Overview of the Collection
Biographical NoteT.J. Starker studied forestry at Oregon Agricultural College (OAC) and graduated in the first class of foresters from OAC in 1910. He earned an MS in forestry in 1912 from the University of Michigan. He returned to Oregon and worked for the U.S. Forest Service near Baker and in Portland and for the Western Pine Association. In 1922, he returned to Oregon Agricultural College as a professor of forestry, a position he held until 1942. During the 1930s, he began purchasing cutover timberland in the area of Marys Peak and the Coast Range near Corvallis, which became the extensive second-growth holdings of Starker Forests. Starker served on the Oregon State Board of Forestry, was elected a Fellow of the Society of American Foresters, and received numerous awards and honors. Starker was a prolific contributor of letters-to-the-editor to the Corvallis Gazette-Times and a civic leader. He was instrumental in leading a community effort to pave Van Buren Street in 1923 and to acquire Avery Park for the city. Content DescriptionThe T.J. Starker Collection consists of materials written and assembled by Starker, including newspapers clippings; letters-to-the editor and guest editorials written by Starker and submitted to the Corvallis Gazette-Times and other regional newspapers; correspondence; and autobiographical essays about Starker's student years at Oregon Agricultural College and the University of Michigan, his civic accomplishments, and forestry work. The bulk of the collection consists of newspaper clippings pertaining to the 1980-1982 eruptions of Mt. St. Helens, the Oregon economy during the early 1980s, Governor Vic Atiyeh, logging and the timber industry, Corvallis civic activities, and other newsworthy topics in the early 1980s. The clippings are roughly arranged in chronological order. Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Access :
Collection is open for research. Preferred Citation :T.J. Starker Collection, Oregon State University Archives, Corvallis, Oregon. Administrative Information
Processing Note :
This collection is not fully processed; this guide is preliminary. Acquisition Information :The materials were donated by Starker in numerous accessions between 1979 and 1982. Related Materials :The Memorabilia Collection includes biographical information on Starker and information on Starker Forests (MC-Starker, T.J.). The Horner Museum Oral History Collection (OH 10) includes an interview with Starker; the OSU Alumni Oral History Collection (OH 13) includes an oral history of Starker's daughter, Jean Starker Roth. The College of Forestry Records (RG 139) include materials pertaining to Starker's student and faculty years at Oregon State as well as his later contributions to forestry in Oregon. Photographs of Starker are part of the College of Forestry (P 061) and Faculty and Staff (P 046) Photographic Collections as well as Harriet's Collection. Subjects
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