Margaret Finke Oral History Interview

Interviewee: Margaret Finke
Interviewer: Yvonne Loso
Interview Date: June 2, 1983
Location: Finke residence, Corvallis, Oregon
Duration: 0:51:16
 

In this interview, Margaret Fincke describes her job as a home economics professor and researcher at Oregon State University. Fincke begins by discussing how she initiated the Foods and Nutrition Program at OSU. She finished her graduate work in 1935, at a time when government funding for teaching and research was very limited. She describes how she went about conducting research on a tight budget, noting that for one of her first research projects, on the availability of calcium from spinach compared to other greens, she had to experiment on staff members since funds to compensate human test subjects were not available. Fincke then talks about her experiences as a university student. She completed her undergraduate work at Mt. Holyoke College with a major in chemistry and a minor in zoology and physiology, and then she travelled for a while before working toward her graduate degrees. She received her master’s degree as well as a doctorate from Columbia University and followed the head of Columbia’s chemistry department to OSU. She expected to stay at OSU for only two years, but ended up staying for the remainder of her career.

Finke served as Dean of Home Economics at OSU from 1964 to 1965. She describes her accomplishments and goals as dean and how the general curriculum changed as the first baby-boomers started to arrive in the early-to-mid 1960s. She took a sabbatical to Thailand and then at the Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati where she researched instances of phenylketonuria in infants. After her retirement she worked in Israel for a period of time. Fincke speaks highly of Dean Ava Milam and the dean’s philosophy on home economics. She also mentions how she, Betty Hawthorne and Clara Storvick enjoyed going mountain climbing together. The interview concludes with Fincke sharing how rewarding it feels to see the accomplishments of OSU graduates.

Dublin Core

Title

Margaret Finke Oral History Interview

Description

In this interview, Margaret Fincke describes her job as a home economics professor and researcher at Oregon State University. Fincke begins by discussing how she initiated the Foods and Nutrition Program at OSU. She finished her graduate work in 1935, at a time when government funding for teaching and research was very limited. She describes how she went about conducting research on a tight budget, noting that for one of her first research projects, on the availability of calcium from spinach compared to other greens, she had to experiment on staff members since funds to compensate human test subjects were not available. Fincke then talks about her experiences as a university student. She completed her undergraduate work at Mt. Holyoke College with a major in chemistry and a minor in zoology and physiology, and then she travelled for a while before working toward her graduate degrees. She received her master’s degree as well as a doctorate from Columbia University and followed the head of Columbia’s chemistry department to OSU. She expected to stay at OSU for only two years, but ended up staying for the remainder of her career.

Finke served as Dean of Home Economics at OSU from 1964 to 1965. She describes her accomplishments and goals as dean and how the general curriculum changed as the first baby-boomers started to arrive in the early-to-mid 1960s. She took a sabbatical to Thailand and then at the Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati where she researched instances of phenylketonuria in infants. After her retirement she worked in Israel for a period of time. Fincke speaks highly of Dean Ava Milam and the dean’s philosophy on home economics. She also mentions how she, Betty Hawthorne and Clara Storvick enjoyed going mountain climbing together. The interview concludes with Fincke sharing how rewarding it feels to see the accomplishments of OSU graduates.

Creator

Margaret Finke

Source

College of Home Economics Oral Histories (OH 11)

Publisher

Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Oregon State University Libraries

Date

June 2, 1983

Contributor

Yvonne Loso

Format

Digitized Audiocassette

Language

English

Type

Oral History

Identifier

oh11-finke-margaret-19830602

Oral History Item Type Metadata

Interviewer

Yvonne Loso

Interviewee

Margaret Finke

Location

Finke residence, Corvallis, Oregon

Original Format

Audiocassette

Duration

0:51:16

OHMS Object

Interview Format

audio