An audio recording of an oral history of Dora Stipe and her life in Beaverton, Oregon, recorded on October 27, 1982. Stipe had moved to Beaverton in 1911 with her sister, Iva, from Nebraska after visiting during the 1909 Fair in Seattle, the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition. Both Stipe and her sister taught at the Beaverton Grade School for seven years. Her sister taught first and second grade while Stipe taught third and fourth grade. Stipe talks about what they did for fun including movies, dances, tennis club, and going to Portland to see plays and shop for clothes. Stipe describes her years teaching and how she enjoyed it very much putting on different after school programs including plays for the parents. But, she did not return to it after she got married. Stipe and Iva got married at a double wedding in 1917. Iva married a contractor named Robert Summers. Mr. Stipe had moved to Beaverton in 1911, first working as a master plumber and then as a Ford dealer. They met at a Tennis Club Dance and after marrying, Stipe worked in her husband’s office. Her husband’s business grew well over the years. Stipe has lived in the same house since 1923 when they built it. There are sounds of a clock chiming once in the background, but otherwise, the voices are clearly audible. There is a full transcript attached with a summary of topics discussed in front.
An audio recording of an oral history of Albert Rossi. The original interview spanned two cassette tapes, but only the first tape has been found and digitized. There is a transcript of the full interview.
An audio recording of an oral history of Ivy Livermore Bany and her account of life in Beaverton from the early 1900s through the present. The audio is very faint in places and difficult to hear. There is a transcript of this interview.
An audio recording of an oral history of Ivy Livermore Bany and her account of life in Beaverton from the early 1900s through the present. The audio is very faint in places and difficult to hear. There is a transcript of this interview.
A transcript of an oral history of Marcy Tel on Century High School. Marcy Tell transferred to Century High School from Hillsboro High School and was the science department coordinator. At the time of the interview she worked with the National Honor Society which was started by counselor Lynn Miller. She also worked to restore the wetlands around Century High School for the study of wildlife and water testing. Yet another project of Ms. Tel was her help to start the tradition of Jag Fest in 1999 along with Pat Cochran and Linn Scheller. A Key was made by Erin Deff, Alex Kidbee, and teacher John Stotka in the metal fabrication lab which was used as a symbolic “handing over” from the seniors to the juniors.
An audio recording of an oral history of Clarence Buffam of his life in Beaverton, Oregon, recorded on October 28, 1982. Buffam came to Beaverton in 1941 and transferred from the Portland post office to the one in Beaverton in 1943. Eventually, he was promoted all the way to up to First Assistant Post Master and stayed there until he retired in June, 1970. Buffam was involved in the Boy Scouts, serving as scoutmaster for a couple years. He also volunteered for the fire department. Since he lived the closest to the department, he had the fire phone at his house. Buffam describes the drills and activities for training, who was hired, what the pay per fire was, and how the wellhouse was the most important thing to save in a fire. He remembers what Beaverton was like then and what his job at the post office entailed. Buffam states that the growth of the post office matches the growth of the town because the higher population demands greater postal services. The voices in the recording are clearly audible. Attached is a full transcript of the interview.
An audio recording of an oral history of Walt Schmitt, John Mulloy, and possibly Lee Brown on the history of the Laurel area. Sound is very poor, hard to discern what is said for about the first minute of the interview. Later passages are distorted. Each narrator is interviewed individually.
An audio recording of an oral history of Dale Scheller about his life in Beaverton, Oregon, during the Korean War. Scheller was born in Portland and grew up in Gresham, Oregon, on a dairy farm of 180 acres. By the start of the war, Scheller was married with a few kids and had a well-established dairy farm that was selling milk along nine different routes. Scheller describes what Hillsboro looked like in the 1950s, specifically regarding the school districts, the population growth, and the building of roads. He remembers the attitude toward the government being very patriotic and people wanting to take care of themselves. Scheller talks about how Communism restricted freedom and was not the right thing, but in giving a couple examples, how it could be better for some countries. Though being a farm boy, Scheller was aware of many things happening surrounding the war. He volunteered with the civil defense of the area in doing night watches on the grand stand. He knew people who fought in the war, but doesn’t remember any bomb drills or shelters in the area. Scheller comments on the different values that were held over the generations between the Korean War and the Vietnam War and how that affected how the wars were received. The biggest difference between the 1950s and contemporary to the recording for Scheller was the administration and how it was being run. Scheller finishes with talking about how the community has grown and how he would like the see the livability of the agricultural area continue to grow. Voices in the recording are clearly audible and there are random background noises such as a clock chiming and a phone ringing. The interview took place as part of the Century High School oral histories project.
An audio recording of an oral history of Gary Morton and his life in Portland, Oregon, during the 1950s. It was recorded on May 31, 2000, as part of an oral history project specifically looking at lives during the Korean War and the effects it had on people. Morton was born in California in the early 1940s and moved in time to go to grade school and high school in Portland, Oregon. He was about ten years old during the Korean War of 1950-1953. Growing up in a white, middle class family and community, the biggest thing that Morton remembers from the 1950s is discovering pizza. Morton did not have opinions on the war at the time because the US government was seen to be the good guys and could do no wrong. He, and others in his community, believed that it was important for the US to stop the spread of communism through the world. Morton talks about the strong fear of communism and bombs that people had. He remembers the TV announcements, siren warnings, hiding under a desk, bomb shelters and their information packets in preparation to survive a bomb. As a kid, Morton was aware of the possibility of radiation from the bombs because the government showed videos of the Japanese melting from the Nagasaki bomb during World War Two. There was an expectation that the US government would stop the bomb if one was seen coming. There was an equal fear of polio at the time, aggravated by the fact that the cause was unknown at that point. Morton remembers entertainment including going to the movies, picnics and going to the beach, and playing baseball. He remembers the standard clothing of jeans and white t-shirts with a buzzed haircut for men and girls wearing skirts and dresses. Morton describes the 1950s as an “Age of Innocence” since nobody at that time questioned anything. This “swallowing of facts” included everything from the war to the sports heroes that he read about in the newspapers. He compares it to today, where everybody questions everything.
An audio recording of an oral history of Ron Howe on the Korean War. In this interview, Howe discusses his war experiences, stories, and friends who died. He won medals and went to college on the GI bill. Howe believes that kids today not as patriotic or disciplined.
An audio recording of an oral history of Jane Dykslag of her life in Beaverton, Oregon, during the Korean War recorded on May 30, 2000. Dykslag was in her late twenties during the Korean War living in Washington County. Prior to the war, she was teaching primary grades at Skyline School in Multnomah County, but during the war, she switched to substitute teaching. She recounts doing bomb drills with her students, but does not remember any bomb shelters in the area. There was a lot of talk about communism then, but personally, Dykslag did not fear it. She describes how they were trying to recruit more people to join the war effort and was afraid of her husband having to go when he had already fought in the South Pacific. Outside of the communism issue, Dykslag believes that people trusted the US government more back then than now because today, there is more talk of politics in the media. The interview occurred as a part of the Century High School oral histories project. The voices in the recording are clearly audible.
An audio recording of an oral history of Carl Burnett on the Korean War. Burnett talks about his experiences in the Air Force and the training he received; his feelings when he entered Korean War, his opinions about the enemy, South Koreans, Truman and MacArthur. He discusses the Atomic bomb and being stationed in Nevada in 1958 and witnessing the blast. He also made trips to Bikini Island.
An audio recording of an oral history of Helen E. Pape on the Korean War. In the interview, Pape discusses the Cold War and her recollections of the Portland community and its attitudes towards government, Communism and Joseph McCarthy. She mentions Portland as a strategic target in the Cold War. Pape also talks about entertainment and the media in the 1950s.
An audio recording of an oral history of Walter McKinney on the Korean War. McKinney talks about his life in Hillsboro in the early 1950s and his time at the University of Oregon in Eugene. He recalls being an aircraft observer for Hillsboro and the fear of missile bombing. He discusses the Korean War, World War II, and the Cold War as well as General MacArthur and President Truman. McKinney also talks about the effects of the polio epidemic.
An audio recording of an oral history of Leonard Peshka on the Korean War. Peshka discusses his whereabouts 1950-1953 and life in Hillsboro, Communism and the Red Scare, the possibility of nuclear attacks in the Portland area, and civil defense. He talks about the Korean War and its local impact, and compares the Korean War with World War II. He was stationed in New Guinea in World War II. Peshka also talks about the polio epidemic and entertainment in 1950s.
An audio recording of an oral history of Earl and Mari Jewel Ficken on the Korean War. The Fickens were high school age during this period, residing in Hillsboro and the St. Johns neighborhood of Portland, which were both farming communities at that time. They share recollections of farm work, school, neighborhood unity, and security. They discuss the media's influence on Communism and war, and discuss the effects of the war on the local economy.
An audio recording of an oral history of Jane Lamb on the Korean War. Lamb discusses life in the Beaverton area, mentions the Aloha Theater, Beeches Market, the Beaver Theater, Beaverton High School, Reedville Caf
An audio recording of an oral history of Gale Schnieder on the Korean War. Schnieder iscusses his induction into the army in 1950, training at Camp Polk and Japan, then into Korea. He worked as a mail clerk. He was aware of the nuclear threat and familiar with Communism, but kept clear of propaganda. Schnieder discusses local efforts for war, not political. He was exposed to polio as a child but never got the disease. He describes Hillsboro as an average American community.
