Oral History Interview - September 2, 2011

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.

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LaMont Matthews Oral History Interview - July 1, 2015

LaMont Matthews Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
July 1, 2015
LaMont Matthews (b. 1934) graduated from Oregon State College in 1956, earning a degree in Mechanical Engineering. As a senior at Oregon State, Matthews began working part-time at a local engineering firm called Cornell, Howell, Hayes, and Merryfield. The thirtieth employee hired by what was later known as CH2M Hill, Matthews spent nearly fifty years as an engineer, project manager and executive with the company, ultimately rising to the position of Vice President of Industrial and Energy Systems and serving on the CH2M Hill Board of Directors. His interview is largely devoted to reflections on Matthews' many years at the company, with memories of undergraduate engineering study at OSC included as a secondary topic.

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June McCallister Oral History Interview - July 3, 2014

June McCallister Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna and Chris Petersen.
July 3, 2014
June (Geil) McCallister (1919-2016) was the matriarch of a five-generation Oregon State family. A 1940 OSC graduate in Secretarial Science, McCallister married into a lineage that traced back to William A. Finley, the first president of Corvallis College, as well as Hugh M. Finley, co-founder and first president of the school's Alumni Association. She was also mother to three children, all of whom graduated from OSU, as well as nine grandchildren, many of them Beaver alumni. Her interview focuses on her memories of undergraduate life at Oregon State College in the 1930s as well as her family's extraordinary connection to the university, which dates back to the 1860s.

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Mike McCallister Oral History Interview - June 26, 2014

Mike McCallister Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna and Chris Petersen.
June 26, 2014
Mike McCallister (b. 1943), a 1967 OSU graduate in Geology, represents the fourth generation of his family to graduate from Oregon State. An officer in the United States Navy for nearly thirty years, McCallister served tours of duty in multiple locations throughout the Pacific, including Guam, Vietnam, Hawaii and the Philippines. A trained oceanographer, meteorologist and geophysicist, McCallister has also worked for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the Snohomish County Emergency Management Agency, and in the private sector, where he researches renewable tidal energy. His interview focuses on his career in the military and his family's deep roots at Oregon State.

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Brenda McComb Oral History Interview - February 24, 2015

Brenda McComb Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen and Kalia Flocker.
February 24, 2015
Brenda McComb was born William McComb in 1952. Over two stints at OSU, McComb worked as a member of the faculty in the Department of Forest Sciences and Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, as Dean of the Graduate School, as Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, and as a member of the OSU Board of Trustees. In addition, McComb has been central to the development of a support network for transgender individuals both on campus and throughout the mid-Willamette Valley. Her interview focuses largely on the story of her own gender journey, including discussion of the personal and professional impacts of her gender transition from male to female. The session also touches upon her work in academia as a faculty member, an administrator and an advocate.

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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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Duane McDougall Oral History Interview - July 15, 2015

Duane McDougall Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
July 15, 2015
Duane McDougall (b. 1952) is a native Oregonian and an OSU alum who graduated in 1974 with a degree in Business and Technology, focusing primarily on Accounting. After college, McDougall spent twenty-three years at Willamette Industries, a forest products company with headquarters in Oregon. During that time, McDougall rose steadily up the ranks within the company until ultimately receiving promotion to the position of President and Chief Executive Officer in 1998. McDougall led Willamette Industries for the remainder of its existence, stepping down only after the company succumbed to an eighteen month-long hostile takeover bid launched by Weyerhaeuser and consolidated in 2002. Later on, McDougall joined the leadership team at Boise Cascade, serving as CEO for nine months and chairing the company's board for nearly six years. McDougall's interview traces his memories as a student and supporter of OSU as well as his years as a forest products executive during very turbulent times.

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Jessina McGregor Oral History Interview - September 4, 2016

Jessina McGregor Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
September 4, 2016
Jessina McGregor (b. 1978) is an OSU alumna who graduated in 2001 with honors bachelors degrees in Microbiology and International Studies. Following her doctoral training in Epidemiology, McGregor returned to her alma mater in 2006, joining the faculty of OSU's College of Pharmacy. McGregor was hired as part of an initiative to boost the research program within the college's Portland branch, and she has been based at either the OHSU main campus or at the health sciences complex on the South Waterfront for the whole of her career as an OSU faculty member. Her interview details her undergraduate years at Oregon State; her research on antibiotic resistance and optimized patient care; and her perspective on the forward advancement of OSU Pharmacy's aims in Portland, including the impact that has been made by the construction of the Collaborative Life Sciences Building.

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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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Charlie Miller Oral History Interview - May 12, 2015

Charlie Miller Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
May 12, 2015
Charlie Miller (b. 1940) is an oceanographer and ocean ecologist who spent thirty-four years as a faculty member at the Hatfield Marine Science Center, arriving in 1969 and retiring in 2003. An expert on zooplankton, Miller has made several important contributions to the scientific understanding of the world's oceans, including the discovery of a new species of plankton, Neocalanus flemingeri, first identified in 1982. Miller is also a social and environmental activist who has, in particular, spoken out against a liquefied natural gas terminal that is proposed to cross Oregon. His interview provides an overview of his scientific research as well as his institutional memories of HMSC and his activism in retirement.

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Frank Moore Oral History Interview - April 11, 2017

Frank Moore Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
April 11, 2017
Frank Moore (b. 1945) is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Zoology who was an active member of the OSU faculty from his arrival in Corvallis in 1975 to his retirement in 2007. Moore is perhaps best known for his discovery of vasotocin, a hormone that plays a major role in the reproductive behavior of many different types of animal species, including the salamanders that Moore used as his primary research model. Moore also made significant contributions to the scientific understanding of neurological systems in amphibians. In his interview, Moore traces the unusual path that he took to academia; comments on the major themes of his research; and shares his perspective on his personal and academic partnership with Kathleen Dean Moore, herself an OSU Distinguished Professor and acclaimed author.

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Sylvia Moore Oral History Interview - March 31, 2015

Sylvia Moore Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
March 31, 2015
Sylvia Moore (b. 1942) played a vital role in advancing women's athletics over a thirty-three year career as a coach, official, instructor and administrator at OSU. Moore, who at various points coached both the women's basketball and gymnastics teams, also served as Director of Women's Athletics on two different occasions. She is likewise the first woman to have worked as Athletic Director for the entire university, having held that post as an interim appointment in 1985. Moore also volunteered as an unpaid official for five different sports during her OSU career. Her interview focuses on the early years of women's athletics at Oregon State, the implementation and impact of Title IX, and Moore's activities both within the Athletic Department and in service to other areas of the university.

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Mike Newton Oral History Interview - March 15, 2016

Mike Newton Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
March 15, 2016
Mike Newton (b. 1932) is an Oregon State alum - having completed a master's degree in Forestry in 1959 and a Ph.D. in Botany in 1964 - and also an emeritus member of the OSU Forestry faculty. Over a forty-year career at Oregon State, Newton conducted influential research on weed control in forested settings, work that took him to Vietnam in the early 1970s to investigate the biological impact of Agent Orange. A highly productive scholar, Newton also led long-term studies focusing on competition between tree and plant species in areas of differing rainfall and soil type; tree growth in cold weather climates; and the cultivation of mature forests through managed thinning and harvesting. In his interview, Newton reflects primarily on the research that he has conducted in forested areas all around the world, and on contemporary controversies surrounding forest management. His upbringing in rural New England and his years as a student at Oregon State College are also included as secondary topics.

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Keith Nishida Oral History Interview - May 20, 2014

Keith Nishida Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
May 20, 2014
At the time of his interview, Keith Nishida was a Ph.D. candidate and Graduate Teaching Assistant in the OSU School of Design and Human Environment. In 2012 he challenged a group of his students to collaborate and create a fashion magazine for their final class project. This assignment quickly bloomed into a continuing creative endeavor, called DAMchic magazine, that is now its own student-run organization. In its short history, DAMchic has attracted a wide audience - one issue of the online publication has logged over 500,000 views - and broad student support within the School of Design and Human Environment. In his interview, Nishida reflects upon his personal experiences in the world of fashion and at OSU, as well as the history and aspirations of DAMchic magazine.

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Janet Nishihara Oral History Interview - September 2, 2015

Janet Nishihara Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
September 2, 2015
Janet Nishihara (b. 1956) first came into contact with OSU as an undergraduate, majoring in English Education and completing her degree in 1978. She returned to Oregon State in 1980 as a master's degree student in the College Student Services Administration program, a time period during which she also became involved with the Educational Opportunities Program (EOP) at OSU. For more than three decades following, Nishihara has played a central role in a wide variety of student support and diversity development initiatives on campus. In 2009, after many years on staff, Nishihara was promoted to director of EOP, the mission of which is to provide support for the personal and academic development of traditionally underrepresented students at OSU. In her interview, Nishihara reflects on her upbringing as a third generation Japanese-American raised in rural eastern Oregon; discusses her multifaceted experiences as a student and faculty member at OSU; and shares her perspective on diversity advancement at the university from the mid-1970s to present day.

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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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Mary Jo Nye Oral History Interviews - March 2015

Mary Jo Nye Oral History Interviews

Two life history interviews conducted by Chris Petersen.
March 2015
Mary Jo Nye (b. 1944) is a historian of science who was a member of the OSU History faculty from 1994 to her retirement in 2008. Nye and her husband Robert, also a historian, served as the first Thomas Hart and Mary Jones Horning Professors of the Humanities, and in this capacity were charged with deepening the link between the sciences and the humanities at OSU. A prolific and accomplished scholar of 19th and 20th century history of science in Europe and the U.S., Mary Jo Nye received the Sarton Medal, the highest award granted by the History of Science Society, in 2006. Over two interviews, Nye traces the evolution of her academic interests in science and the history of science, discusses her work on several books, and reflects on her fourteen years as Horning chair at OSU.

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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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Bob Olson Oral History Interview - November 14, 2014

Bob Olson Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
November 14, 2014
Bob Olson (b. 1940) is a parasitologist and emeritus member of the OSU Fisheries and Wildlife faculty, who has taught and conducted research at the Hatfield Marine Science Center since his arrival in 1968. For nearly two decades, Olson was HMSC's Associate Director of Education Programs, and in this capacity oversaw both classroom instruction as well as public outreach through activities including the Seataqua Program. An expert on parasites that affect fish, Olson has received the unusual honor of having a parasite named after him - trypanoplasma bobolsoni. His interview concentrates on his teaching and research career at HMSC, as well as his observations of the forward evolution of HMSC as a facility and community partner over his five decades of affiliation.

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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
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.

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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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An Oral History of the OSU Press - March 26, 2014

An Oral History of the OSU Press

An interview with Jo Alexander and Jeff Grass conducted by Chris Petersen.
March 26, 2014
Founded in 1961, the Oregon State University Press was, for much of its existence, a component of the university's Office of Publications. Burdened by chronic funding challenges, the Press experienced a roller coaster existence for many years and was nearly shuttered in 1990 following the passage in Oregon of the property tax limitation Ballot Measure 5. Now administratively organized alongside the OSU Libraries, the Press has evolved into a flourishing scholarly publisher responsible for nearly 400 titles focusing principally on the history and character of the Pacific Northwest. In this interview, Jo Alexander (b. 1944) and Jeff Grass (b. 1948) discuss their long association with the Press, which together spanned parts of five decades.

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Michael Oriard Oral History Interviews - March 2015

Michael Oriard Oral History Interviews

Two life history interviews conducted by Chris Petersen.
March 2015
Michael Oriard (b. 1948) is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of American Literature and Culture who worked at OSU from 1976 to his retirement in 2013. Oriard is also a former professional football player who, after receiving All American honors at the University of Notre Dame, spent four seasons in the National Football League as an offensive lineman with the Kansas City Chiefs. As an academic, Oriard's primary focus has been the cultural history of football, and he is widely recognized as an expert on the United States' most popular sport. In two interviews, Oriard discusses his life as a student athlete and professional football player, his growth and productivity as a scholar, and the fragile status and uncertain future of American football.

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José-Antonio Orosco Oral History Interview - June 25, 2015

José-Antonio Orosco Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
June 25, 2015
José-Antonio Orosco (b. 1971) is a Philosophy professor at OSU and the director of the university's Peace Studies program. A former union organizer and student activist, Orosco is presently the faculty advisor for the Centro Cultural César Chávez as well as the OSU chapter of Movimiento Estudantil Chicano/Chicana de Aztlan. The author of the 2008 book, Cesar Chavez and the Common Sense of Nonviolence, Orosco is also a founding member of OSU Faculty and Staff for Peace and Justice, a co-founder of the Anarres Project for Alternative Futures, and president of the OSU chapter of the American Association of University Professors. His interview focuses on the path that he has taken as an academic and activist, his involvement with student organizations and multicultural programming, and his perspectives on the teaching and practice of engaged philosophy.

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Bud Ossey Oral History Interviews - October - November 2014

Bud Ossey Oral History Interviews

Two life history interviews conducted by Mike Dicianna.
October - November 2014
Bud Ossey (b. 1919) is the son of Russian immigrants whose father enrolled in the Engineering program at Oregon Agricultural College shortly after arriving in the United States in 1923. Ossey grew up attending Oregon State sporting events at Bell Field and the Men's Gymnasium, and notably sat on the visiting bench as a spectator during the famous OSC vs. USC "Iron Men" game in 1933. A 1943 OSC graduate in Civil Engineering, Ossey led Combat Engineering units during World War II. Following the war, he spent thirty-six years working as an engineer, primarily with the Bonneville Power Administration, and specializing in the hydroelectric design of power houses across the Northwest. Ossey is also a charter member of the Beaver Club and has been actively involved with many other groups that have worked to advance the mission of Oregon State University. Over two interviews, Ossey reflects on his early memories of campus life, his close involvement with Beaver athletics, his service during wartime, and his career as a BPA engineer.

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Doug Oxsen Oral History Interviews - July - December 2015

Doug Oxsen Oral History Interviews

Two life history interviews conducted by Mike Dicianna.
July - December 2015
Doug Oxsen (b. 1952) played for Ralph Miller's OSU basketball squads in the early 1970s, graduating in 1975 with a degree in Business. After a period where he continued to play on a semi-professional basis, Oxsen settled into a private sector career in the health industry. In 2002, Oxsen returned to his alma mater when he accepted a position as Director of Development in Athletics with the OSU Foundation. In this capacity, he has played a lead role in raising funds to support the expansion and renovation of Reser Stadium, the construction of the Basketball Practice Facility, and the building of the Whyte Track and Field Complex, among other initiatives. Over two interviews, Oxsen shares his memories of playing basketball for Ralph Miller, defeating mighty UCLA, and helping to modernize OSU's athletics facilities as a fundraiser with the OSU Foundation.

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Al Parr Oral History Interview - June 18, 2014

Al Parr Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
June 18, 2014
Al Parr (b. 1942) graduated from Oregon State in 1964 with bachelors degrees in Physics and Mathematics, as well as decorations from the university's Honors Program. Parr spent close to forty years working as a physicist, primarily for the National Institute of Standards and Technology, where he specialized in radiometrics and optics. Parr is also a rare book collector of consequence and a member of the OSU Libraries Advisory Council. His interview focuses on his memories of Oregon State, his career in science, and his passion for books.

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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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Don Pettit Oral History Interview - March 26, 2014

Don Pettit Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
March 26, 2014
Don Pettit (b. 1955), a native of Silverton, attended OSU from 1973-1978, graduating with a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering. After completing his Ph.D. at the University of Arizona, Pettit began work at the National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico. In 1996 he was selected to become a NASA astronaut and, in 2002, he participated in his first spaceflight, Expedition 6, during which he spent over five months on the International Space Station. While at NASA, Pettit has logged more than a year in space, during which time he has filmed and televised experiments from space for a series titled "Saturday Morning Science." His interview focuses on his upbringing in Oregon, his undergraduate experience at OSU, and highlights from his career as an astronaut.

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George Poinar Oral History Interview - October 23, 2014

George Poinar Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
October 23, 2014
George Poinar (b. 1936) is a Courtesy Faculty member in the OSU Department of Entomology who has lived in Corvallis since retiring from the University of California, Berkeley in 1995. Poinar is internationally known for his groundbreaking research in Paleoentomology. In the mid-1970s, Poinar and his wife, Roberta, created an entirely new field of study when they began actively collecting, analyzing and describing long-extinct insect and animal specimens that had been trapped for millennia in fossilized amber. Poinar's work inspired author Michael Crichton to write his best-selling novel, Jurassic Park, and indeed, many of Poinar's scientific discoveries - ranging from extinct flowers to giant fleas to a theory that parasites may have killed off the dinosaurs - have made headlines of their own. In his interview, Poinar discusses the path that he followed through academia, the many travels that he has taken in pursuit of scientific discovery, and the details of his pioneering work with ancient amber.

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Clara Pratt Oral History Interview - August 4, 2015

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.

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Ed Ray Oral History Interviews - June - August 2015

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.

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Pat Reser Oral History Interview - April 24, 2015

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.

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Beth Rietveld Oral History Interview - June 11, 2014

Beth Rietveld Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
June 11, 2014
Beth Rietveld (b. 1953) served as Director of the OSU Women's Center from 1992-2011 and was an influential agent of change within both the Women's Center and the larger campus community. A recipient of the National Women's Studies Association's Lifetime Achievement Award, Rietveld made important contributions to campus dialogues concerning inclusiveness for the LGBT community, salary equity for women faculty, and work-life balance issues. Prior to her tenure as head of the Women's Center, Rietveld was, variously, Assistant Director of Physical Recreation and Assistant Director of Student Involvement at OSU. Her interview focuses on the arc of her career, the development of her voice as a womens rights activist, and the changes in campus climate that she has observed over more than three decades of involvement with OSU.

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Les Risser Oral History Interview - March 24, 2014

Les Risser Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
March 24, 2014
Les Risser (b. 1949), a native of Cleveland, Ohio, met her husband Paul while both were employed by Miami University of Ohio. The couple married in November 1995 and moved to Corvallis shortly thereafter, when Paul assumed the President's office at Oregon State University. As university ambassador and First Lady, Les Risser engaged actively with numerous groups both on campus and off. In her interview, she discusses the six years that she spent in Corvallis and the activities that helped define her life while at OSU.

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Paul Risser Oral History Interviews - March 24 - 25, 2014

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.

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Bill Robbins Oral History Interview - June 27, 2017

Bill Robbins Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
June 27, 2017
Bill Robbins (b. 1935) is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History who was an active member of the OSU faculty from 1971 to 1999. Regarded today as a premiere historian of the American West, Robbins came from a humble background, working as a logger and elementary school teacher before completing his Ph.D. at the age of thirty-five. During his highly accomplished career at Oregon State, Robbins authored a two-volume history of Oregon as well as an acclaimed study of socioeconomic change on Oregon's central coast. His later works include a biography of Oregon politician Monroe Sweetland and a history of Oregon State University titled The People's School. Robbins' interview details his unusual path toward academia as well as his institutional memories from a long career as an OSU History professor.

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David Robinson Oral History Interview - September 30, 2015

David Robinson Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
September 30, 2015
David Robinson (b. 1947) was a member of the OSU English faculty from 1976 to his retirement in 2016, and held the Oregon Professorship in English - the OSU College of Liberal Arts' first endowed chair - from its inception in 1991. Recognized internationally as an authority on American Transcendentalist authors, Robinson has written numerous books on Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, among other nineteenth century American writers and philosophers. For fifteen years Robinson also directed the OSU Center for the Humanities, an institute dedicated to improving the vitality and quality of humanities teaching and research at Oregon State. His interview focuses on his personal scholarly evolution; his memories of significant change within the OSU English department; and his perspective on the broader advancement of the humanities over a forty year career at OSU.

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Hossein Rojhantalab Oral History Interview - June 2, 2014

Hossein Rojhantalab Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
June 2, 2014
Hossein Rojhantalab (b. 1944), a native of Iran, conducted doctoral studies at OSU in Physical Chemistry, completing his Ph.D in 1976. Rojhantalab then returned to Iran, working as a university professor and textbook publisher. In 1985, alarmed by the turmoil that had arisen in the wake of the Iranian Islamic Revolution, Rojhantalab came back to the United States, ultimately settling into a successful career at Intel, Inc. His interview discusses his background, the time that he spent in Corvallis, the circumstances that led to his final departure from Iran, and his life at Intel.

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Larry Roper Oral History Interview - November 7, 2014

Larry Roper Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
November 7, 2014
Larry Roper (b. 1953) served as Vice Provost for Student Affairs from 1995 to his retirement from upper administration in 2014. During his years as Vice Provost, Roper proved instrumental to a number of university initiatives, including the OSU "Campus Compact," the development of the first-year experience program, and a university-wide assessment effort. Roper, who is one of the first African American upper administrators in Oregon State history, has also been central to a variety of diversity actions both on campus and in the community. A faculty member in the OSU Ethnic Studies department, Roper now directs both the College Student Services Administration program as well as the undergraduate minor in Social Justice. His interview traces his progression as a leader within academia; documents his activities and contacts at Oregon State; and reflects on both the continuing issues and the gradual progress of diversity enhancement at OSU.

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Jim Rudd Oral History Interview - August 19, 2015

Jim Rudd Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
August 19, 2015
Jim Rudd (b. 1948) was an employee of the OSU Athletic Department from 1974-1982, focusing on sales and marketing, and serving as an important liaison between the department, the OSU Foundation, and the President's Office. Since departing from OSU, Rudd has worked in Portland at Ferguson Wellman Capital Management, where he is principal and CEO. Throughout this time, Rudd has maintained close ties to the OSU Foundation, serving as a trustee and, from 2006-2014, as co-chair of the steering committee for the Campaign for OSU. His interview focuses on his upbringing and the importance that athletics played in his youth; memories of his work and colleagues while a member of the Athletic Department; his many years of service to the OSU Foundation; and his memories of the OSU capital campaign as it played out.

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Darlene Russ-Eft Oral History Interview - June 23, 2016

Darlene Russ-Eft Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
June 23, 2016
Darlene Russ-Eft (b. 1947) is a faculty member in OSU's College of Education who arrived at the university in 2001 after spending seventeen years in the private sector. Known today as a founder of the field of Human Resources Development, Russ-Eft has written widely on program evaluation and the transfer of training. In 2008, Russ-Eft became chair of the Adult Education and Higher Education Leadership discipline within the College of Education and, for many years, she has been actively involved in OSU's highly regarded doctoral program in Community College Leadership. In her interview, Russ-Eft shares a series of recollections dating to her years in the private sector, and provides her institutional memories of the evolution and growth of the College of Education since the turn of the century.

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Patti Sakurai Oral History Interview - March 2, 2015

Patti Sakurai Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
March 2, 2015
Patti Sakurai (b. 1966) has been a faculty member in OSU's Ethnic Studies department since its founding in 1996. A scholar whose interests range from Japanese American citizenship to Korean television dramas, Sakurai has also created nineteen different courses in Ethnic Studies and Women's Studies during her tenure at Oregon State. Sakurai has likewise branched out into the world of multimedia, producing documentary shorts on a variety of subjects and serving as a charter member of the production collective behind APA Compass, an Asian and Pacific American public affairs show broadcast on KBOO community radio. Her interview focuses on her scholarly evolution from English to Ethnic Studies, the history and ambitions of OSU's Ethnic Studies department, and the issues faced by communities of color at OSU today.

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Taylor Sarman Oral History Interview - November 16, 2015

Taylor Sarman Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
November 16, 2015
Taylor Sarman (class of 2016) is a native of Union, Oregon, a small, rural community located in the northeastern corner of the state. Interested in politics from an early age, Sarman became active in student government as soon as he began high school, while also engaging with the Oregon chapter of Future Business Leaders of America as a state officer. In 2011, his senior year of high school, Sarman was elected as national president of FBLA. After enrolling at OSU in 2012, Sarman held a number of positions within the Associated Students of Oregon State University, culminating with his election as student body president at the end of his sophomore year. Sarman was also the first student to serve on OSU's newly created Board of Trustees. His interview traces his life-long involvement in politics and public service, with particular attention paid to his work with FBLA, his year as ASOSU President, and his experiences as a member of the Board of Trustees.

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Henry Sayre Oral History Interview - August 5, 2014

Henry Sayre Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
August 5, 2014
Henry Sayre (b. 1948) is a Distinguished Professor of Art History who has worked at OSU since 1981 and at the OSU-Cascades campus since its opening in 2001. Sayre is also an accomplished teacher and the author of a number of books, including a groundbreaking art appreciation textbook, A World of Art, now in its seventh edition, and the children's book From Cave Paintings to Picasso, winner of an Oregon Book Award. As chair of the curriculum committee and as academic provost, Sayre has also been instrumental in the on-going development of the Cascades campus in Bend, Oregon. His interview focuses on his experiences as a professor in the liberal arts at OSU, his leading role at OSU-Cascades, and his influential work as an art historian and art educator.

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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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John Selker Oral History Interview - August 25, 2015

John Selker Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
August 25, 2015
John Selker (b. 1960) is a Distinguished Professor of Biological and Ecological Engineering whose research has specialized in water resources engineering with a particular focus on developing low-cost technical solutions to agricultural and environmental challenges faced by the developing world. A veteran traveler who spent his initial years after college leading cook stove programs in Africa and Asia, Selker is also a driving force behind the Trans-African Hydro and Meteorological Observatory project, an initiative that is using a collection of small weather stations to provide more accurate meteorological information to the continent's agriculturalists. Selker's interview focuses on his formative experiences traveling and working in Africa; his institutional memories of agricultural engineering at OSU; and his continuing efforts to improve quality of life for some of the planet's most vulnerable populations.

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Lew Semprini Oral History Interview - February 22, 2017

Lew Semprini Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
February 22, 2017
Lew Semprini (b. 1952) is a Distinguished Professor of Environmental Engineering who has been a member of the Oregon State faculty since 1993. An expert on in situ bioremediation of contaminated environments, Semprini has uncovered a wide array of mechanisms for treating hazardous substances that have polluted industrial, military and residential locations alike. One project in particular, which used samples of Willamette River water collected in Corvallis, led to the discovery of microorganisms that could metabolize chlorinated solvents. In his interview, Semprini details the evolution of his career as a scientist and engineer, with particular attention paid to the development of the Environmental Engineering program at OSU.

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Jon Shepard Oral History Interview - January 23, 2015

Jon Shepard Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
January 23, 2015
Jon Shepard (b. 1941) graduated from OSU in 1963, earning a degree in Biology. Beginning in junior high school and running through his years at Oregon State and beyond, Shepard's chief professional and personal interest has been lepidoptery, the study butterflies and moths. Based primarily in British Columbia from the early 1970s to 2014, Shepard pursued a career as a lepidopterist by teaching at community colleges, filling in for colleagues who were away on sabbatical, and engaging in contract work, all the while pursuing his own research and collecting projects. His interview traces his years at OSU and documents a few highlights of his many years of devotion to a more detailed understanding of butterflies, moths, and other insects.

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Gilbert Shibley Oral History Interview - November 10, 2015

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.

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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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Loretta Smith Oral History Interview - January 21, 2015

Loretta Smith Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
January 21, 2015
Loretta Smith (b. 1966) graduated from OSU in 1987. A Broadcast Communications major, Smith was involved with KBVR television and radio during her student years, and also developed close ties to the university's Educational Opportunities Program. Following the completion of her degree, Smith spent twenty-one years working in the office of Oregon Congressman Ron Wyden, first as a receptionist and later as a community liasion and staff manager. In 2010 Smith successfully ran for election to the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, a position to which she was re-elected in 2014. In her interview, Smith discusses her college experience at OSU, her political education as a member of Wyden's staff, and her own career as a public servant.

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Clemens Starck Oral History Interview - July 30, 2015

Clemens Starck Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
July 30, 2015
Clemens Starck (b. 1937) is an accomplished poet whose first published collection, Journeyman's Wages, received the Oregon Book Award for Poetry in 1996. Starck published the book at the age of fifty-seven, after thirty-six years of writing in near anonymity. He was also working as a carpenter for the OSU Physical Plant at the time, a job that he held for eighteen years and from which he retired in 2005. Over the course of his life, Starck traveled broadly and was employed, variously, as a journalist, ranch hand, construction laborer, and merchant seaman. In addition to Journeyman's Wages, Starck has released three additional volumes of his verse and has recorded two CDs of his poetry set to music. His interview focuses on his broad experience in a variety of workplaces, his development as a writer, and his memories of OSU. At multiple points throughout the session, Starck also reads selections of his work, both published and unpublished.

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Eighty Years of Starker Forests, Inc. - August 29, 2016

Eighty Years of Starker Forests, Inc.

An interview with Gary Blanchard, Bond Starker and Anna (Starker) May, conducted by Mike Dicianna.
August 29, 2016
Founded in 1936 by OAC alum and professor T.J. Starker, the Corvallis-based timber management and harvest company Starker Forests, Inc. has been managed by four generations of Starkers, each of them educated in Forestry at Oregon State University. The model of a successful family business, Starker Forests, Inc. now manages over 85,000 acres of forestland and employees twenty people full-time. In this interview, company CEO Bond Starker, his daughter Anna (Starker) May, and long-time employee Gary Blanchard share their memories of the company and of OSU, while also detailing the field innovations and business acumen utilized by T.J. Starker and his son Bruce in building the company into a regional powerhouse.

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Jean Starker Roth Oral History Interviews - September - November 2007

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.

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Kevin Stoller Oral History Interview - September 28, 2015

Kevin Stoller Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
September 28, 2015
Kevin Stoller (b. 1976) earned two degrees from OSU, completing a double-major bachelor's degree in Mathematics and History in 1999, and a master's degree in the History of Science in 2002. Formerly the forum page editor for The Daily Barometer, Stoller was also a member of the first cohort of the University Honors College (UHC), which began enrolling students in 1995, Stoller's sophomore year. After a period of study at Harvard University, Stoller returned to Corvallis in 2009 where he is now Director of External Relations and Operations for the UHC. His interview focuses on OSU's campus culture during the mid- and late-1990s; the early years of the UHC; and the many ways in which the college and university have changed in recent decades.

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Pat Stone Oral History Interview - July 2, 2015

Pat Stone Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
July 2, 2015
Pat Stone (b. 1947) is an Oregon State alum who graduated with a degree in History in 1974. In the years that followed, Stone found success in the real estate title business, at one point rising to the rank of CEO at Fidelity National Information Services, and also founding two companies of his own - The Stone Group and Williston Financial Group. Stone has also been heavily involved with the activities of the OSU Foundation, spending more than a decade as a Foundation trustee or board member, and serving as a co-chair of the Campaign for OSU fundraising initiative that raised over $1.1 billion to support OSU's strategic goals. Stone's interview focuses on his early years and military service in Vietnam, his path through college and university studies, the progression of his career as a real estate executive, and the many contributions that he has made to OSU and the OSU Foundation.

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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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Warner Strausbaugh Oral History Interview - May 12, 2014

Warner Strausbaugh Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
May 12, 2014
Warner Strausbaugh (class of 2014) served as Editor-in-Chief of the OSU Daily Barometer student newspaper for the 2013-2014 academic year. A Political Science major, Strausbaugh spent four years on the Barometer staff and worked there in a number of capacities, including stints as a reporter for multiple OSU sports beats as well as Sports Editor, Managing Editor and, finally, Editor-in-Chief. His interview sheds light on the culture of the Barometer newsroom and the life of a student journalist. He also shares his opinions on student attitudes and OSU's campus culture as it stood in 2014.

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Steve Strauss Oral History Interview - March 7, 2017

Steve Strauss Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
March 7, 2017
Steve Strauss (b. 1955) is a Distinguished Professor of Forest Biotechnology who has been a member of the Forestry faculty at OSU since 1985. Over the course of his career, Strauss has conducted groundbreaking research on tree genetics, using poplars as his primary model organism. Much of this work has incorporated techniques of genetic engineering, an issue that has become increasingly contentious over the course of Strauss' years in academia. In his interview, Strauss traces the arc of his research and comments on the many ways in which changes in the conventional wisdom have compelled him to adapt or reorient his scholarly work. Strauss likewise provides valuable insight into the evolution of the College of Forestry during the years of his association.

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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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Mas Subramanian Oral History Interview - September 30, 2015

Mas Subramanian Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
September 30, 2015
Mas Subramanian (b. 1953) joined the OSU Chemistry faculty in 2006, following a prolific twenty-two year research career at DuPont, a time period during which he published more than 200 papers and secured some 50 patents. A leader in the field of solid state chemistry, and a heavily cited expert on a class of minerals called pyrochlores, Subramanian is perhaps best known for his laboratory's discovery of a new form of blue pigment. First synthesized accidentally in 2009, this new type of colorant possesses highly advantageous environmental properties and can also be structurally manipulated to create nearly every color in the spectrum. Subramanian's interview traces his upbringing and education in India; his work habits and hugely productive tenure at DuPont; his institutional memories of Chemistry at OSU; the import of his serendipitous pigment discovery and his thoughts on the role that chance has often played in the history of scientific advancement.

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Bill Sundermeier Oral History Interview - December 12, 2014

Bill Sundermeier Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
December 12, 2014
Bill Sundermeier (b. 1963) is a 1985 graduate of OSU's Computer Science program. While at Oregon State, Sundermeier worked as a consultant for Tektronix, writing programs on a large Tektronix 4051 personal computer while in his dorm room at Weatherford Hall. Following graduation, Sundermeier spent eight years as a product marketing manager at Northwest Instrument Systems, and another twenty years with an infrared camera technology company, FLIR Systems. At FLIR, Sundermeier rose to the position of Senior Vice President and General Manager for Portland Operations. In 2004, Sundermeier was inducted into the OSU College of Engineering's Academy of Distinguished Engineers. His interview concentrates primarily on his memories of living in Weatherford Hall in the years prior to its decade-long closure in 1994. Sundermeier's undergraduate experience in Computer Science and his professional activities in the technology sector are also included as secondary topics.

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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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Lisa Templeton Oral History Interview - August 6, 2015

Lisa Templeton Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
August 6, 2015
Lisa Templeton (b. 1967) has been instrumental to online learning at OSU since its first programmatic inception in 2002, and has served as director of the university's Extended Campus since 2008. Under Templeton's leadership, OSU Ecampus has emerged as a national leader in online education to the point where, in 2015, it was ranked fifth out of three-hundred online bachelor's degree programs, delivering nineteen undergraduate majors and twenty-two graduate programs to over 4,500 students. Templeton's interview focuses on the institutional history of distance education at OSU during the internet age, the inner-workings of OSU Ecampus today, and the environment navigated by faculty who are teaching and students who are learning online.

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Maret Traber Oral History Interview - June 23, 2014

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.

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Cliff Trow Oral History Interview - December 13, 2013

Cliff Trow Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
December 13, 2013
Cliff Trow (b. 1929), a native of Kansas, spent thirty-one years on the OSU History faculty, receiving the Organization of American Historians' Binkley-Stephenson Award in 1972. In addition to his academic career, Trow - who has been involved in Democratic Party politics since the late 1950s - was elected to the state Senate in 1974 and represented District 18 until his retirement from office in 2003. A champion of education in Oregon, Trow served on a number of committees, including periods chairing the Senate Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Education Committee. He was also elected President Pro Tempore of the Senate for 1981-1983. His interview focuses on his career at OSU and in politics, and his long and fruitful marriage to Jo Anne Trow, herself a former member of the OSU President's cabinet and a respected public figure.

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Jo Anne Trow Oral History Interview - December 13, 2013

Jo Anne Trow Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
December 13, 2013
Jo Anne Trow (b. 1931) enjoyed a long and notable career at OSU, where she held numerous positions in teaching and administration; among them, Trow was the university's last Dean of Women and its first female Vice President. Over the course of her career, Trow spearheaded work to address numerous issues of inequality faced by female faculty, such as salary parity. These discussions and activities eventually led to the formation of a new infrastructure to support women on campus, including the OSU Women's Network and the Women's Center. With her husband Cliff Trow, an emeritus professor of History and retired state Senator, Jo Anne has also been very active in the Corvallis community. Her interview focuses on her upbringing and education, her career at OSU, the advancement of equality initiatives on campus, and her volunteer work in retirement.

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Paul Turner Oral History Interview - June 24, 2015

Paul Turner Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
June 24, 2015
Paul Turner (b. 1961) is a former OSU student in English who has founded and operated two independent cinemas in downtown Corvallis - The Avalon and The Darkside. A student journalist while at Oregon State, Turner has spent the majority of his working life managing and operating movie theaters, beginning with his first job as an assistant at the Woodburn Drive-In (where he lived in an apartment located under the screen) and including a decade running the Kuhn Cinema in Lebanon, Oregon. In a decidedly colorful interview, Turner discusses his life-long affection for movies, his associations with OSU, the births and evolutions of The Avalon and The Darkside, and the many memorable moments that have arisen over the course of a career spent working in independent theaters.

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Paul Valenti Oral History Interview - February 24, 2014

Paul Valenti Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen and Dominic Cusimano.
February 24, 2014
Paul Valenti (1920-2014) was integrally connected to Oregon State University for more that seventy years, beginning with his arrival on the Oregon State College campus as a student athlete in 1938. A member of the Beaver basketball squad during his undergraduate years, Valenti later served as freshman baseball coach, freshman basketball coach, head basketball coach and head tennis coach, spanning a time period from 1946-1970. He continued on as Assistant Athletic Director until retiring in 1982, and remained an enthusiastic ambassador for OSU until his death in 2014. His interview covers his upbringing in California, his school and coaching experiences at OSU, and his recollections of many people that he met along the way.

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Jack Van Loan Oral History Interview - November 7, 2014

Jack Van Loan Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
November 7, 2014
Jack Van Loan (b. 1931) is a career military officer who graduated from Oregon State College in 1954 and was promptly commissioned into the United States Air Force. A fighter pilot, Van Loan flew both Super Sabre and F-4 Phantom aircraft during the early years of his career. Van Loan's life changed dramatically in May 1967, when his jet was shot down over North Vietnam. Van Loan was promptly captured and spent the next 2,116 days - nearly six years - as a prisoner of war. He was released in March 1973 as part of Operation Homecoming and, after a period of recovery, resumed his military career until retiring in 1984 with the rank of Colonel. His interview touches upon his undergraduate years at OSC, but primarily focuses on his experience of being imprisoned in the "Hanoi Hilton."

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Tony Van Vliet Oral History Interview - November 14, 2013

Tony Van Vliet Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
November 14, 2013
Tony Van Vliet (b. 1930) is both an alum and an emeritus member of the OSU faculty. Van Vliet studied Forestry at Oregon State College, graduating with a B.S. in 1952 and attaining a master's degree in Forest Products in 1958. He began his teaching career in 1955, a tenure that lasted until 1990 and included thirty-five years on faculty in the College of Forestry. From 1971-1978, Van Vliet was also involved with the university's Career Planning and Placement Center, serving as Director from 1978 until his retirement from OSU. Van Vliet likewise built a second career as a legislator in the Oregon House of Representatives. A moderate Republican, Van Vliet served in Salem from 1974-1995, during which time he focused on support for education and revision of the state's tax system. His interview focuses on his background and early years, his experiences as an OSC student, his memories of working in the legislature, and his successful advocacy of the Corvallis Riverfront project.

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Nicthé Verdugo Oral History Interview - February 13, 2015

Nicthé Verdugo Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
February 13, 2015
Nicthé Verdugo (class of 2015) was heavily involved with a variety of student activist groups during her undergraduate years at OSU. An Ethnic Studies major who also minored in Women's Studies, Verdugo spent two years on staff at the OSU Women's Center and was also an active member of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA) and the Alta Gracia workers rights campaign, as organized by United Students Against Sweatshops, a group that she helped to found. In her interview Verdugo discusses the development of her own sense of identity, her activism in support of fair labor practices, the culture of the Women's Center, and evolving conceptions of feminism among young people today.

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Marianne Vydra Oral History Interview - May 27, 2015

Marianne Vydra Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
May 27, 2015
Marianne Vydra (b. 1963) is the highest-ranking female administrator in the OSU Athletic Department. A member of the Athletic Department staff since 1992, Vydra initially came to Corvallis to work as an academic counselor. In 1996 she was promoted to Associate Athletic Director for Academic and Student Services, and in 1998 she became the Athletic Department's Senior Women's Administrator. In this capacity, Vydra has been central to a number of initiatives, playing a key role in the forward advancement of women's sports at the university and helping to found the popular Beavers Without Borders international service program. In her interview, Vydra discusses her path through athletics administration, the great strides made by the Athletic Department during her years at OSU, and the legacy of Title IX in propelling women's intercollegiate athletics programs across the country.

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Dick Waring Oral History Interview - December 18, 2015

Dick Waring Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
December 18, 2015
Dick Waring (b. 1935) is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Forest Science who was an active member of the OSU Forestry faculty from 1963 to his retirement in 2001. Waring's career at OSU was characterized by influential research on a number of topics in forest science, from building models of the flow of carbon and water through forest systems, to investigations of trees' defenses against bark beetles and spruce budworm. In the 1980s, he developed a relationship with NASA that led to multiple projects utilizing remote sensing technology to better understand forest systems. More recently, he has turned his attention to climate change and the future of the world's forests, co-authoring a 2014 book on the subject titled Forests in Our Changing World. Waring's interview details his wide range of research interests over the decades, and includes commentary on the evolution of the OSU College of Forestry as well.

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Warren Washington Oral History Interview - May 29, 2015

Warren Washington Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
May 29, 2015
Warren Washington (b. 1936) earned two degrees from Oregon State College, completing a B.S. in Physics in 1958 and, two years later, a M.S. in General Science with a concentration on meteorology. Washington subsequently went on to a career at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) that has spanned more than five decades, a time period during which he has established himself as a leading thinker on climate modeling. An adviser to five different presidential administrations, Washington received the 2010 National Medal of Science for his achievements as a scientist and administrator. Washington and his colleagues at NCAR also made fundamental contributions to the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a body that was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for its efforts to create an "ever-broader informed consensus about the connection between human activities and global warming." Washington's interview focuses on his experience as an African American youth growing up in Oregon; the progression of his research in the atmospheric sciences; his experiences operating in Washington, D.C.; and his thoughts on the issue of climate change.

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Ed Waymire Oral History Interview - July 29, 2015

Ed Waymire Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
July 29, 2015
Ed Waymire (b. 1949) is an Emeritus member of the OSU Mathematics faculty who first arrived at Oregon State in 1982. A scholar of stochastics and probability theory, Waymire has spent more than three decades studying the mathematics associated with random phenomena such as rain, turbulent flows, branching networks, solute dispersion and other processes from hydrology. The editor of several professional journals over the course of his career, Waymire has received both the Carver Medal from the Institute of Mathematical Studies and the F.A. Gilfillan Award from OSU for his achievements as a mathematician. His interview provides an overview of his upbringing and the importance of family in shaping his life; the ways in which mathematics have come to influence his perception of the world around him; and his institutional memories of OSU's Mathematics department over an affiliation that has spanned more than thirty years.

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Janet Webster Oral History Interview - November 14, 2014

Janet Webster Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
November 14, 2014
Janet Webster (b. 1953) served as the head of the Guin Library at Hatfield Marine Science Center from 1989 to her retirement in 2015. Active in regional and international professional organizations alike, Webster received numerous awards over the course of her career including, in 2003, Librarian of the Year from the Oregon Library Association. While at Guin, Webster oversaw library activities during a period of major technological change, and was instrumental in building an infrastructure suitable for serving Guin's very diverse user base on the Oregon coast. For several years, Webster also administered the work of OSU's other branch libraries, including the OSU-Cascades library in Bend. Her interview focuses on her upbringing, educational experiences and ultimate decision to pursue a career in libraries; her work and contacts at HMSC; and the changes that she has witnessed in coastal community life and within the library profession.

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Dick Weinman Oral History Interviews - October 2014 - January 2015

Dick Weinman Oral History Interviews

Two life history interviews conducted by Janice Dilg.
October 2014 - January 2015
Dick Weinman (b. 1933) was a Speech professor at Oregon State from 1967 to his retirement in 1998, and also the on-air voice of Oregon Public Broadcasting's Morning Edition for nearly twenty-five years. During his career at OSU, Weinman played a fundamental role in the creation and growth of KBVR-TV as well as the Broadcast Media Communications program, which he led until its dissolution in 1992. An influential and innovative teacher, Weinman also spearheaded a number of workshops and campus events meant to improve the quality of education for the university's aspiring broadcasters. Among many topics discussed over two interviews, Weinman reflects on his life in broadcasting; his involvement with a wide array of documentary films and campus events; the evolution of KBVR-TV; and the creation of the New Media Studies program.

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Jim Welty Oral History Interview - April 21, 2015

Jim Welty Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
April 21, 2015
Jim Welty (b. 1933) earned three degrees from Oregon State, completing bachelor's (1954) and master's (1959) studies in Mechanical Engineering, as well as a doctorate in Chemical Engineering, which he finished in 1962. His Ph.D. in hand, Welty was promptly hired to the Oregon State Mechanical Engineering faculty, where he remained until retiring in 1996. During this time, Welty served as department chair for fifteen years, from 1970 to 1985. A respected scholar of fluid dynamics and heat transfer, Welty, along with two OSU colleagues, co-authored a hugely successful textbook that was first published in 1969 and is still used in classrooms today. His interview provides an overview of a personal association with Oregon State's College of Engineering that has few parallels, one that spans parts of seven decades.

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Roger Werth Oral History Interview - June 16, 2014

Roger Werth Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.
June 16, 2014
Roger Werth (b. 1957) attended Oregon State University from 1975-1980, graduating with a degree in Liberal Studies with emphases on journalism and photography. In May 1980, early in his career as a photojournalist, Werth captured several iconic images of the catastrophic eruption of Mount St. Helens. In 1981 the staff of Werth's newspaper, the Longview (Washington) Daily News, received the Pulitzer Prize for Local, General or Spot News Reporting, a major recognition of the paper's coverage of the Mt. St. Helens story. Special commendation was given by the Pulitzer committee to Werth for his photographs. Werth's interview focuses upon his undergraduate years at OSU, his memories of the Mt. St. Helens eruption, and his broader experiences in photojournalism.

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Charlie White Oral History Interview - May 18, 2011

Charlie White Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Dwaine Plaza and Natalia Fernández.
May 18, 2011
Charlie White (b. 1938) was the first African American recruited to play basketball on scholarship at OSU, and only the second African American student-athlete in the history of the program. White transferred to OSU after a three-year stint in the military and two years at a California junior college. A dynamic guard/forward on the court, White captained the Beavers during his senior year, leading to the 1965-66 team to the Pacific-8 Conference championship and a first-round win over the University of Houston in the NCAA tournament. A member of the Oregon State Sports Hall of Fame, White was inducted into the Pac-10 Basketball Hall of Honor in 2011. His interview focuses primarily on his memories of campus and community life as a trailblazing African American student-athlete in the mid-1960s.

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Tony Wilcox Oral History Interview - June 23, 2015

Tony Wilcox Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
June 23, 2015
Tony Wilcox (b. 1951) was a member of the faculty of the College of Public Health and Human Sciences from his arrival at OSU in 1987 to his retirement in 2015. Primarily interested in exercise physiology as a researcher, Wilcox also served as chair of the Department of Exercise and Sports Science from 1994 to 2011, and as co-director of the School of Biological and Population Health Sciences from 2011 to 2015. Wilcox likewise spent more than a dozen years as an OSU Faculty Senator and was President of the Faculty Senate in 1997. His interview focuses on his work as a researcher and administrator in exercise science, his life-long passion for running, and his many contributions to the Faculty Senate and to a wide swath of university committees.

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A Remembrance of William Appleman Williams - March 27, 2012

A Remembrance of William Appleman Williams

An interview with Bill Robbins conducted by Chris Petersen.
March 27, 2012
William Appleman Williams (1921-1990), an influential American historian and writer, was a member of the History faculty at Oregon State University from 1968-1986. He is regarded to be a founder of the "revisionist school" of American diplomatic history. A prolific author, Williams' The Contours of American History (1961), was named by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best non-fiction books written in English in the twentieth century. Bill Robbins, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History, was a member of the OSU History faculty from 1971 to his retirement in 1999. Williams and Robbins were close friends and valued colleagues, and in this interview Robbins shares his recollections of Williams' work, personality and impact.

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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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Dawn Wright Oral History Interview - June 10, 2016

Dawn Wright Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
June 10, 2016
Dawn Wright (b. 1961) was an active member of the Geosciences faculty at OSU from 1995 to 2011. Now a Courtesy Professor at Oregon State, Wright is the Chief Scientist at Esri, a Geographic Information Systems software firm with headquarters in southern California. Nicknamed "Deep Sea Dawn," Wright is internationally recognized for her use of GIS technologies to map both the geology and the geography of the ocean floor. A veteran of dozens of ocean cruises, Wright has also participated in multiple ALVIN submersible dives to explore the depths of the ocean. She is the recipient of numerous awards including, in 2007, the Carnegie Foundation's U.S. Professor of the Year Award for the state of Oregon. Her interview details the roots of her love for the ocean and for science; her progression through academia; and her memories of an accomplished career at OSU.

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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 Yamada Oral History Interview - August 17, 2015

Russ Yamada Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
August 17, 2015
Russ Yamada (b. 1946), a second generation Japanese American whose mother was interned during World War II, attended OSU from 1964-1968, earning a degree in General Science with a focus on pre-dentistry. Following further schooling, Yamada returned to Corvallis and established the city's first endodontic practice, which he ran for twenty-seven years. He retired from the dental profession in 2014 having spent more than forty years in the field. His interview focuses on his family background, including his mother's experience of internment and his father's military service during World War II; his own memories of a relatively placid OSU campus amidst the tumult of the late 1960s; and his reflections on his years as a local dental practitioner.

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Mary Yates Oral History Interview - May 15, 2014

Mary Yates Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
May 15, 2014
Mary (Carlin) Yates (b. 1946), a Portland native, attended Oregon State University from 1964-1968, majoring in English. In 1980, following a brief teaching career and graduate work in Asian Studies, Yates entered the diplomatic corps, beginning with an assignment in South Korea as Public Affairs Officer. Over the course of a career in public service that ultimately spanned more than thirty years, Yates served as U.S. ambassador to Ghana and Burundi, as well as National Security Advisor on African issues to the Obama White House. She likewise occupied posts in the Philippines, France, Zaire and Sudan. Her interview focuses on her memories of Oregon State, her diplomatic training, the numerous positions that she occupied within the Foreign Service, and the details of daily life while living abroad.

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Tom Yates Oral History Interview - February 10, 2016

Tom Yates Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
February 10, 2016
Tom Yates (b. 1927) was among the very first individuals to be hired as a computer programmer by the state of Oregon. Trained in mathematics and intending to become a teacher, Yates instead discovered a love of computers in the mid-1950s. In 1957, the state hired Yates to fill the newly created position of Electronic Data Processing programmer, and over the course of the next five years he wrote programs that supported the functions of multiple governmental departments. In 1962, Yates accepted a position as director of the Statistics department computer lab at Oregon State University, and he later proved crucial to expansion of computing functions on campus, including the automation of OSU's class registration process. In 1976, he was named Director of the OSU Computer Center, a position that he held until his retirement from Oregon State in 1985. His interview traces his long and pioneering career in computer programming, and provides institutional memories of the advancement of OSU's computing infrastructure in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

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Harry Yeh Oral History Interview - September 22, 2014

Harry Yeh Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
September 22, 2014
Harry Yeh (b. 1950) is a professor of Civil Engineering at OSU and an international authority on tsunamis. Since 1992, Yeh has traveled around the world to conduct field surveys of areas impacted by massive tsunami waves. In 2011 and 2012, Yeh made two extended trips to his native Japan to conduct research on the effects of the devastating Tohoku tsunami, trips which included visits to the restricted zone surrounding the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. His interview focuses on his education in multiple disciplines including hydrodynamics, his field work analyzing tsunamis in Asia, South America and elsewhere, and the wave modeling research that he conducts at OSU's O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory.

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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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