Identity elements
Reference code
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
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Hawver, Nancy (Contributor)
- Tillamook County Creamery Association (Subject)
- Thornton, Robert Y. (Subject)