Theme: Theater Arts
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.