Vicki Russell Oral History Interview, February 19, 2023

Partial Transcript: Tell me about your early life, such as where you grew up and what activities you were involved in.

Segment Synopsis: Vicki was an active student in her high school. She participated in National Honors Society, and in activities in school such as school government. She also particpated in many intramural sports because there were no girls sports back then. She graduated from Sunset High School in 1970, and then attended Oregon State in the year 1970-1971. She has one older sister.

Partial Transcript: Did you enter OSU right out of high school?
Why did you choose OSU?

Segment Synopsis: She entered OSU as a business administration major right out of high school. She chose OSU because it was close to home and it felt like a good fit for her and her family. She toured many other schools, including a school on the East Coast but felt like she wanted to be close to family.

Partial Transcript: Did you always know you wanted to major in business administration?

Segment Synopsis: Vicki always knew she wanted to major in business administration. Her father worked in corporate management and she spent a lot of time with him and helping him. She really enjoyed the business aspect.

Partial Transcript: What are some key memories you have from college?

Segment Synopsis: She really loved the campus and how beautiful it was, however the rain took some adjusting and getting used to. She enjoyed going to athletic events and meeting different groups of people. She remembers there being a lot of disciplines and rules that she had to follow, such as curfews for the dorms. She pledged the sorority Alpha Chi. She remembers having big classes where attendence was mandatory as a part of your grade.

Partial Transcript: Was sorority life big back then?

Segment Synopsis: Sorority life was very big back then, it was the huge social scene for many groups. It gave peple a lot of independence and created a lot of dances and opportunities for people. All of the sororities had good relationships with each other. She never lived in the house, but she still has a close relationship with some of the girls.

Partial Transcript: Do you remember any of the classes that you took?

Segment Synopsis: She mainly remembers her Western civilizations class because there were over 300 people in that class all packed into one auditorium. She also remembers enjoying the basic introduction classes.

Segment Synopsis: She cannot remember which dorm she was in specifically, but she recalls that the dorms were segregated male and female. She enjoyed the dorms, and got to know everyone on her floor really well because they were sharing facilities. They would hang out in the lounge area all together. She knew her roommate from high school and she got to pick her. She had shared a room with her sister so it wasn't a big change to her. She remembers there being strict curfews that they had to follow, where you had to be in your dorm by 9:00 or 9:30 every night. If you were not, you got locked out and the RA had to let you in. She was only late one minute past one time.

Segment Synopsis: She said that there was kind of an unspoken dress code in college. At her high school, the girls were only allowed to wear fancy pants not jeans. This was also the time of mini skirts. Her high school had the rigid dress code, but her sorority also had a more strict dress code for parties, dinners or events. It was mostly skirts, blouses and dresses. The dresses and skirts all had to go past your fingertips.

Partial Transcript: Was there a handbook or ettiquette code you had to follow?

Segment Synopsis: She said that she does not remember being any handbook that laid out the rules for them to follow. The only rules that she could really remember was curfew for the dorms, but other than that there was not a lot.

Partial Transcript: Did men and women intermix a lot on campus?
Was there rules for men and women on when they could spend time together?

Segment Synopsis: Men and women blended a lot outside of dorm life. There was a lot of sorority and fraternity mixing, and certain sororities did a lot with one frat only. There were rules for men and women on when they could spend time together, but it was really just the curfew. Boys were really only allowed in the female dorm if they were in the lounge area.

Partial Transcript: Did you particpate in any extracurriculars or intramural sports?

Segment Synopsis: She particpated in no extracurriculars, she spent her time mostly studying and socializing. She had good study habits from high school, but it was still an adjustment. She was not involved in any intramural sports in college.

Partial Transcript: Did you have to take any swimming lessons?
Did you take any PAC classes?
Did you get to pick your schedule?
What kids of events or extracurriculars did the school offer?

Segment Synopsis: She did not take any swimming lessons in college but in high school she did. She does remember taking one physical activity class, and it was just the standard one. She was given a pretty set and strict schedule to follow, she did not really have a lot of room for electives or extracurriculars. She does not remember the school offering a lot of extracurriculars either.

Partial Transcript: Have you been back to OSU at all?
How has Corvallis changed?
How has OSU changed?
Was there a lot of activism at OSU?

Segment Synopsis: Vicki said that she has been back to OSU a couple times for retreats for the Ford Family Foundation ambassadors, and for sporting events as well. She said the campus has not changed a lot besides getting much bigger and more developed. She said that the campus has always been beautiful and that people should treasure it more. She said it used to be pretty small and easy to get around, however you did have to run if your classes were at opposite sides of campus.
The town of Corvallis was pretty small as well, and you could walk from campus to downtown very easy and fast. The popular place to be was a resteraunt called the Artic Circle where you could get a 19 cent hamburger. There was only one dining hall for everyone, and there were very limited options for people to have. She said she stayed on campus for the most part because that was just how she was, but some people did enjoy off-campus parties or events.
The era of activism was there, but most kids were focused on moving past the Vietnam War protests and so there were not many protests. There were kids who were activists, but it was more isolated and the kids who were there at school were school focused.

Partial Transcript: Was the transition from high school to college a hard one?
Did you go home a lot?

Segment Synopsis: She said that the transition to college from living at home for high school was a stretch for sure, and much different. She is a member of the Central Oregon Community Foundation which helps focus on helping students adjust and preparing them for the new college lifestyle. She said how the switch from high school to college is much different because you are so much more independent and you have guidelines to follow but it is still a very much idependent experience.
She did not go home to visit very often, but her parents came to visit a couple of times. It was hardest on her mom becausee she was the youngest.

Partial Transcript: Was there a big party scene?
Did campus feel safe?
What were the athletic annd sports teams like?

Segment Synopsis: The party scene was pretty calm, however alcohol was pretty big, as it is now. Suds at Seven was what frats and sororities called their tailgates before football games. The use of marijuana was starting to become more present. It was only for the hardcore people though because it was still a felony, as well as the other hard drugs. She thanks her parents for teaching her about the consequences of drugs.
She said she always felt safe on campus, and there wasn't a police presence but some security guards.
She said that the sports teams were a lot like how they are today, it was your very elite athletes that competed. The games were very popular and well attended, and they were kind of used as a social event. They had lots of attendence at games, and the band was there and was very supportive. It was mostly men's sports, and women's track and field was just starting.

Partial Transcript: When and why did you transfer to Portland State University?
How did you meet your husband Vic?

Segment Synopsis: Vicki transferred to Portland State University after one year at OSU. She wanted to live closer to home and she felt like it was a good fit for her.
She met her current husband Vic while they were at a student government leadership conference at UO in between their junior and senior years in high school.They both ended up attending OSU, but it was not planned that they would go together. They had different backgrounds, but both had a strong moral basis. At OSU, Vic was an engineering major and in a fraternity. One thing she brought up was that freshman boys could live in the frat theirr freshman year while freshman women could not live in their sorority.
She and Vic didn't interact a lot during college because they were both pretty independent. There was not a lot of restrictions on them dating that she can remember, other than the curfew. She couldn't remember if the boy's dorms had a curfew, but the frats did not.
When she left for PSU, she didn't see him very much until he also ended up leaving OSU. She said it was a very hard decision to transfer to PSU and it made her sad to leave OSU. She lived at home, and she said it was different after she had lived at OSU and had that independence for awhile. She was very compliant though.

Partial Transcript: Did you have a car or bike?
Did most people live off campus after their first year?
How popular was Greek Life?

Segment Synopsis: She did not have a car, but she had a bike that she used a lot.
She said after your first year, those who were involved in Greek Life moved into the sororities and fraternities. It actually used to be easier to live in the dorms even after your first year, so many people did that. It was also common for people to get apartments.
She said Greek Life was about 50/50 involvement on campus. There were benefits and restrictions to being involved in it. They had Greek Row back then also, and her house was very nice. She had to drop her sorority when she transferred and that made her sad because she had close relationships with many of the girls.

Partial Transcript: Do you remember there being a Women's Center?
Was your major mostly men or women dominated?

Segment Synopsis: There was no Womens Center then, so student health was the place you went to. She got strep once and that was where she went.
Her major of business admin was mostly male dominated.

Partial Transcript: Did you know what you wanted to do with your major?
When did you marry your husband Vic?
Did you get your degree from PSU?
Tell us a little about your business.
Do you go back to OSU very often?
What is your position now?
Do you think you will stay in this position for awhile?
Did OSU help prepare you for this?

Segment Synopsis: She always thought that she would want to live in a city and work for a big corporation because that was what her dad did. She and Vic started their business together in 1973 (celebrating 50 years this year) and she then evolved into her position now as CEO and president. They run a small business, having anywhere from 25-30 employees. It is not what she thought she would be doing, but she loves it.
She got married in 1971 to her now husband Vic.
She did not get her degree from PSU, but she has continued to take many different courses and classes online, and have been involved in many business programs.
Her business is an excavation business, and it was originally one of the only businesses in the Bend area that did these develpments. They did school developments, and they then bought a rock quarry in La Pine and started manufacturing and laying down residential asphalt. Now they own land and develope it. Most recently, they sold a 191 lot subdivision with 3 parks and are now doing commercial with a pub and resteraunt included in the lot.
She chose that path because that was what Vic wanted to do, however she really likes this work as well. She enjoys the mental challenge of it., and how you can have 2 jobs side by side and they will be very different from each other. She likes to see the final product as well.
They moved to Bend, Oregon right after they got married because that was where Vic was from, and it was real shock to her coming from Portland.
Many of her friends from OSU were dating, and so dating culture was very different than how it is now. Back then, you only went to dances with date instead of just a group of friends.
She does not go back to Corvallis very often, but they do now have a partnership with the engineeering department with their rock quarry. She has been working on one of their products and the.department at OSU is helping them look at a similar thing (a cinder block product). They are working together to look at how it could be used for hydro growing.
In her position now, she works heavily on the financial and business growth sides. She works at the rock quarry location so she interacts with the day to day activities. She also participates in a lot of philanthropic boards and chairs. She is on the Urban Renewal committee for La Pine, OCF, and the COCC board as well. The development side is keeping them very busy now as well. It is a different challenge because it is a business inside of a business in a way.
She sees them being a part of this business for awhile, because they are not ready to retire but are ready to relax and travel more. But they love their jobs and the stimulus of it helps them be sustainable. OSU helped prepare her for this job a lot. She strongly emphasizes the importance of education and to stretch yourself and get life experience.