Dale Weber Oral History Interview

Interviewee: Dale Weber
Interviewer: Chris Petersen
Interview Date: August 23, 2019
Location: The Valley Library, Oregon State University
Duration: 1:49:43
 

In this interview, emeritus professor of Animal Sciences Dale Weber begins by describing his childhood on his father’s farm in Janesville, Illinois. He recalls his early experiences at school–a one room schoolhouse where he was the only person in his grade. Weber emphasizes his involvement in agriculture from an early age, doing chores on the farm and showing steers with 4-H.

Next, he describes his activities in high school, including being president of the student body as well as the local Future Farmers of America chapter. He explains how he started attending Iowa State University, majoring in Farm Operations. Weber mentions the difficulties he faced as he worked on his family farm and attended school, causing him to only take classes during winter term for his first two years because of the growing season. He also highlights his involvement in cheer and Greek life on campus.

Then Weber moves on to describe his post-graduation decision to go back and work on the family farm. He recalls his early experience teaching agriculture at his high school and other local schools, leading him to obtain a teaching certificate and a one-year job at a high school in Iowa where he met his future wife. From there, Weber describes his job as an agricultural representative at a local bank, and his decision to go back to school at Iowa State to pursue a Master’s and Ph.D in agriculture. He reflects on his transition back to academia after 15 years away, discussing the courses he took, his introduction to teaching undergraduates, and his first experience of academic research.

Weber then describes his first academic position at University of Wisconsin, River Falls. He moves on to describe how he was hired at Oregon State University, and his initial impressions of Corvallis. Weber recalls the research he conducted on beef cattle at OSU, influential members of the Department of Animal Sciences, and the relationships he fostered with students through the years. Weber concludes the interview by describing his activities after he retired from OSU, discussing his reputation at Dixon Recreation Center, and sharing his thoughts on the future of OSU.

Dale Weber (b. 1929) was an OSU faculty member in Animal Sciences from 1976 to his retirement in 1999. While at OSU, he conducted research on intake variability in beef cattle, supervised numerous graduate students, and also served as head advisor for Animal Sciences from 1980 to 1996. In retirement, Weber continued to serve the university by teaching Odyssey and U-Engage courses for another ten years.

Dublin Core

Title

Dale Weber Oral History Interview

Description

In this interview, emeritus professor of Animal Sciences Dale Weber begins by describing his childhood on his father’s farm in Janesville, Illinois. He recalls his early experiences at school–a one room schoolhouse where he was the only person in his grade. Weber emphasizes his involvement in agriculture from an early age, doing chores on the farm and showing steers with 4-H.

Next, he describes his activities in high school, including being president of the student body as well as the local Future Farmers of America chapter. He explains how he started attending Iowa State University, majoring in Farm Operations. Weber mentions the difficulties he faced as he worked on his family farm and attended school, causing him to only take classes during winter term for his first two years because of the growing season. He also highlights his involvement in cheer and Greek life on campus.

Then Weber moves on to describe his post-graduation decision to go back and work on the family farm. He recalls his early experience teaching agriculture at his high school and other local schools, leading him to obtain a teaching certificate and a one-year job at a high school in Iowa where he met his future wife. From there, Weber describes his job as an agricultural representative at a local bank, and his decision to go back to school at Iowa State to pursue a Master’s and Ph.D in agriculture. He reflects on his transition back to academia after 15 years away, discussing the courses he took, his introduction to teaching undergraduates, and his first experience of academic research.

Weber then describes his first academic position at University of Wisconsin, River Falls. He moves on to describe how he was hired at Oregon State University, and his initial impressions of Corvallis. Weber recalls the research he conducted on beef cattle at OSU, influential members of the Department of Animal Sciences, and the relationships he fostered with students through the years. Weber concludes the interview by describing his activities after he retired from OSU, discussing his reputation at Dixon Recreation Center, and sharing his thoughts on the future of OSU.

Dale Weber (b. 1929) was an OSU faculty member in Animal Sciences from 1976 to his retirement in 1999. While at OSU, he conducted research on intake variability in beef cattle, supervised numerous graduate students, and also served as head advisor for Animal Sciences from 1980 to 1996. In retirement, Weber continued to serve the university by teaching Odyssey and U-Engage courses for another ten years.

Creator

Dale Weber

Source

History of Science Oral History Collection (OH 17)

Publisher

Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Oregon State University Libraries

Date

August 23, 2019

Contributor

Chris Petersen

Format

Born Digital Video

Language

English

Type

Oral History

Identifier

oh17-weber-dale-20190823

Oral History Item Type Metadata

Interviewer

Chris Petersen

Interviewee

Dale Weber

Location

The Valley Library, Oregon State University

Original Format

Born Digital Video

Duration

1:49:43

OHMS Object

Interview Format

video