In the fourth interview session, conducted on October 9, 2020, Shepherd discusses her experiences picking hops in the 1930s. She shares a childhood drawing she created of a tavern on Union Avenue, as well as a photograph. She talks about the people who lived in the Eliot neighborhood, and discusses her children, their families, and their careers. She revisits the topic of her experiences during the civil rights movement, and the topic of the mass displacement of Black people during the construction of I-5 in the 1960s, as well as during the expansion of Emanuel Hospital in the 1970s. She speaks at length about her involvement with Albina Fair Share and about working to reduce the amount of abandoned houses in the neighborhood. She talks about her involvement with Immaculate Heart Catholic Church.

In the fifth and final interview session, conducted on October 26, 2020, Shepherd speaks at length about how the Albina area of Portland, particularly the Eliot neighborhood, changed over her life. She also shares her reasons for living nearly her entire life in the area. She discusses how the ways that white and Black Portlanders interact have changed over her life. She talks about the death of her husband, Emmett E. Shepherd, about her volunteer work since her retirement in the late 1980s, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected her activities. She discusses the political situation at the time of the interview in 2020, including protests in Portland and the presidential election. She closes the interview by talking about her recent stroke and recovery.

In the second interview session, conducted on September 11, 2020, Shepherd speaks further about her family background, focusing on her paternal family. She revisits the topic of her early life in the Eliot neighborhood, and talks about her Catholic upbringing and involvement with the Immaculate Heart Catholic Church. She discusses how the Black community changed after World War II, as well as changes in the way white people treated them. She then continues to discuss living in Vanport as a teenager during World War II, including her social life, recreational activities, and segregation. She also talks about her early education and about jobs she worked after dropping out. She shares her experiences during the 1948 flood, including living in Guild's Lake for a short time afterward.

Transcript. This oral history interview with Ida Mae Shepherd was conducted by Greta Smith Wisnewski from August 14 to October 26, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the interview was conducted using Zoom, a video conferencing software. Shepherd was nominated by Oregonians to be interviewed as part of a program by the Oregon Historical Society Research Library to enhance and expand the range of voices in the library's collections. Interviewees are selected from the pool of nominees by a staff committee appointed by the historical society's executive director. The interview was conducted in five sessions.

In the first interview session, conducted on August 14, 2020, Shepherd speaks at length about her family background, particularly focusing on the life of her maternal grandmother, Edith Goodell Lee. She discusses her early life in the Eliot neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, and talks about businesses in the area. She then briefly talks about living in Vanport during World War II. She discusses her research into her family history.

In the second interview session, conducted on September 11, 2020, Shepherd speaks further about her family background, focusing on her paternal family. She revisits the topic of her early life in the Eliot neighborhood, and talks about her Catholic upbringing and involvement with the Immaculate Heart Catholic Church. She discusses how the Black community changed after World War II, as well as changes in the way white people treated them. She then continues to discuss living in Vanport as a teenager during World War II, including her social life, recreational activities, and segregation. She also talks about her early education and about jobs she worked after dropping out. She shares her experiences during the 1948 flood, including living in Guild's Lake for a short time afterward.

In the third interview session, conducted on September 25, 2020, Shepherd discusses her marriage to Theodore Cassidy Powell. She then talks about living in the Albina neighborhood in the early 1950s. She also revisits the topic of how the Black community changed after World War II, as well as how the way white people treated them changed. She talks about working as a janitor at KGW, and about her brief marriage to Curley Massey. She speaks about her marriage to Emmett Edwin Shepherd, about buying a house in the Eliot neighborhood, and about the changes in the neighborhood since the 1960s. She talks about raising a family, about her career in housekeeping and janitorial services, and about her experiences during the civil rights movement, including meeting Coretta Scott King. She shares her thoughts about police treatment of Black residents, talks about the mass displacement of Black residents during the construction of I-5 in the 1960s, and discusses the Black community in the Albina area of Portland.

In the fourth interview session, conducted on October 9, 2020, Shepherd discusses her experiences picking hops in the 1930s. She shares a childhood drawing she created of a tavern on Union Avenue, as well as a photograph. She talks about the people who lived in the Eliot neighborhood, and discusses her children, their families, and their careers. She revisits the topic of her experiences during the civil rights movement, and the topic of the mass displacement of Black people during the construction of I-5 in the 1960s, as well as during the expansion of Emanuel Hospital in the 1970s. She speaks at length about her involvement with Albina Fair Share and about working to reduce the amount of abandoned houses in the neighborhood. She talks about her involvement with Immaculate Heart Catholic Church.

In the fifth and final interview session, conducted on October 26, 2020, Shepherd speaks at length about how the Albina area of Portland, particularly the Eliot neighborhood, changed over her life. She also shares her reasons for living nearly her entire life in the area. She discusses how the ways that white and Black Portlanders interact have changed over her life. She talks about the death of her husband, Emmett E. Shepherd, about her volunteer work since her retirement in the late 1980s, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected her activities. She discusses the political situation at the time of the interview in 2020, including protests in Portland and the presidential election. She closes the interview by talking about her recent stroke and recovery.

In the third interview session, conducted on September 25, 2020, Shepherd discusses her marriage to Theodore Cassidy Powell. She then talks about living in the Albina neighborhood in the early 1950s. She also revisits the topic of how the Black community changed after World War II, as well as how the way white people treated them changed. She talks about working as a janitor at KGW, and about her brief marriage to Curley Massey. She speaks about her marriage to Emmett Edwin Shepherd, about buying a house in the Eliot neighborhood, and about the changes in the neighborhood since the 1960s. She talks about raising a family, about her career in housekeeping and janitorial services, and about her experiences during the civil rights movement, including meeting Coretta Scott King. She shares her thoughts about police treatment of Black residents, talks about the mass displacement of Black residents during the construction of I-5 in the 1960s, and discusses the Black community in the Albina area of Portland.

In the first interview session, conducted on August 14, 2020, Shepherd speaks at length about her family background, particularly focusing on the life of her maternal grandmother, Edith Goodell Lee. She discusses her early life in the Eliot neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, and talks about businesses in the area. She then briefly talks about living in Vanport during World War II. She discusses her research into her family history.

View of a house on NE Winona Street in Portland. A woman on the front porch looks down at a baby in a stroller. The baby looks toward the camera. A white picket fence in front of the house displays a sign that reads, "Winona St." A garden is planted to the left of the house.

Four children stand side-by-side and smile behind a table in the social room of the Holy Rosary Church in Portland, Oregon. There are cakes, flowers, and a bowl of fruit punch on the table. They are the Tigner quadruplets, and they are celebrating their 12th birthday. Pictured left to right are Dee Jerry Tigner, Carole Tigner, Beatrice Tigner and August Tigner. Dee Jerry and August wear matching suits and Carole and Beatrice wear matching dresses. This photograph was published in the Oregon Journal on August 23, 1958 (negative 1 of 2).

A group of Firefighters working to extinguish a structural fire at a hardware store on the corner of Vancouver Avenue and Russell Street. Several firefighters stand among smoking debris in the background of the photograph. In the foreground two Firefighters stand holding a fire hose. A young, African American boy stands beside them looking back at the camera (negative 2 of 2).

Henry Washington, a plumber trapped for 20 minutes at the base of a 20-foot deep collapsed trench, returning to work the next day. He wears a hard hat and is holding a shovel at the base of a trench (negative 1 of 4).

Sister Mary Dana, wearing a religious habit, stands beside an easel helping children paint at the Blessed Martin Interracial Day Nursery in Northeast Portland, Oregon. The children in the photograph are Black, Asian, and white. The day nursery was part of a program for interracial integration and cooperation (negative 1 of 9).

Three football players run towards the camera on a field at Jefferson High School in Portland, Oregon. The player on the left is wearing jersey #52. The player on the right is likely wearing jersey #21 (negative 5 of 6).

Session 4, Part 2. This oral history interview with Bill Curtin was conducted by Greta K. Smith at Curtin’s home in Portland, Oregon, from September 24 to November 16, 2018. Bill Curtin was nominated by Oregonians to be interviewed as part of a program by the Oregon Historical Society Research Library to enhance and expand the range of voices in the library's collections. Interviewees are selected from the pool of nominees by a staff committee appointed by the historical society's executive director. The interview was conducted in four sessions. In the fourth and final interview session, conducted on November 16, 2018, Curtin revisits the topic of his work with Albina Fair Share. He also talks about his work towards utility rate reform with Oregon Fair Share. He discusses the relationship between the Portland Police Bureau and the Portland black community; talks about his friendship with Penny Harrington, the first woman police chief in Portland; and speaks about his involvement with Central City Concern and talks about its roots in detoxification programs. He talks about taking his parishioners camping and on other nature excursions. He then revisits the topic of leaving the priesthood in 1981, describing his transition to secular life. He talks about working in security at Reed College and then Lewis and Clark College; discusses his marriage to Liddy Krier, and talks about her children, their families, and their careers; and talks about his activities since retiring in 2006. He reflects on his relationship with Portland’s black community and on racism he observed, and shares his thoughts on prison and police reform. He closes the interview by discussing current politics and talking about his own role in politics with both Albina Fair Share and Oregon Fair Share.

Session 4, Part 1. This oral history interview with Bill Curtin was conducted by Greta K. Smith at Curtin’s home in Portland, Oregon, from September 24 to November 16, 2018. Bill Curtin was nominated by Oregonians to be interviewed as part of a program by the Oregon Historical Society Research Library to enhance and expand the range of voices in the library's collections. Interviewees are selected from the pool of nominees by a staff committee appointed by the historical society's executive director. The interview was conducted in four sessions. In the fourth and final interview session, conducted on November 16, 2018, Curtin revisits the topic of his work with Albina Fair Share. He also talks about his work towards utility rate reform with Oregon Fair Share. He discusses the relationship between the Portland Police Bureau and the Portland black community; talks about his friendship with Penny Harrington, the first woman police chief in Portland; and speaks about his involvement with Central City Concern and talks about its roots in detoxification programs. He talks about taking his parishioners camping and on other nature excursions. He then revisits the topic of leaving the priesthood in 1981, describing his transition to secular life. He talks about working in security at Reed College and then Lewis and Clark College; discusses his marriage to Liddy Krier, and talks about her children, their families, and their careers; and talks about his activities since retiring in 2006. He reflects on his relationship with Portland’s black community and on racism he observed, and shares his thoughts on prison and police reform. He closes the interview by discussing current politics and talking about his own role in politics with both Albina Fair Share and Oregon Fair Share.

Session 3. This oral history interview with Bill Curtin was conducted by Greta K. Smith at Curtin’s home in Portland, Oregon, from September 24 to November 16, 2018. Bill Curtin was nominated by Oregonians to be interviewed as part of a program by the Oregon Historical Society Research Library to enhance and expand the range of voices in the library's collections. Interviewees are selected from the pool of nominees by a staff committee appointed by the historical society's executive director. The interview was conducted in four sessions. In the third interview session, conducted on October 29, 2018, Curtin continues discussing his service as a priest at Immaculate Heart, including his involvement with Portland’s black community, his role with the school at Immaculate Heart, and the church’s relationship with the Portland Police Bureau. He talks about the effect the Legacy Emanuel Hospital expansion project had on the Albina neighborhood and community; discusses his involvement with the Model Cities program; and talks about his work with the Albina Fair Share program. He also speaks about his father’s involvement with addiction recovery programs. He then discusses his decision to leave the priesthood in 1981.

Session 2. This oral history interview with Bill Curtin was conducted by Greta K. Smith at Curtin’s home in Portland, Oregon, from September 24 to November 16, 2018. Bill Curtin was nominated by Oregonians to be interviewed as part of a program by the Oregon Historical Society Research Library to enhance and expand the range of voices in the library's collections. Interviewees are selected from the pool of nominees by a staff committee appointed by the historical society's executive director. The interview was conducted in four sessions. In the second interview session, conducted on October 12, 2018, Curtin revisits the topic of his father’s career as a police officer in the Portland Police Bureau. He talks about his reasons for joining the Catholic priesthood; briefly discusses his involvement in Vietnam War protests; and speaks about his experiences as a priest at St. Charles Church in Portland, including his involvement with Adams High School and going on ride-alongs with the Portland Police Bureau. He then discusses his service as a priest at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in the Albina neighborhood of Portland, including his involvement with Portland’s black community, his role with the school at Immaculate Heart, and providing pastoral care to patients at Legacy Emanuel Hospital. He also talks about funding the church’s programs, as well as the arrest of priest Tom Laughlin for child molestation.

Session 1, Part 3. This oral history interview with Bill Curtin was conducted by Greta K. Smith at Curtin’s home in Portland, Oregon, from September 24 to November 16, 2018. Bill Curtin was nominated by Oregonians to be interviewed as part of a program by the Oregon Historical Society Research Library to enhance and expand the range of voices in the library's collections. Interviewees are selected from the pool of nominees by a staff committee appointed by the historical society's executive director. The interview was conducted in four sessions. In the first interview session, conducted on September 24, 2018, Curtin discusses his family history and early life in the Laurelhurst neighborhood of Portland, including his Irish-Catholic heritage and discrimination his family faced as a result. He speaks at length about his father, Victor Aloysius Curtin, and his father’s career as a police officer in the Portland Police Bureau and involvement with Portland’s black community. He discusses his early interest in joining the Catholic priesthood. He then talks about his education at St. Edward Seminary in Kenmore, Washington, including the changes in the Catholic Church after World War II, some of his professors and fellow students, and his interest in social justice issues. He also talks about community service he did during seminary; shares his memories of Vietnam War protests; and discusses how the issue of birth control affected the church.

Session 1, Part 2. This oral history interview with Bill Curtin was conducted by Greta K. Smith at Curtin’s home in Portland, Oregon, from September 24 to November 16, 2018. Bill Curtin was nominated by Oregonians to be interviewed as part of a program by the Oregon Historical Society Research Library to enhance and expand the range of voices in the library's collections. Interviewees are selected from the pool of nominees by a staff committee appointed by the historical society's executive director. The interview was conducted in four sessions. In the first interview session, conducted on September 24, 2018, Curtin discusses his family history and early life in the Laurelhurst neighborhood of Portland, including his Irish-Catholic heritage and discrimination his family faced as a result. He speaks at length about his father, Victor Aloysius Curtin, and his father’s career as a police officer in the Portland Police Bureau and involvement with Portland’s black community. He discusses his early interest in joining the Catholic priesthood. He then talks about his education at St. Edward Seminary in Kenmore, Washington, including the changes in the Catholic Church after World War II, some of his professors and fellow students, and his interest in social justice issues. He also talks about community service he did during seminary; shares his memories of Vietnam War protests; and discusses how the issue of birth control affected the church.

Session 1, Part 1. This oral history interview with Bill Curtin was conducted by Greta K. Smith at Curtin’s home in Portland, Oregon, from September 24 to November 16, 2018. Bill Curtin was nominated by Oregonians to be interviewed as part of a program by the Oregon Historical Society Research Library to enhance and expand the range of voices in the library's collections. Interviewees are selected from the pool of nominees by a staff committee appointed by the historical society's executive director. The interview was conducted in four sessions. In the first interview session, conducted on September 24, 2018, Curtin discusses his family history and early life in the Laurelhurst neighborhood of Portland, including his Irish-Catholic heritage and discrimination his family faced as a result. He speaks at length about his father, Victor Aloysius Curtin, and his father’s career as a police officer in the Portland Police Bureau and involvement with Portland’s black community. He discusses his early interest in joining the Catholic priesthood. He then talks about his education at St. Edward Seminary in Kenmore, Washington, including the changes in the Catholic Church after World War II, some of his professors and fellow students, and his interest in social justice issues. He also talks about community service he did during seminary; shares his memories of Vietnam War protests; and discusses how the issue of birth control affected the church.

Transcript. This oral history interview with Bill Curtin was conducted by Greta K. Smith at Curtin's home in Portland, Oregon, from September 24 to November 16, 2018. Bill Curtin was nominated by Oregonians to be interviewed as part of a program by the Oregon Historical Society Research Library to enhance and expand the range of voices in the library's collections. Interviewees are selected from the pool of nominees by a staff committee appointed by the historical society's executive director. The interview was conducted in four sessions. In the first interview session, conducted on September 24, 2018, Curtin discusses his family history and early life in the Laurelhurst neighborhood of Portland, including his Irish-Catholic heritage and discrimination his family faced as a result. He speaks at length about his father, Victor Aloysius Curtin, and his father's career as a police officer in the Portland Police Bureau and involvement with Portland's black community. He discusses his early interest in joining the Catholic priesthood. He then talks about his education at St. Edward Seminary in Kenmore, Washington, including the changes in the Catholic Church after World War II, some of his professors and fellow students, and his interest in social justice issues. He also talks about community service he did during seminary; shares his memories of Vietnam War protests; and discusses how the issue of birth control affected the church. In the second interview session, conducted on October 12, 2018, Curtin revisits the topic of his father's career as a police officer in the Portland Police Bureau. He talks about his reasons for joining the Catholic priesthood; briefly discusses his involvement in Vietnam War protests; and speaks about his experiences as a priest at St. Charles Church in Portland, including his involvement with Adams High School and going on ride-alongs with the Portland Police Bureau. He then discusses his service as a priest at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in the Albina neighborhood of Portland, including his involvement with Portland's black community, his role with the school at Immaculate Heart, and providing pastoral care to patients at Legacy Emanuel Hospital. He also talks about funding the church's programs, as well as the arrest of priest Tom Laughlin for child molestation. In the third interview session, conducted on October 29, 2018, Curtin continues discussing his service as a priest at Immaculate Heart, including his involvement with Portland's black community, his role with the school at Immaculate Heart, and the church's relationship with the Portland Police Bureau. He talks about the effect the Legacy Emanuel Hospital expansion project had on the Albina neighborhood and community; discusses his involvement with the Model Cities program; and talks about his work with the Albina Fair Share program. He also speaks about his father's involvement with addiction recovery programs. He then discusses his decision to leave the priesthood in 1981. In the fourth and final interview session, conducted on November 16, 2018, Curtin revisits the topic of his work with Albina Fair Share. He also talks about his work towards utility rate reform with Oregon Fair Share. He discusses the relationship between the Portland Police Bureau and the Portland black community; talks about his friendship with Penny Harrington, the first woman police chief in Portland; and speaks about his involvement with Central City Concern and talks about its roots in detoxification programs. He talks about taking his parishioners camping and on other nature excursions. He then revisits the topic of leaving the priesthood in 1981, describing his transition to secular life. He talks about working in security at Reed College and then Lewis and Clark College; discusses his marriage to Liddy Krier, and talks about her children, their families, and their careers; and talks about his activities since retiring in 2006. He reflects on his relationship with Portland's black community and on racism he observed, and shares his thoughts on prison and police reform. He closes the interview by discussing current politics and talking about his own role in politics with both Albina Fair Share and Oregon Fair Share.