Beth Fisher Oral History Interview

In this interview, Beth Fischer describes her childhood in Beaverton, Oregon and the impact that being the youngest of five children (by at least seven years) had on her college experience. She also reflects on her memories of growing up on what she terms a “pseudofarm” with pigs, chickens and bunnies in her backyard, and cows next door. Her family moved away from this house when she was in middle school and
Fischer mentions that she could never drink cow’s milk again as nothing could compare to the milk from her neighbor’s cows.

Following her graduation from Sunset High School, Fischer enrolled at Oregon State University along with some friends from high school. She discusses the difficulties that accompanied her new independence at college, but also mentions her gratitude for the support system that carried over from her high school community to the Oregon State campus. From there, she discusses the highlights of her college career, notably including her participation in Kappa Delta sorority as one of the first members to join during its return and recolonization at OSU.

Both of Fischer’s daughters attended Oregon State University and joined the same sorority as their mom. Fischer discusses her efforts to remove herself from their recruitment process and allow them to discover the chapter that fit them best, but also explains how their daughters’ experiences impacted one another’s decision to join Kappa Delta. Fischer laughs about the differences between the house today and the house from her time, and explains the different kinds of jobs members held including wake-up duty and door duty. The interview concludes with a description of Fischer’s role in creating Mock Rock, an event that has grown to be the largest Greek philanthropic event on campus.