Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Item
Title
Interview with Patricia C. Koehler [Sound Recording 01]
Date(s)
- 1981-06-18 (Creation)
Extent
Audiocassette; 00:30:12
Name of creator
Biographical history
Patricia Cain Koehler, nee Patricia Marie Cain, was born in Bend, Oregon, in 1925. In 1930, her family relocated to Portland. During World War II, she worked as an electrician in the Kaiser shipyards in Vancouver, Washington. In 1947, she and Frank T. Koehler were married; they later had four children. She later earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Portland State University. She died in 2010.
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Scope and content
Tape 1, Side 1. This oral history interview with Patricia C. Koehler was conducted by Sandra Cook at Koehler’s home in Portland, Oregon, on June 18, 1981. In this interview, Koehler describes how she came to work as an electrician in the Kaiser shipyards in Vancouver, Washington, during World War II and shares her experiences as a woman worker in the shipyards. She discusses the job duties of an electrician, describes a typical day in the shipyards, and talks about the protective gear she wore. She discusses her wages, the people she worked with, and the dangers of the job. She shares her experience working the graveyard shift, talks about her commute, and discusses her social life. She then talks about her college experiences at Reed College and Portland State University, and about her children, their families, and their careers.
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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/
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Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
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Finding aids
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Access points
Subject access points
- Shipbuilding industry--Oregon--Portland
- World War, 1939-1945--Women--Oregon--Portland
- Women--Employment--Oregon--Portland
- Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation—Employees
- Henry J. Kaiser Company—Employees
- Kaiser Company (Portland, Or.)--Employees
- Kaiser Company, Inc. (Vancouver, Wash.)--Employees
- Commercial Iron Works (Portland, Or.)--Employees
Place access points
Name access points
- Cook, Sandra (Contributor)