Stanley Bishoprick Oral History Interview

Stanley Bishoprick Jr. embodied the spirit of accomplishment and hard work. At the age of thirteen he began working in sawmills which would later inspire him to major in forestry at Oregon State University. While searching for employment during the Great Depression, Bishoprick managed to land a position with Dant and Russell that would take him overseas to China. Bishoprick returned to the States in 1941, eventually settling in Vancouver, Washington. His interview begins with background on himself and his family. Here he shares what life was like during his childhood in Alaska. As a teenager, he and his family moved to Oregon where Bishoprick would complete his high school education while working nights in the mill.

Bishoprick’s educational journey took a bit longer than the traditional student did to complete. When prompted, Bishoprick reminisced about T.J. Starker, one of the College of Forestry professors. Starker’s advice to his students was to buy land and Bishoprick did just that. Ever the entrepreneur, Bishoprick managed to earn a living on his own terms. As mentioned above, Bishoprick spent time in China due to his employment and shared many accounts of his time there.