Dublin Core
Title
Boyd and Wilma Eagleson Oral History Interview
Description
In this interview, Boyd and Wilma Eagleson discuss their respective family backgrounds and their childhoods. Boyd provides an account of what it was like to grow up on a farm in the early twentieth century, and discusses the fact that his family lacked access to many forms of modern technology, including electricity and other amenities. Wilma describes her childhood as well, noting that she was raised in a more urban environment. They then talk about their life shortly after their marriage and their experiences running a farm together. (They were married in Tennessee, which is also where they had their first child, before they moved to Oregon and bought their own farm.) The Eaglesons then talk about their children, describing both their adolescence and their adult lives.
From there, the conversation returns to Boyd and Wilma’s early adulthoods, during which Boyd recounts his memories of World War II. Boyd notes that he began working in the logging industry after returning to the U.S. after the war, and that he remained in that career because he enjoyed it. The interview concludes with a brief discussion of the couple’s life in retirement and Boyd’s experiences as a baseball coach.
Boyd Eagleson was born in 1922 in Eddyville, Oregon. He had four siblings, including three brothers and one sister. He was raised on an Oregon homestead where he helped with chores while attending school. After graduating from Eddyville High School he joined the Navy, fighting on the Pacific front during World War II. He then married Wilma Davis. After the conclusion of his military career, Eagleson made a career in the logging industry. During these years he drove a lock truck and felled timber for Rex Clemens, Willamette Industries and DTL Logging Inc., and also operated his own logging business. He passed way in 2018.
Wilma (Davis) Eagleson was born in 1923 in El Dorado, Arkansas, before she and her family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where she was raised. She married Boyd Eagleson in 1945, and moved to Oregon with him. She and her husband raised three children together. She died in 2022.
From there, the conversation returns to Boyd and Wilma’s early adulthoods, during which Boyd recounts his memories of World War II. Boyd notes that he began working in the logging industry after returning to the U.S. after the war, and that he remained in that career because he enjoyed it. The interview concludes with a brief discussion of the couple’s life in retirement and Boyd’s experiences as a baseball coach.
Boyd Eagleson was born in 1922 in Eddyville, Oregon. He had four siblings, including three brothers and one sister. He was raised on an Oregon homestead where he helped with chores while attending school. After graduating from Eddyville High School he joined the Navy, fighting on the Pacific front during World War II. He then married Wilma Davis. After the conclusion of his military career, Eagleson made a career in the logging industry. During these years he drove a lock truck and felled timber for Rex Clemens, Willamette Industries and DTL Logging Inc., and also operated his own logging business. He passed way in 2018.
Wilma (Davis) Eagleson was born in 1923 in El Dorado, Arkansas, before she and her family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where she was raised. She married Boyd Eagleson in 1945, and moved to Oregon with him. She and her husband raised three children together. She died in 2022.
Creator
Boyd and Wilma Eagleson
Source
Starker Forests Community Oral History Collection (OH 38)
Publisher
Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Oregon State University Libraries
Date
February 6, 2008
Contributor
Gary Blanchard
Format
Born Digital Video
Language
English
Type
Oral History
Identifier
oh38-eagleson-boyd-and-wilma-20080206
Oral History Item Type Metadata
Interviewer
Gary Blanchard
Interviewee
Boyd and Wilma Eagleson
Location
Eagleson residence, Eddyville, Oregon
Original Format
Born Digital Video
Duration
1:04:30
OHMS Object
Interview Format
video