Interviewer: Michael Overholser and Hao Zhang
Interview Date: February 12, 2013
Location: Corvallis, Oregon
Duration: 1:58:20
The interview opens with a discussion of Vars’ childhood, which he briefly describes before moving on to talk about his experiences as an undergraduate university student. Vars was given a full ride to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute but flunked out during his second year. Within a few months, he transferred to the University of Denver where he was able to complete his degree in Economics. He explains how this shaped his own interactions with first and second-year students as a professor throughout his career. He then talks about the differences he sees between the experiences of youth today and his own generation in terms of the educational options available to them at the university level and how ideas of public service and expectations for contributing to one’s community have shifted over time.
From there, Vars talks about his parents and his family life during his childhood, noting that both his mother and father were intelligent and well-respected members of the community who instilled in him an emphasis on serving the community and treating the community and all its members with respect. Vars’ education in economics also helped him to understand his parents’ lives - his father was a successful businessman and Vars recognized in his economics studies the principles which guided his father’s success. He then talks about his own children’s educations and successes.
Next, Vars recounts his time serving as the mayor of Corvallis and how he managed to balance that responsibility with his commitments as an OSU faculty member. He also talks about some of his research projects and aspects of OSU’s academic culture that he appreciated. He then shares his opinions of how OSU president Ed Ray has run the university since Vars was mayor, and the importance of cooperation between the city and the university. He also describes his retirement. Vars concludes by noting that he has stayed up-to-date with developments in economics, but has also enjoyed travelling around the world with his wife.
Dr. Charles Vars was born and raised in Westerly, Rhode Island. He was very active in extracurricular activities and organizations throughout his school years and was accepted into every university he applied to. He spent two years at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he had been awarded a full-ride scholarship, but he flunked out in his second year and finished his undergraduate work at the University of Denver, from where he graduated with a degree in economics. He completed his PhD at UC-Berkeley, conducting a cost-benefit analysis of the San Francisco freeway system. Vars served as the mayor of Corvallis while simultaneously holding a professorship at Oregon State University. He and his wife have three sons who all went to Ivy League universities and found success in their careers.
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From there, Vars talks about his parents and his family life during his childhood, noting that both his mother and father were intelligent and well-respected members of the community who instilled in him an emphasis on serving the community and treating the community and all its members with respect. Vars’ education in economics also helped him to understand his parents’ lives - his father was a successful businessman and Vars recognized in his economics studies the principles which guided his father’s success. He then talks about his own children’s educations and successes.
Next, Vars recounts his time serving as the mayor of Corvallis and how he managed to balance that responsibility with his commitments as an OSU faculty member. He also talks about some of his research projects and aspects of OSU’s academic culture that he appreciated. He then shares his opinions of how OSU president Ed Ray has run the university since Vars was mayor, and the importance of cooperation between the city and the university. He also describes his retirement. Vars concludes by noting that he has stayed up-to-date with developments in economics, but has also enjoyed travelling around the world with his wife.
Dr. Charles Vars was born and raised in Westerly, Rhode Island. He was very active in extracurricular activities and organizations throughout his school years and was accepted into every university he applied to. He spent two years at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he had been awarded a full-ride scholarship, but he flunked out in his second year and finished his undergraduate work at the University of Denver, from where he graduated with a degree in economics. He completed his PhD at UC-Berkeley, conducting a cost-benefit analysis of the San Francisco freeway system. Vars served as the mayor of Corvallis while simultaneously holding a professorship at Oregon State University. He and his wife have three sons who all went to Ivy League universities and found success in their careers.