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Oral history interview with Rick Harmon

  • SR 2531
  • Collection
  • 2001-10-17 - 2001-11-14

This oral history interview with Rick Harmon was conducted by Jim Strassmaier at Harmon's home in Portland, Oregon, in two sessions, on October 17 and November 14, 2001, as part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library's oral history program. Tape 6 of the interview is missing, but its contents are included in a transcript.

In the first interview session, conducted on October 17, 2001, Harmon discusses how he became interested in history while a student at the University of California, San Diego. He also talks about his marriage to Candice Gaucher. He then discusses his graduate school experience at Columbia University in New York, and shares his reasons for returning to UCSD, as well as his reasons for leaving graduate school to work in publishing. He then speaks about his work for the oral history program at the University of California, Los Angeles, in the early 1980s, including editing transcripts and conducting interviews. He also discusses the people he worked with. He describes his experience interviewing Lynn Townsend White, Jr. He then shares his reasons for accepting the job of oral historian at the Oregon Historical Society in 1984. Harmon then speaks at length about his work as OHS oral historian from 1984 to 1986. He talks about reviving the oral history program after a year-long hiatus, about changes he made to the program, and about people he worked with. He also discusses interviews he conducted, particularly with Monroe Sweetland and Gus Solomon; talks about using oral history interviews in articles he later wrote for Oregon Historical Quarterly as the journal's editor; and shares his interviewing methods. He then shares his experiences during and after his divorce in 1985, including being hospitalized for depression and experiencing suicidal thoughts.

In the second interview session, conducted on November 14, 2001, Harmon further discusses interviews he conducted, particularly with Kathryn Bogle and William East. He talks about the partnership between the OHS oral history program and the U.S. District Court of Oregon Historical Society. He then talks about the one-year period when he worked both as editor of Oregon Historical Quarterly and as the OHS oral historian, and shares his reasons for leaving the oral historian position in 1986. He describes the transition of the oral historian job to Jim Strassmaier. He closes the interview by talking about his relationships with Thomas Vaughan and Chet Orloff.

Harmon, Rick

Oral history interview with Charles Digregorio

  • SR 2527
  • Collection
  • 2001-04-04

This oral history interview with Charles Digregorio was conducted by Jim Strassmaier in Portland, Oregon, on April 4, 2001, as part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library's oral history program. A transcript is available.

In this interview, Digregorio describes how he became the first oral historian at the Oregon Historical Society and talks about his experience studying oral history at Columbia University in New York, New York. He talks about oral history interviews he conducted for the historical society, particularly a series of interviews regarding Willamette Industries; shares his interviewing process; and discusses how the oral history program was funded. He shares his reasons for leaving the Oregon Historical Society. He closes the interview by talking about the people he worked with at the society's research library.

Digregorio, Charles

Oral history interview with Linda S. Dodds

  • SR 2528
  • Collection
  • 2001-03-16

This oral history interview with Linda S. Dodds was conducted by Jim Strassmaier on March 16, 2001, as part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library's oral history program.

In this interview, Dodds discusses her family background and early life in Springfield and Eugene, Oregon. She talks about studying journalism at the University of Oregon, about her marriage to John S. Brody, and about completing her bachelor's degree at Portland State University. She shares her experiences co-authoring a book on the history of Cedar Mill, Oregon, and talks about how those experiences led to her interest in oral history. She describes how she became the oral historian at the Oregon Historical Society in 1979. She talks about people she worked with in the research library, about changes she made to the oral history program, and about how the program was funded. She shares her reasons for resigning in 1982, and talks about her activities after leaving the historical society, including earning a master's degree from Oregon State University and serving as director of a now-closed museum about the history of cowboys in Eastern Oregon, which was located in Northeast Portland in the 1990s.

Dodds, Linda S.

Oral history interview with Norma Paulus

  • SR 3972
  • Collection
  • 1999-02-10 - 2000-11-02

This oral history interview with Norma Paulus was conducted by Clark Hansen at Paulus's home in Salem, Oregon, in Lincoln City, Oregon, and in Portland, Oregon; and at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon, from February 10, 1999, to November 2, 2000, and from February 10 to 27, 2010. In the interview, Paulus discusses her family background and early life in Burns, Oregon, including life during World War II and contracting polio at the age of 19. She also discusses working as a secretary for the Harney County district attorney, Leland Beckham; moving to Salem to work for a law firm; working for Judge Earl Latourette; and going to law school. Paulus describes meeting Bill Paulus while attending law school; his family background; and their marriage. Paulus discusses her involvement with the Republican Party; working as an appellate lawyer for the Oregon Supreme Court; working on Wally Carson's campaign for the Oregon Legislature in 1965; and getting her first political appointment, to the Marion County Boundary Commission, where she focused on land-use and city planning issues. She focuses on managing a career in law and politics while raising two young children and building a house.

She then discusses her time in the Oregon House of Representatives, from 1970 to 1976, including environmental issues such as the Bottle Bill of 1971 and recycling; education; the criminal code; taxes; attempts to make Cape Kiwanda a state park; and the Rajneeshees. Paulus goes into detail about the women's caucus and the bills they focused on for women's rights, as well as efforts to pass the Equal Rights Amendment. She describes working with Bob Smith, Paul Hanneman, Betty Roberts, Stafford Hansell, Jack Anunsen, Wally Priestly, Dick Eymann, Lynn Newbry, Glenn Jackson, Jason Boe, and Gretchen Kafoury. She also talks about being co-chair for Clay Myers' 1974 race for Oregon governor.

Paulus goes on to speak about her time as Oregon's first woman secretary of state from 1977 to 1985, including her first campaign in 1976 against Blaine Whipple; her efforts to increase voter turnout; and conducting audits, particularly of the Forestry Department. She also discusses the secretary of state's role as state archivist and the conflict between the Oregon State Archives and the Oregon Historical Society over which records belong with which institution. She also discusses working with Governor Vic Atiyeh. Paulus discusses running for governor against Neil Goldschmidt in 1986 and the challenges her campaign faced. She discusses her position on the Northwest Power Planning Council from 1987 to 1990, including working with Ted Hallock and Bob Duncan. She also discusses her position as Oregon superintendent of public instruction from 1990 to 1999, including her efforts to fund K-12 education. Paulus also relates a story about sharing an airplane with Moshe Dayan.

Paulus, Norma

Oral history interview with Thomas Vaughan

  • SR 2090
  • Collection
  • 1995-10-01 - 1996-12-02

This oral history interview with Thomas Vaughan was conducted by Sieglinde Smith at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon, from October 1, 1995, to December 2, 1996, as part of the historical society's oral history program. The interview was conducted in nine sessions. Tape 17 is missing, and Tape 25, the final cassette of the interview recording, was removed from the collection by Vaughan at the time of the interview.

In the first interview session, conducted on October 1, 1995, Vaughan discusses his family background and early life in Seattle, Washington; near Kelso, Washington; and in Longview, Washington, including his education, his family's experience during the Depression, and working in sawmills as a teenager. He talks about his service in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1943 to 1945, about his education at Yale University, and about working for the Macmillan Company after graduation. He describes a trip to Alaska, and talks about working in the Southwest in the 1940s. He then talks about his experiences at the University of Wisconsin.

In the second interview session, conducted on November 6, 1995, Vaughan shares additional anecdotes about the time he spent in Alaska, the Southwest, and Madison, Wisconsin. He briefly discusses his service as director of the Rock Creek Historical Society in Janesville, Wisconsin, and shares his reasons for accepting the job of executive director of the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon, in 1954. He speaks at length about his early years at OHS, describes the condition of the library and museum, and talks about changes he made. He talks about his role in the establishment of the Fort Clatsop National Memorial; about working with the OHS board members, including David T. Mason and Tom McCall; and about the 1959 Oregon state centennial. He discusses selecting and purchasing the site for the OHS building on the Southwest Park Blocks in downtown Portland in the 1960s, and describes how OHS came to own the entire block between SW Jefferson, Madison, Broadway, and Park.

In the third interview session, conducted on November 8, 1995, Vaughan continues to discuss his service as executive director of OHS. He talks about the relationship between OHS and other archives in Oregon during his early years; about fundraising for the building construction on Southwest Park Avenue in the 1960s; and about working with Pietro Belluschi as consulting architect on the design of the museum and library. He also discusses OHS's relationship with Oregon governors Mark Hatfield and Tom McCall, as well as with the Legislature. He talks about developing collection security and preservation policies for the museum and library, about OHS's storage facilities, including the Meier & Frank building and the Oregon Journal building, and about moving the collections to the new building. He discusses building the OHS archival collection, including traveling to Siberia in 1968 for materials.

In the fourth interview session, conducted on November 13, 1995, Vaughan continues to discuss his service as executive director of OHS. He speaks further about his travels to Siberia to collect archival materials, and talks about forming relationships with Russian archives. He discusses cultivating relationships with donors; speaks further and at length about building the OHS archival collection, and talks about OHS's relationship with governors Bob Straub and Vic Atiyeh, with Portland mayors, and with Multnomah County government. He also talks about the preservation of the Bybee House on Sauvie Island. He speaks about his personal philosophy and managerial style.

In the fifth interview session, conducted on December 18, 1995, Vaughan continues to discuss his service as executive director of OHS. He talks about his involvement in historic preservation of buildings in Portland, and revisits the topics of the construction of the OHS building on Southwest Park Avenue and the purchase of the Sovereign Hotel. He talks about his reasons for retiring in 1989, about the North Pacific Studies program at OHS, and about the selection of his successor, Bill Tramposch. He speaks further about cultivating relationships with donors.

In the sixth interview session, conducted on December 19, 1995, Vaughan discusses his activities since his retirement. He talks about his house in Skamokawa, Washington, and describes the surrounding area.

In the seventh interview session, conducted on May 6, 1996, Vaughan continues to talk about the area of Skamokawa, Washington. He returns to the topic of his service as executive director of OHS. He talks about building, cataloging, and preserving the OHS collections, about cultivating relationships with donors, and about some of the collections acquired during his tenure.

In the eighth interview session, conducted on May 7, 1996, Vaughan continues to discuss some of the collections acquired during his time as OHS executive director, and about cultivating relationships with donors. He talks about working with the OHS board, about OHS staff members, and about his work with the Oregon Humanities Commission and the American Association for State and Local History. He also talks about serving on the American Heritage Publishing Company board, and about his involvement with other museum-related organizations.

In the ninth and final interview session, conducted on December 2, 1996, Vaughan discusses creating a film about the Crimean War of 1853, "The Crimean War: A Clash of Empires." He talks about what he looked for in hiring staff at OHS, discusses the field of public history, and reflects on his accomplishments as OHS executive director. He talks about OHS's role in public education. He closes the interview by discussing the OHS museum collections and the work of George Himes, OHS's first director.

Vaughan, Thomas, 1924-2013

Rick Harmon radio interview

  • SR 601
  • Collection
  • 1989-02-14

This interview with Rick Harmon was conducted by Bob Griggs at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon, on February 14, 1989. The interview was conducted for Oregon Public Broadcasting's Hotline radio program. This recording aired on the Portland radio station KOPB as part of the Golden Hours series, a reading service for blind and visually impaired people that ran from 1975 to 2009.

In this interview, Harmon discusses his work as editor of Oregon Historical Quarterly. He talks about the kinds of articles the journal publishes, and describes how styles for writing about history have changed. He discusses planning themed issues, including an issue on Black history. He talks about the mission of the Oregon Historical Society and the work that OHS and Quarterly staff do to fulfill that mission. He closes the interview by discussing the process for submitting articles to the Quarterly and for donating items to the OHS museum and library.

Harmon, Rick

Oral history interview with Barbara Elliott Davies

  • SR 9372
  • Collection
  • 1976-07-18

This oral history interview with Barbara Elliott Davies was conducted by Charles Digregorio at Davies' home in Portland, Oregon, on July 18, 1976, as part of the oral history program at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

In this interview, Davies discusses the life of her father, Thompson Coit Elliott (1862-1943), a former executive director of the Oregon Historical Society. She also talks about her grandfather, John Euclid Elliott (1829-1888), and his role in the development of Walla Walla, Washington. She discusses her work for Oregon Historical Quarterly, the journal of the Oregon Historical Society; and talks about working with her father to acquire collections for the historical society, particularly the Protestant Ladder.

Davies, Barbara Elliott, 1902-1981