Oral history interview with Dorothy H. Thornton

Oral history interview with Dorothy H. Thornton [Session 01, Recording 01] Oral history interview with Dorothy H. Thornton [Session 01, Recording 02] Oral history interview with Dorothy H. Thornton [Session 01, Recording 03] Oral history interview with Dorothy H. Thornton [Session 01, Recording 04] Oral history interview with Dorothy H. Thornton [Session 02, Recording 01] Oral history interview with Dorothy H. Thornton [Session 02, Recording 02] Oral history interview with Dorothy H. Thornton [Session 03] Oral history interview with Dorothy H. Thornton [Session 04, Recording 01] Oral history interview with Dorothy H. Thornton [Session 04, Recording 02]

Identity elements

Reference code

SR 1076

Name and location of repository

Level of description

Collection

Title

Oral history interview with Dorothy H. Thornton

Date(s)

  • 1991-09-10 - 1991-12-13 (Creation)

Extent

.1 cubic feet; 5 audiocassettes (4 hr., 31 sec.)

Name of creator

Biographical history

Dorothy Haberlach Thornton, nee Dorothy Marie Haberlach, was born in Tillamook, Oregon, in 1913. In 1937, she and Robert Y. Thornton were married; they later had one child. She was a painter and was active in many Oregon organizations, including the Portland Art Museum, the Salem Art Association, the Arts in Oregon Council, and the Watercolor Society of Oregon. In 1991, she was named Art Citizen of the Year by the Oregon Arts Commission. She died in 2005.

Content and structure elements

Scope and content

This oral history interview with Dorothy H. Thornton was conducted by Nancy Hawver from September 10 to December 13, 1991, as part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library's oral history program. The interview was conducted in four sessions.

In the first interview session, conducted on September 10, 1991, Thornton discusses her family background and early life in Tillamook, Oregon, including her parents' involvement with the Tillamook Creamery Association. She talks about her early education, her recreational activities, and her early interest in art. She discusses a trip she took to Europe in 1935. She talks about her experiences in high school and at the University of Oregon. She also revisits the topics of the Tillamook Creamery Association and her early life in Tillamook. She discusses her marriage to Robert Y. Thornton and talks about his legal and political career.

In the second interview session, conducted on October 17, 1991, Thornton discusses her experience during World War II and talks about working in the blimp factory in Tillamook. She also talks about Robert Y. Thornton's service in the U.S. Army during the war. She discusses Robert Y. Thornton's study of Japanese and her own study of art. She then discusses living in Tillamook at the end of the war, talks about her involvement in the Tillamook Library Board, and about raising her son, Thomas Wells Thornton.

In the third interview session, conducted on November 22, 1991, Thornton discusses living in Salem after Robert Y. Thornton was elected to the Oregon State Legislature in 1950 and talks about her experiences as a wife of a politician, her involvement with the Bush House Auxiliary, and her interest in art and photography. She also talks about cases Robert Y. Thornton worked on as state attorney general.

In the fourth and final interview session, conducted on December 13, 1991, Thornton continues to discuss living in Salem, including her involvement in early childhood education. She also continues to discuss Robert Y. Thornton's career as state attorney general. She talks about her involvement in the Arts in Oregon Council and other arts organizations; describes her cornea transplant surgery; and discusses taking art classes. She talks about a trip she took to Japan in the late 1950s, about attending attorneys general conventions, and about the establishment of the Grove of the States in 1967. She closes the interview by discussing her involvement with the Portland Art Museum and other arts organizations.

System of arrangement

Conditions of access and use elements

Conditions governing access

Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Physical access

Technical access

Conditions governing reproduction

Languages of the material

  • English

Scripts of the material

Language and script notes

Finding aids

Acquisition and appraisal elements

Custodial history

Immediate source of acquisition

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information

Accruals

Related materials elements

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related archival materials

Related descriptions

Notes element

General note

Preferred citation: Oral history interview with Dorothy H. Thornton, by Nancy Hawver, SR 1076, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Specialized notes

Alternative identifier(s)

Description control element

Rules or conventions

Finding aid based on DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard), 2nd Edition.

Sources used

Archivist's note

Sarah Stroman

Access points

Name access points

Accession area