Oregon State University Alumni Oral History Collection, 2005-2008

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Oregon State University. University Archives.
Title
Oregon State University Alumni Oral History Collection
Dates
2005-2008 (inclusive)
Quantity
0.15 cubic foot, including 22 photographs, (1 box)
6 sound files and 5 document files, (40 Mbytes)
Collection Number
OH 13
Summary
The Oregon State University Alumni Oral History Collection documents an oral history project coordinated by the Oregon State University Archives and interviews conducted with three Oregon State alumni - Richard Gilkey, Robert Mace, and Jean Starker Roth. The collection includes sound recordings of interviews, transcriptions, release agreements, and related materials.
Repository
Oregon State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives Research Center
Special Collections and Archives Research Center
121 The Valley Library
Oregon State University
Corvallis OR
97331-4501
Telephone: 5417372075
Fax: 5417378674
scarc@oregonstate.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Languages
English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

The University Archives was established at Oregon State University in 1961 as a department of the Library. From the early 1970s until 2000, the Archives was part of the OSU central administration. In 2000, the Archives became a department of the University Libraries and moved into the Valley Library in 2003. The Archives had a short-lived oral history program in 1980 and acquired recordings and transcripts of oral history interviews conducted by Oregon State students and faculty beginning in the 1970s. This and several other oral history projects were undertaken by the Archives beginning in 2004 in an effort to revive the oral history program.

Richard W. Gilkey attended Oregon State College from 1948 to 1953 and earned his BS in Science Education in 1951 and MS in Education in 1953. He was one of the first student photographers to document campus life; many of his photographs were published in the Beaver yearbooks and Oregon Stater alumni magazine. Gilkey was Supervisor of Audiovisual Education for the Portland Public Schools beginning in 1966 and Director of Educational Media from 1972 until his retirement in 1993. Gilkey donated photographs he made during his student years to the Archives in 2004 and 2005. An exhibit of his work was held on campus in 2005.

Robert U. Mace graduated from Oregon State College in 1942 with a degree in Game Management and a minor in Range Management. He served in the Navy in World War II and then began his career with the Oregon State Game Commission as a biologist. He served as Chief of the Big Game Division for 12 years, Chief of the Upland Game Division, and also headed the Wildlife Habitat Program. In 1969, he became Chief of the Wildlife Division and was appointed Depty Director in 1976, a position he held until his retirement in 1981. Mace coined the term "Watchable Wildlife" and championed funding for research and conservation of nongame species.

Jean Starker earned a BS in Home Economics Education from Oregon State College in 1942. She taught for two years after graduation at Blue River High School and then worked for the OSU Extension Service's Clatsop County Office for four years. Jean is the daughter of T.J. Starker, Oregon State forestry alumnus, faculty member, and timberman. She married Kermit Roth in 1948 and is an active Corvallis community volunteer, philanthropist, and Oregon State University supporter. Jean Starker Roth received the E.B. Lemon Distinguished Alumni Award in 2001.

Warren Aney earned a BS in Fish and Game Management in 1958 and an MA in Ecological Statistics in 1971 from Oregon State. He worked for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and as a consultant.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Oregon State University Alumni Oral History Collection documents an oral history project coordinated by the Oregon State University Archives. The collection includes interviews conducted with three OSU alumni -- Richard Gilkey, Robert Mace, and Jean Starker Roth -- in 2005-2007. The materials consists of digital sound recordings, transcripts, release agreements, and related documentation. Some of the digital sound recordings are available on CD; others will be made available to patrons on CD upon request. The sound files are in *.msv and *.cda formats

The Richard Gilkey and 2005 Jean Starker Roth interviews were conducted by Wade Houck. Warren Aney conducted the 2005 interview of Robert Mace. The 2007 interviews of Jean Starker Roth were conducted by Maia Fischler of LifeWriter Personal Histories.

The interviews of Richard Gilkey address his student years at Oregon State College, his work as a student photographer, and his career as an educator. Gilkey talks in detail about some of the photographs he took as well as the technical details of taking photographs and making photographic prints. The collection includes digital sound files of the interviews and a transcript.

Robert Mace was interviewed on October 25, 2005. Mace describes his work in game management from the late 1940s until the early 1980s for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, especially his work with bighorn sheep and in developing the Watchable Wildlife program. The collection includes sound recordings on CD of the interviews, a summary of the interview, and photographs of Mace at his home in Central Point, Oregon.

The interviews of Jean Starker Roth were conducted in 2005 and 2007 and address a wide range of topics including her childhood in Corvallis and her relationship with her father, T.J. Starker; her student years at Oregon State; her work in Blue River, Oregon, and Clatsop County after graduation; life on the homefront during World War II; her husband, children, and grandchildren; her real estate and business ventures; and her many volunteer and philanthropic activities in Corvallis and at Oregon State University. The 2007 interviews formed the basis of Do Unto Others: Memories from a Lifetime of Active Involvement by Jean Starker Roth and published by LifeWriter. The collection includes digital sound files for the 2005 interviews; sound recordings on CD of the 2007 interviews; and transcripts of the interviews.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

Oregon State University Alumni Oral History Collection (OH 13), Oregon State University Archives, Corvallis, Oregon.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Future Additions

Additions to the collection are expected.

Related Materials

Oral histories of other Oregon State alumni are included with other oral history collections in the Archives' holdings. The Alumni Association Records (RG 035), Photographs (P 017), and Motion Picture Films and Videotapes (FV P 017) provide extensive documentation of Oregon State alumni.

The Richard W. Gilkey Photographs (P 252) consist of images taken by Gilkey during his student years that were donated to the Archives in 2005.

Jean Starker Roth's memoir, Do Unto Others: Memories from a Lifetime of Active Involvement, is available in the Oregon State University Libraries' collection. The Archives' holdings also include the T.J. Starker Collection.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Bighorn sheep--Oregon.
  • College environment--Oregon--Corvallis.
  • Photography--Oregon--Corvallis.
  • Student activities--Oregon--Corvallis.
  • Wildlife management--Oregon.
  • Wildlife watching--Oregon.
  • Women philanthropists--Oregon--Biography.

Personal Names

  • Starker, T. J. (Thurman James), 1890-1983.

Corporate Names

  • Oregon State College--Alumni and alumnae.
  • Oregon State College--Students.
  • Oregon State University--Alumni and alumnae.
  • Oregon. Dept. of Fish and Wildlife.

Geographical Names

  • Corvallis (Or.)

Form or Genre Terms

  • Compact discs.
  • Digital photographs.
  • Oral histories (document genres)

Other Creators

  • Personal Names
    • Aney, Warren W. (creator)
    • Fischler, Maia. (creator)
    • Gilkey, Richard William. (interviewee)
    • Houck, Wade. (creator)
    • Mace, Robert U. (interviewee)
    • Roth, Jean Starker. (interviewee)