Theme: History
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.