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Oral history interview with Adam C. Heim and Clara C. Heim

  • SR 1086
  • Collection
  • 1989-07-26 - 1989-09-13

This oral history interview with Adam C. Heim and Clara C. Heim was conducted by Jim Strassmaier at the Heims' home in Portland, Oregon, from July 26 to September 13, 1989, as part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library's oral history program. The interview was conducted in five sessions. Adam C. Heim was interviewed in sessions 1 and 2; Clara C. Heim was interviewed in sessions 3 and 4; and both were interviewed together in session 5.

In the first interview session, conducted on July 26, 1989, Adam C. Heim discusses his family background, including his Russian and German heritage and his father's career with the Union Pacific Railroad Company. He talks about his early life in the Albina neighborhood of Portland, including his education and recreational activities. He speaks about working on a sugar beet farm in Idaho; about the Portland harbor; and about his apprenticeship as a machinist for the Union Pacific Railroad.

In the second interview session, conducted on August 2, 1989, Adam C. Heim talks about his siblings, particularly his older brother, John Adams Heim. He continues to discuss his career with the Union Pacific Railroad. He talks about his marriage to Clara C. Heim and about raising their children. He speaks about his experiences living in Huntington, Oregon, during the Depression, including the death of one of his children from spinal meningitis. He also discusses returning to Portland in the 1940s; talks about his children, their families, and their careers; and describes being injured during a robbery.

In the third interview session, conducted on August 29, 1989, Clara C. Heim discusses her family background and early life in North Portland. She talks about her siblings, their families, and their careers. She discusses her health as a child, her education, and working as a telephone operator.

In the fourth interview session, conducted on September 7, 1989, Clara C. Heim continues to discuss her early life in North Portland. She talks about her marriage to Adam C. Heim, about raising a family, and about her experiences during the Depression. She discusses her children, their families, and their careers. She speaks about life in Huntington, and about her political beliefs.

In the fifth interview session, conducted on September 13, 1989, Clara C. Heim and Adam C. Heim discuss living in and raising a family in Huntington and in North Portland during and after World War II. They also talk about the Black population in North Portland. They speak about their relationship with their children, about the changes in the Catholic Church, and about their political beliefs. They close the interview by talking about their recreational activities.

Heim, Adam C. (Adam Clarence), 1902-1995

Oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland

  • SR 11133
  • Collection
  • 2003-08-18

This oral history interview with Monroe Sweetland was conducted by John Moltman at Sweetland's home in Milwaukie, Oregon. The recording of Moltman's interview with Sweetland is incomplete. According to the audio, the interview was conducted in multiple sessions; this recording includes only one session, which was conducted on August 18, 2003. No other recordings from the interview were among those donated to the Oregon Historical Research Library in 2007.

In this interview, Sweetland discusses his involvement with the Student League for Industrial Democracy during the Depression and his parents' disapproval. He talks about meeting Lil Megrath and their subsequent marriage. He describes organizing Student L.I.D. conferences and establishing chapters across the country. He talks about advocating for civil rights and the opposition he faced, particularly in the South. He also talks about socialism and how it differs from communism, as well as the growing socialist movement among students and labor during the 1930s. He discusses his involvement with the Socialist Party, including his friendship with Socialist Party leader Norman Thomas, and the socialist underpinnings of the New Deal. He gives a brief history of the evolution of the Democratic and Republican parties over the 20th century, and of progressive political movements. He shares anecdotes about his activities with the Student L.I.D., including participating in sit-down strikes and being arrested.

Sweetland, Monroe, 1910-2006

Oral history interview with Walter E. Hazlett

  • SR 800
  • Collection
  • 1974-02

This oral history interview with Walter E. Hazlett was conducted by Jim Strassmaier in February 1974. In this interview, Hazlett discusses his early life in Portage and Willmore, Pennsylvania, including his courtship with Naomi Ruth Long (also known as Ruth Hazlett), as well as working in coal mines. He also talks about working in the shipyards in Washington during World War II. He speaks about Ruth Hazlett, including her family background and their marriage. He describes his experience during the 1948 Vanport flood and talks about its aftermath at length. He speaks further about Ruth Hazlett. He speaks more about working in coal mines in Pennsylvania, including participating in labor strikes. He talks about his children, their careers, and his relationship with them. He then gives a timeline of the places he lived; talks about injuries he sustained in the workplace and in a car collision; and revisits the topic of his marriage. He also talks about his and Ruth Hazlett's family educational background. He closes the interview by revisiting the topic of working in coal mines in Pennsylvania and his experience during the Depression.

Hazlett, Walter E. (Walter Earl), 1905-1976

Oral history interview with Ethel L. Vaughters

  • SR 935
  • Collection
  • 1981

This oral history interview with Ethel L. Vaughters was conducted by her son, Robert Vaughters, at Ethel L. Vaughters' home in the summer of 1981. The interview was conducted in four sessions on two audiocassettes. These recordings are duplicates on four audiocassettes which were created in October 1988.

In the first interview session, Vaughters discusses her family background and early life in Chicago, Illinois, and in Portland, Oregon, including the origins of her name; her childhood home; and her early education. She also talks about the health of her parents and siblings, her first jobs, and the fashion she wore. She talks about childhood games and recreation.

In the second interview session, conducted on July 3, 1981, Vaughters continues discussing her early life in Portland, including her memories of civilian activities during World War I, radio programs her family listened to, and her neighborhood. She also talks about her social life. She briefly discusses her marriage to an unidentified man and their divorce a few years later. She talks about returning home to Portland with a young child and about the jobs she worked. She then speaks about her marriage to Richard Flowers Vaughters in 1931 and the death of his parents the same year.

In the third interview session, Vaughters continues discussing her marriage to Richard Flowers Vaughters in 1931 and the death of his parents the same year. She talks about their experience during the Depression, including Richard F. Vaughters' work at Oregon fish hatcheries in Scio, Roaring River, and Hebo. She speaks at length about raising a family in these towns. She also talks about managing her household.

In the fourth and final interview session, Vaughters discusses Richard F. Vaughters' work at the fish hatchery in Hebo, Oregon. She talks about raising a family there and about crabbing in Sand Lake. She talks about relocating her family to Portland in the early 1940s and about the death of her parents shortly thereafter. She describes rationing during World War II and her children's education and recreational activities.

Vaughters, Ethel L. (Ethel Lucille), 1905-1987

Oral history interviews with members of personal study group at Calaroga Terrace, Portland, Oregon

  • SR 11246
  • Collection
  • 1984-02-02 - 1984-03-08

These brief oral history interviews were conducted by Jim Strassmaier from February 2 to March 8, 1984, with several members of a personal study group at Calaroga Terrace, a senior living community in Portland, Oregon. The interviewees, Louise McKinney, Edris E. Becker, Catherine S. Walyer, and Ruth E. Murphy, were residents of the community. Strassmaier conducted the interviews while developing methodology for the Oregon Historical Society oral history program. In these interviews, the interviewees look at photographs; discuss their family backgrounds; and talk about their experiences during the Depression.

Strassmaier, James

Oral history interview with Norma Paulus

  • SR 9065
  • Collection
  • 1982-01-14

This oral history interview with Norma Paulus was conducted by Linda S. Dodds in the Capitol Building in Salem, Oregon, on January 14, 1982. At the time of the interview, Dodds' name was Linda S. Brody.

In the interview, Paulus discusses her family background and early life, particularly how her family was affected by the Depression. She talks about leaving Nebraska for Oregon due to the Dust Bowl drought, picking hops as seasonal workers, and growing up on an oil rig in Burns, Oregon. She talks about being unable to afford college even with scholarships, working for the Harney County district attorney, and moving to Salem to work as a legal secretary. She also describes having polio at age 19. She then talks about working as a legal secretary for the Oregon Supreme Court, her involvement with the Pentacle Theatre in Salem, and her studies at Willamette University Law School. She discusses working for state Senator Wally Carson. She then talks about running for the Oregon House of Representatives in 1970 and the opposition she faced due to her gender; learning about and embracing feminism; and other women in the Legislature. She closes the interview by talking about her decision to run for Oregon secretary of state in 1976.

Paulus, Norma

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 Wendell H. Harmon and Florence E. Harmon

  • SR 1
  • Collection
  • 1983-03-16

This oral history interview with Wendell H. Harmon and Florence E. Harmon was conducted by Elizabeth Buehler at the Harmon home in Beavercreek, Oregon, on March 16, 1983. In this interview, the Harmons discuss their experience of graduating from Iowa State College, now Iowa State University, in the midst of the Depression with no job prospects in Iowa. Wendell H. Harmon describes choosing to leave Iowa for a homestead near Elk City, Oregon, in 1933. He talks about farming the land on the homestead, and Florence E. Harmon talks about their neighbors. She also talks about her experience being fired from her teaching job as a result of her marriage to Wendell H. Harmon. They discuss their experience setting up their homestead, including building and furnishing a house, preparing the land, and raising livestock. They talk about maintaining the homestead after Wendell H. Harmon accepted a forestry job in 1935 that involved work primarily outside Oregon, and about the process of acquiring the deed to the land. They close the interview by discussing tree farming, as well as the sale of their homestead.

Harmon, Wendell H. (Wendell Harold), 1910-1999

Oral history interview with Art Bimrose

  • SR 1752
  • Collection
  • 1989-04-26 - 1989-04-26

This oral history interview with Art Bimrose was conducted by Jim Strassmaier on April 26, 1989. The interview was conducted in conjunction with a 1989 exhibition of Bimrose's work at the Oregon Historical Society. The interview was conducted in one session.

In this interview, Bimrose discusses his family background and early life in Spokane, Washington, and in Portland, Oregon, including his early interest in art. He discusses his early career in art, particularly commercial art, during the Depression. He also talks about his summer jobs with the Southern Pacific Railroad during his high school years, the effect the Depression had on his family, and his early political beliefs. He discusses working for the Oregonian newspaper, first as a photo re-toucher and later as a cartoonist. He talks about developing his art style, his process in creating political cartoons, and the editorial policies of the Oregonian. He also briefly talks about his experience in the U.S. Army during World War II, particularly the effect it had on his personality and home life. He also talks about the difficulty in drawing cartoons for the Oregonian that were supportive of the Vietnam War, despite his personal opposition to it. He describes his use of symbolism in his cartoons; talks about politicians he admired; and discusses the Oregonian editorial conferences that he attended. He also talks about some of the controversial topics on which he drew cartoons and working with the Oregonian editorial page editors. He closes the interview by discussing his retirement activities.

Bimrose, Art, 1912-

Oral history interview with Windsor Calkins

  • SR 470
  • Collection
  • 1986-07-07 - 1986-08-01

This oral history interview with Windsor Calkins was conducted by Jim Strassmaier in Calkins' office in Eugene, Oregon, from July 7 to August 1, 1986. In the interview, Calkins discusses his family background and early life in Eugene, including a 1922 trip on foot from Newport to Florence, Oregon, with his father. He also discusses his father's career as a court reporter, as well as his own interest in the law. Calkins talks about studying law at the University of Oregon, including taking classes from Wayne Morse. Calkins talks about practicing law in Eugene and some of the cases he argued, including bootlegging and murder cases. He also discusses the effect the Depression had on his family. He then talks about his experiences in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Calkins also talks about notable people from Eugene, including William G. East and other judges. He then discusses his work as a lawyer for the Eugene Water and Electric Board and Sacred Heart Hospital, as well as his involvement with the Lane County Bar Association, the Eugene City Health Board, and other civic organizations. He closes the interview with a description of malpractice lawsuits, as well as his family life.

Calkins, Windsor, 1910-1989

Oral history interview with Malcolm H. Clark, Jr.

  • SR 9366
  • Collection
  • 1980-02-07

This oral history interview with Malcolm H. Clark, Jr., was conducted by Linda S. Dodds in Portland, Oregon, on February 7, 1980, 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, Clark discusses his family background. He talks about his early education in Portland, and about his early interest in writing. He briefly describes his college experience, talks about dropping out to begin a career as a writer, and shares his memories of living in San Francisco, California, and in several towns in Mexico during the Depression. He also talks about working in a lumber camp during World War II. He discusses his career as a writer, beginning with submitting short stories to magazines, and later as an author of books on Oregon history. He speaks at length about his work to edit and publish the diary of Judge Matthew P. Deady.

Clark, Malcolm, 1917-

Oral history interview with Becky Johnson

  • SR 9453
  • Collection
  • 1981-11-09

This oral history interview with Becky Johnson was conducted by Linda S. Dodds at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon, on November 19, 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, Johnson discusses her family background and early life in Bellevue, Ohio. She talks about her college experiences at Miami University in Ohio and at Wellesley College, and discusses her career as a teacher in Ohio and Michigan during the Depression, including her salary. She shares her reasons for leaving the teaching profession to join the U.S. Navy during World War II, and shares her experiences recruiting women for the Navy in Portland, Oregon. She closes the interview by briefly discussing her involvement in Oregon politics.

Johnson, Becky (Elizabeth Avery Hill), 1913-2007

Oral history interview with Margaret Biddle Parker

  • SR 9485
  • Collection
  • 1974-12-31 - 1975-01-15

This oral history interview with Margaret Biddle Parker was conducted by Charles Digregorio at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon, in two sessions, on December 31, 1974, and January 15, 1975, as part of the oral history program at the society's research library.

In the first interview session, conducted on December 31, 1974, Parker discusses her family background, particularly the life of her mother, Margaret Burrell Biddle. She talks about her early life in Portland, including her education at Catlin Gabel School. She also talks about spending formative years in Berlin, Germany. She discusses her college experience at the University of California in Berkeley, then talks about her marriage to Portland architect Jamieson Parker. She shares her experiences during the Depression.

In the second interview session, conducted on January 15, 1975, Parker discusses the life and career of Jamieson Parker, describes buildings he designed in the 1920s, and talks about his work for the Historic American Buildings Survey in the 1930s. She speaks about their marriage and family life, revisits the topic of the life of her mother, Margaret Burrell Biddle, and talks about her own social life and recreational activities. She closes the interview by discussing working and raising her children after Jamieson Parker's death in 1939, and by talking about her volunteer work after her retirement.

Parker, Margaret Biddle, 1898-1987

Ruth L. Van Beber oral memoir

  • SR 2083
  • Collection
  • 1992-10-12 - 1993-05-07

This oral memoir by Ruth L. Van Beber was recorded from October 12, 1992, to May 7, 1993. The memoir was recorded in twelve sessions.

In the first session, recorded on October 12, 1992, Van Beber introduces her memoir by sharing her reasons for recording her life story. She shares anecdotes about her early life in Albuquerque, New Mexico, including getting her smallpox vaccine at age 5. She then shares anecdotes about her early life in El Paso, Texas, including the transition from horses to cars at the fire department, witnessing racism, and meeting President William Howard Taft. She also talks about working in her father's candy store.

In the second session, recorded on October 24, 1992, Van Beber continues to discuss working in her father's candy store in El Paso, Texas. She describes being regularly beaten by her father; talks about the deaths, injuries, and overall health of her siblings and mother; and discusses her education and her teachers. She shares anecdotes about running away; about spending a few years at the Salvation Army Home for Wayward Girls, including stories about infant deaths and sexual abuse; and about attending business college and working as a secretary for the Interdepartmental Social Hygiene Board. She also talks about her marriage to Merton Floyd Stevenson. She shares anecdotes about the Holy Rollers, Chinese people in Texas, and witnessing Pancho Villa purchase guns in El Paso. She describes her experience with tuberculosis, and then talks about her life in Southern California, including bootlegging. She shares anecdotes about visits to San Francisco in the 1920s, a road trip in 1924, and living in Phoenix, Arizona. She describes an especially beautiful peach tree.

In the third session, recorded on November 12, 1992, Van Beber shares anecdotes about living in New York City in the late 1920s and the people she met there, including socialists and people in the gay community.

In the fourth session, recorded on November 13, 1992, Van Beber continues to talk about living in New York City in the late 1920s, including working at a candy counter and her experiences at the beginning of the Depression. She describes hitchhiking across the country in the 1930s.

In the fifth session, recorded on November 14, 1992, Van Beber continues to describe hitchhiking across the country in the 1930s. She talks about her marriage to Rosser Thomas Garrison, about dogs she owned, and about her life in Southern California. She then speaks about homesteading in Oregon.

In the sixth session, recorded on November 22, 1992, Van Beber continues to speak at length about her experiences while homesteading in Oregon. She also talks about working in a prune orchard, about her father's death and funeral, and about growing a vegetable garden.

In the seventh session, recorded on November 25, 1992, Van Beber continues to speak at length about her experiences while homesteading in Oregon. She shares anecdotes about baking bread, about her adopted children, and about building a school. She then talks about abandoning the children.

In the eighth session, recorded on December 14, 1992, Van Beber continues to talk about abandoning her adopted children. She shares anecdotes about working as an in-home nurse in San Francisco, including for a woman who had harmed her baby. She talks about briefly returning to her family in Oregon and about her life and work in Alaska during World War II. She also describes her experiences just after President Franklin D. Roosevelt's declaration of war, talks about her journey to Alaska, and speaks about running a cafe in Kodiak, Alaska. She describes the evacuation of Kodiak.

In the ninth session, recorded on December 15, 1992, Van Beber continues to describe the evacuation of Kodiak during World War II. She then talks about selling her cafe and leaving Kodiak. She shares anecdotes about life on a homestead in Homer, Alaska, including a story about accidentally starting a wildfire. She also talks about living in Seldovia, Alaska. She speaks at length about an afghan she treasured. She talks about the various health problems of Rosser T. Garrison that led them to relocate to Washington.

In the tenth session, recorded on December 22, 1992, Van Beber shares anecdotes about life in Cashmere, Washington, at the end of World War II, including caring for her mother and running another cafe. She revisits the topic of Rosser T. Garrison's problems with his health; shares her experiences after hearing about the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan; and describes the changes in Garrison's behavior as a result of his health issues. She then shares her experiences as a patient in a psychiatric hospital in Washington. She then talks about caring for Garrison after a stroke, about their divorce, and about her subsequent brief marriage with Cecil Carter. She describes remodeling her cafe and home in Cashmere. She discusses working in Bend, Oregon, meeting Chuck Van Beber, and then working in Moab, Utah. She speaks about returning to run the cafe in Cashmere and reconnecting with Chuck Van Beber.

In the eleventh session, recorded on December 27, 1992, Van Beber interrupts the tenth recording session to talk about the reception of her memoir by friends and family, to discuss her open marriages, and to share more anecdotes from her life on a homestead in Oregon. She describes her recent Christmas activities.

In the twelfth and final session, recorded on May 7, 1993, Van Beber shares her feelings upon hearing about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. She talks about returning to Alaska in the 1960s, about an artist she met in Seldovia, Alaska, and about her experiences during the 1964 earthquake. She describes the tsunami that followed. She talks about relocating to Eugene, Oregon.

Van Beber, Ruth L. (Ruth Leota), 1902-1994