Oral history interview with Mira H. Ehrman

Oral history interview with Mira H. Ehrman [Sound Recording]

Identity elements

Reference code

SR 9434

Name and location of repository

Level of description

Collection

Title

Oral history interview with Mira H. Ehrman

Date(s)

  • 1976-01-20 (Creation)

Extent

0.1 cubic feet; 1 audiotape reel (1 hr., 1 min., 21 sec.)

Name of creator

Biographical history

Mira Harris Ehrman, nee Mira A. Harris, was born in San Francisco, California, in 1892. She attended the University of California at Berkeley, and earned a bachelor's degree in Greek and a master's degree in archaeology. In 1919, she moved to Portland, Oregon, and that same year she and Symund Mason Ehrman were married; they later had two children. The next year, she became involved with the Oregon Social Hygiene Society. She was a Red Cross volunteer and was active in numerous Portland civic organizations, including the Council of Jewish Women, the Visiting Nurses Association, the Oregon Mental Hygiene Society, the Fruit and Flower Mission, the Family Service Committee, and the Portland Garden Club. In 1942, she helped found the Portland USO (United Service Organizations), and in 1970, she was the first woman to be awarded the National USO Award for Distinguished Service. She was also chosen as the First Person of Portland in 1966. She died in 1982.

Sources: Vital records on Ancestry.com; information provided by Ehrman in her interview.

Content and structure elements

Scope and content

This oral history interview with Mira H. Ehrman was conducted by Charles Digregorio at Ehrman's home in Portland, Oregon, on January 20, 1976, as part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library's oral history program.

In this interview, Ehrman discusses her involvement with the Oregon Social Hygiene Society, the Mental Hygiene Society, the Fruit and Flower Mission, the Portland Symphony, Catlin Gabel School, and other organizations. She also talks about her early life in the San Francisco Bay Area, including her education at the University of California at Berkeley, her experience during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and her work at a medical clinic. She discusses fundraising for the various civic organizations she was involved in, talks about awards she received, and shares her knowledge about Portland Mayor William Spencer Mason. She speaks at length about her involvement with the USO and also describes her work organizing 500 women volunteers during World War II.

System of arrangement

Conditions of access and use elements

Conditions governing access

Joint copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society and the estate of Mira H. Ehrman. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright – Non-Commercial Use Permitted, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-NC/1.0/

Physical access

Technical access

Conditions governing reproduction

Languages of the material

  • English

Scripts of the material

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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

Mira H. Ehrman papers, Mss 2966, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Related descriptions

Notes element

General note

Preferred citation: Oral history interview with Mira H. Ehrman, by Charles Digregorio, SR 9434, 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

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Accession area