This oral history interview with Helen J. Frye was conducted by Linda Dodds in Frye's chambers in Portland, Oregon, on March 19, 1981. In this interview, Frye discusses her family background and early life on a farm in Klamath County, Oregon. She talks about the difficult experience of a huge change in her family situation as a child, when she was reunited with her mother and brother after having been raised entirely by her grandparents. She then discusses attending the University of Oregon, including influential professors, and meeting and marrying William Frye. She talks about raising a family and how postpartum depression drove her to start her teaching career. She also discusses her involvement in politics, including William Frye's political campaigns. She then talks about attending the University of Oregon law school in 1963, including other women in her class, balancing family life, and starting to practice law.

She describes becoming a judge for the Lane County Circuit Court, including her appointment by Governor Tom McCall and her later campaign. She talks about how her gender affected the way defendants perceived her. She also discusses how this new position affected her marriage and her divorce in 1975. She talks briefly about serving as a judge for the U.S. District Court of Oregon. She closes the interview by discussing her current family life in 1981 and her plans for the future.

This oral history interview with Helen J. Frye was conducted by Clark Hansen at the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse in Portland, Oregon, from January 9 to May 20, 2002. In this interview, Frye discusses her family background and early life in Klamath Falls, Oregon. She talks about her mother and brother contracting tuberculosis; how she was raised by her grandparents; and her early education. She then discusses attending the University of Oregon, including her professors; her involvement in student government and politics in general; and meeting Bill Frye and their subsequent marriage. She talks about teaching high school in Eugene, raising a family, and returning to the University of Oregon to study law.

Frye briefly discusses practicing law in Eugene and specializing in adoption. She talks about serving as a judge on the Lane County Circuit Court, including her appointment by Governor Tom McCall. She also discusses serving as a judge on the U.S. District Court, including her appointment by President Jimmy Carter. She talks about the cases she heard; judges she served with; and court procedure. She discusses sentencing; the role of dissent in lower courts; and the role of juries. She closes the interview by discussing her legal philosophy and how her opinions have evolved over the years.