Theme: Women - Advancement of
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.