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Oral history interview with Bud Clark

  • SR 2084
  • Collection
  • 1995-04-06

This oral history interview with Bud Clark was conducted by Joseph W. Carlisle on April 6, 1995. The equipment used to record this interview was faulty, causing the tape speed to vary widely. Digitized audio files made from the recording have been adjusted for ease of listening.

In this interview, Clark discusses transportation in Portland, including bicycles and the public transportation system, TriMet. He focuses particularly on the construction of the TriMet light-rail system, MAX. He discusses outdoor recreation in Portland. He then talks about his family background and early life in Portland. He also discusses his experiences at Vanport College (now Portland State University) and at Reed College. He talks about the livability and climate of Oregon, particularly the city of Portland.

Clark discusses the impact of urban renewal on Portland. He discusses running the Drop In Tavern, which he renamed the Spoutin' House; the tavern's location near Portland State University; and how urban renewal forced him out of business. He then talks about purchasing Ann's Tavern, which he renamed the Goose Hollow Inn. He speaks at length about his opinion of urban renewal at the time it was happening in the 1950s and 1960s, and his opinion of it in retrospect. Clark closes the interview by briefly discussing the urban renewal policies he put in place as mayor of Portland from 1984 to 1992.

Clark, Bud (J. E. "Bud")

Oral history interview with Connie McCready

  • SR 9046
  • Collection
  • 1981-04-01 - 1984-06-17

This oral history interview with Connie McCready was conducted by Linda S. Dodds in Portland, Oregon, from April 1 to June 17, 1981. At the time of the interview, Dodds' name was Linda S. Brody.

In this interview, McCready discusses her family background and early life in Pendleton and Portland, Oregon. She focuses particularly on her father, Edgar Averill, and his career as a reporter for the East Oregonian and later as state game warden. She talks about studying journalism at the University of Oregon, including working on the student newspaper, the Daily Emerald. She also discusses other newspapers she worked for after college, including the Coos Bay Times, now The World, and the Oregonian. She talks about meeting Albert McCready, a reporter for the Oregonian, and their subsequent marriage. She also describes some of her other colleagues at the Oregonian; the Oregonian strike of 1959 to 1965; and the merger of the Oregonian and Oregon Journal.

McCready discusses her entry into Portland politics as a result of her father's failing health. She talks about serving on the Citizens School Committee for Portland Public Schools, which was a body that sought to recruit candidates for the school board; serving as precinct committeewoman for the Oregon Republican Party; and her involvement with the League of Women Voters. She describes her successful 1966 campaign for the Oregon House of Representatives and some of the legislation she worked on during her single term in the Legislature, including on fish conservation, littering, and the creation of Tri-Met. She also talks about working with Representative Betty Roberts on legislation concerning fair employment practices and abortion. She discusses her experiences as one of only four women in the Legislature. She then discusses her appointment to the Portland City Council, and subsequent resignation from the Legislature, in 1970, as well as her re-election campaign later that year. She discusses working with Portland mayors Terry Schrunk and Neil Goldschmidt; her committee assignments; and her fellow city commissioners. McCready talks about serving as Portland mayor from 1979 to 1980, including her accomplishments, as well as her support for controversial issues such as fluoridation, women's rights and gay rights. She speaks at length about her unsuccessful re-election campaign in 1980. She closes the interview by discussing the difficulty of balancing political and personal life.

McCready, Connie (Constance), 1921-2000

Oral history interview with Frank Ivancie

  • SR 2980
  • Collection
  • 2001-04-17 - 2001-04-18

This oral history interview with Frank Ivancie was conducted by Clark Hansen at the home of Ivancie's daughter in Portland, Oregon, as part of the Ira and Lauretta Keller Oral History Series, which documented the history of the Portland Development Commission. The interview was conducted in two sessions, on April 17 and April 18, 2001, and was recorded simultaneously on four audiocassettes and two videocassettes. The second half of the first videocassette has no audio, but the audiocassette recording is complete; the audio missing from the video recording is on Audiocassette 2. Along with the interview recordings, this collection includes two color photographs of Ivancie.

In the first interview session, conducted on April 17, 2001, Ivancie discusses his family background and early life in Marble, Minnesota, and talks about the history of Marble. He speaks about his service in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. He discusses his involvement in politics while studying at the University of Minnesota and describes how he became a teacher and later principal in Burns, Oregon. He talks about life in Burns in the 1940s and 1950s, about teaching at a school on a U.S. Air Force base in England from 1953 to 1954, and about his reasons for moving to Portland in 1954. He also talks about his involvement with the Oregon Education Association, and describes how that experience led to his work as an executive assistant to Portland Mayor Terry Schrunk. He talks about Schunk's indictment for perjury, and about how Schrunk worked with the Portland City Council. He speaks at length about the work of the Portland Development Commission during Schrunk's time as mayor. He talks about members of the commission, particularly PDC chair Ira Keller, and describes some of the commission's development projects. He also talks about the role of the mayor in appointing people to various city commissions. He then discusses his campaign for a seat on the Portland City Council in 1966, talks about his work as a council member, and speaks about people he served with on the council.

In the second interview session, conducted on April 18, 2001, Ivancie discusses his work on the Portland Development Commission during his time on the Portland City Council. He talks about major construction projects the PDC worked on, including Memorial Coliseum and Tom McCall Waterfront Park. He discusses how the PDC worked with Portland Mayor Neil Goldschmidt, speaks about people he worked with on the city council, and shares his thoughts about Portland's form of government. He describes the transition to Connie McCready as mayor. He shares his reasons for supporting the construction of the Mount Hood Freeway, discusses the design and construction of the Portland Building and the Portlandia statue, and talks about his accomplishments overseeing the Water Bureau. He speaks about Portland's response to the ashfall resulting from the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. He closes the interview by discussing how Portland has changed since he left office in 1985, sharing his opinion about city government at the time of the interview, and talking about the 2000 presidential election.

Ivancie, Francis J.

Oral history interview with Fred L. Peterson

  • SR 9600
  • Collection
  • 1982-02-11 - 1982-04-28

This oral history interview with Fred L. Peterson was conducted by Linda S. Dodds at Peterson's home in Portland, Oregon, in four sessions from February 11 to April 28, 1982, as part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library's oral history program. Jack Pement of the Oregon Journal newspaper was also present during sessions 1 and 2, and occasionally contributed to the interview.

In the first interview session, conducted on February 11, 1982, Peterson discusses his family background and early life in the Lents neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. He also shares his memories of the 1905 Lewis and Clark Exposition, talks about his service in the Oregon National Guard during World War I, and describes how he became a pharmacist after the war. He shares his memories of working in an Army hospital during the 1918 flu pandemic. He speaks about running a pharmacy in the Hollywood neighborhood of Portland, particularly during the Depression. He describes how he became involved in politics, talks about his campaign for Portland City Council in 1940, and discusses his experiences as a council member. He also talks about his friendship with Fred Meyer.

In the second interview session, conducted on February 25, 1982, Peterson continues to discuss his service on the Portland City Council. He talks about the council's activities during World War II, about how Portland changed during the war, and about other members of the council. He discusses the political career of Dorothy McCullough Lee, shares his reasons for running against her for Portland mayor in 1952, and talks about his campaign. He also speaks about his role in establishing the Washington Park location for the Oregon Zoo, and about his other accomplishments as mayor. He then talks about his failed re-election campaign in 1956.

In the third interview session, conducted on March 10, 1982, Peterson speaks further about his service on the Portland City Council and as mayor. He talks about his accomplishments in those roles, including his involvement in the development of parks and recreational facilities, and his work to resolve a milk shortage in Vanport. He speaks again about his reasons for running for mayor and about his 1952 and 1956 campaigns.

In the fourth and final interview session, conducted on April 28, 1982, Peterson discusses Portland zoning laws in the 1930s and 1940s and describes how the city treated unhoused people during the Depression. He talks about the work of Portland's post-war redevelopment committee and about the plan presented to the city by Robert Moses, an urban planner from New York. He speaks about people with whom he served on the city council, particularly Dorothy McCullough Lee, and discusses the relationship between the council and the Portland Police Bureau. He closes the interview by speaking further about his term as Portland mayor.

Peterson, Fred L. (Fred Lawrence), 1896-1985

Oral history interview with Henrietta C. Failing

  • SR 9550
  • Collection
  • 1976-07-14

This oral history interview with Henrietta C. Failing was conducted by Charles Digregorio on July 14, 1976, at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon, as part of the oral history program at the society's research library.

In this interview, Failing speaks about the history of the Failing family. She focuses particularly on the life and career of her father, James Frederick Failing, who came to Portland, Oregon, as a child in 1851; and on her uncle Henry Failing and his work as Portland mayor from 1864 to 1866 and from 1873 to 1875. She briefly discusses the role of Chinese Americans in 19th-century Portland. She also speaks about the life and career of her maternal grandfather, John Conner, who came to Albany, Oregon, in 1853. She talks about her family's involvement with the First Baptist Church in Portland. She closes the interview by talking about her early life in Portland, including her memories of the Lewis and Clark Exposition in 1905.

Failing, Henrietta Chase, 1895-1989

Oral history interview with Mary V. Tobkin

  • SR 9661
  • Collection
  • 1981-02-06

This oral history interview with Mary V. Tobkin was conducted by Linda S. Dodds at Tobkin's home in Portland, Oregon, on February 6, 1981, as part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library's oral history program. At the time of the interview, Dodds' name was Linda S. Brody.

In this interview, Tobkin discusses how she became involved in Portland politics and talks about her work as administrative secretary for Portland Mayor Terry Schrunk. She speaks about Schrunk's political campaigns, shares her experiences as a woman in a mid-20th century workplace, and discusses Schrunk's accomplishments as mayor, including his work to improve trade relations with Japan and to improve Portland's mass transit systems. She closes the interview by sharing her reasons for retiring from politics when Schrunk left office in 1972.

Tobkin, Mary V. (Mary Virginia), 1917-1993