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Ronda Skubi oral history collection, 1973-1995
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Skubi, Ronda
- Title
- Ronda Skubi oral history collection
- Dates
- 1973-1995 (inclusive)19751990
- Quantity
- 0.37 cubic feet (1 box) including 13 sound cassettes, 1 videocassette, 20 color slides, and textual materials
- Collection Number
- PH2019-028
- Summary
- Oral history collection conducted by Ronda Skubi, a University of Washington alum from the University of Washington Department of Landscape Architecture
- Repository
-
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Access restricted: For terms of access, contact University of Washington Libraries Special Collections.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Ronda Skubi was born in 1947 to parents Kazimir and Marjorie Skubi. Ronda Skubi grew up in Seattle, attending the University of Washington and graduating in 1975 with a degree in landscape architecture. Skubi married Edward Sheets in 1981.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Thirteen 90-minute audiocassette tapes of interviews conducted by Skubi for a paper entitled Women in Landscape Architecture, written for the University of Washington Department of Landscape Architecture in 1975, featuring: Mai Arbegast, Lucille Biesbroeck, Mary Booth, Elizabeth Brazeau, Patricia Carlisle, Marcia Dawson, Barbara Fealy, Dorothy Hussey, Ann Janelli, Helaine Kaplan, Jean Walton, and Roberta Wightman. Sheet of 20 color slides shows various views of gardens designed by landscape architect Barbara Fealy (featured in Skubi's recordings). Also includes an obituary, videocassette, and other ephemeral materials about Roberta Wightman (also featured in Skubi's recordings).
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Status of creator's copyrights is unknown; restrictions may exist on copying, quotation, or publication. Users are responsible for researching copyright status before use.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Interview subjectsReturn to Top
Interviews with 12 women landscape architects conducted by Ronda Skubi for her manuscript Women in Landscape Architecture. Transcripts of each interview are included in Skubi's manuscript.
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Audio recordings of interviews 10 interviews; 13 audiocassettes
|
|||
Box | item | ||
1 | 1 | Mai Arbegast interview Mai Kitazawa Arbegast (1922-2012) was a landscape architect
and professor based in Berkeley, California.Mai Kitazawa grew up in San Jose, California, where her family
operated the Kitazawa Seed Company. She and her family were incarcerated at the
Heart Mountain Relocation Center in Wyoming during World War II. Despite this,
she enrolled at Oberlin College in Ohio and earned her bachelor’s degree in
botany and ecology in 1945. She continued with her education, receiving
master’s degrees in ornamental horticulture from Cornell University and
landscape architecture from University of California Berkeley. She married
David Arbegast, a fellow landscape architect whom she met at Berkeley. She went
on to teach horticulture and landscape design classes at Berkeley for 12 years
until 1966. She then went into private practice as a landscape architect and
consultant. During her career, she was involved in many professional
organizations and in expanding the gardens at the Filoli Historic House &
Garden.
In this interview Mai Arbegast discusses her education and
career in horticulture and landscape design. This career included twelve years
as a professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture at Berkeley as well
as her own private practice and consultation work. Subjects addressed include
Arbegast’s childhood, incarceration during WWII, influencing figures throughout
her career, current projects and work with various organizations, her family,
and women in the profession of landscape architecture.
|
1975 |
1 | 2 | Lucille Biesbroeck
interview Lucille Biesbroeck (1948- ) is a landscape architect based in
California. Biesbroeck grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area of
California. In 1966, she began studying landscape architecture at the
University of California, Berkeley, in the School of Environmental Design. As a
student, she worked at the landscape architecture firm of John Vogley. After
graduating with her BLA from Berkeley, she began working at the firm of
Royston, Hanamoto, Beck & Abey as a landscape architect in 1971.
In this interview Lucille Biesbroeck discusses her education
and emerging career in landscape architecture in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Topics discussed include childhood and influences in her career choice,
educational experience at Berkeley, work experience at multiple landscape
architectural firms, past and current work projects, connecting with clients
and other professionals in the field, career goals, women in the profession of
landscape architecture, as well as her personal life and interests.
|
1975 |
1 | 3 | Mary Booth interview Mary Booth (1942- ) was one of the early graduates of the
landscape architecture program at the University of Washington, receiving her
BLA in 1965. Booth grew up in the Portland area of Oregon. She worked in
the office of Richard Haag Associates at a time when the Seattle landscape
architecture profession was expanding and being energized. She has worked for
several other private firms in the Seattle area and as a consultant for King
County.
In this interview Mary Booth discusses her education and
career as a landscape architect in the Seattle area. She describes people and
events growing up that influenced her interest in landscape architecture. She
also describes being a student in the newly founded landscape architecture
program at the University of Washington in the mid-1960s, including professors
Richard Haag and Don Sakuma. Other topics include her work at Richard Haag
Associates, Jongejan/Gerrard/Associates, and other private landscape
architecture firms. She elaborates on the landscape architecture profession as
a whole, including ability to take time off, balancing work and home life, and
women in the profession.
|
1975 |
1 | 4-5 | Elizabeth Brazeau
interview Elizabeth Brazeau (1910-1980) was a self-taught landscape
architect in the Seattle area. Born Elizabeth Wallon, she grew up in Seattle. She attended
the University of Washington where she graduated with a degree in fine arts and
met her husband, Wendell Brazeau. She began practicing landscape architecture
in her forties after studying plants and landscape design extensively on her
own and through lecture courses. She worked predominantly on residential
projects, although also undertook public projects and consulting during her
career.
In this interview Elizabeth Brazeau discusses her self-taught
education and career in landscape architecture in the Seattle area. She
discusses early interests and influences as well as her educational background
and entrance into the landscape architecture profession. She talks about her
past and current projects, including working with clients and contractors.
Brazeau discusses personal life and elaborates on aspects of the landscape
architecture profession, including increasing opportunities of growth, women in
the profession, and influential individuals.
|
1975 |
1 | 6 | Barbara Fealy interview Barbara Vorse Fealy (1903-2000) was a landscape architect who
worked in the profession for over 50 years.Barbara Vorse was born to parents Bettie and Albert Justin
Vorse who owned one of the largest plant nurseries in Utah. She graduated with
a degree in landscape architecture from the University of Illinois in 1925. For
several years she worked for the landscape architecture firm of McCrary,
Culley, and Carhart in Denver. After moving to Salt Lake City, she work for the
Utah State Planning Commission and then opened her own landscape architecture
business in 1929. She and her family moved to Portland, Oregon where she
continued running her own landscape architecture business, working on projects
throughout the Pacific Northwest.
In this interview Barbara Fealy discusses her education and
career in landscape architecture. She talks about being one of the few women in
the landscape architecture program at the University of Illinois. Fealy also
discusses the trajectory of her career, from work at a private firm in Denver
to being part of the Utah State Planning Commission to opening her own
landscape architecture business. She provides in depth description of some of
the projects that she has worked on, including the Salishan resort community on
the Oregon coast. She also discusses aspects of the profession as a whole,
including the role of women in the field. Other topics include her childhood
and parents, early education, family and children, involvement with community
projects and planning commissions, and her travels in Europe.
|
1975 |
1 | 7 | Dorothy Hussey interview Dorothy Hussey (1919-2000) was a landscape architect who
worked for private firms in California and ran her own business in the Pacific
Northwest. Dorothy Hussey was born and raised in California to parents
Louis and Winifred Crawford. She graduated with a B.S. in Landscape
Architecture in 1942 from University of California, Berkeley. She then worked
for the Bureau of Yards and Docks in the Navy Department during World War II.
She worked for ten years at Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill where she did
architectural drafting, site planning, and landscape architecture. She took a
five-year hiatus from work after moving to Seattle to raise young children. She
later opened her own business in landscape architecture doing residential
work.
In this interview Dorothy Hussey discusses her education and
career in landscape architecture in California. She talks about early
influences on her career choice and her education in landscape design at
Berkeley. She discusses her work experience, including early work in
architectural drafting and site planning. She elaborates on her work at
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill which included projects throughout the country
and internationally. She goes on to discuss the private firm she opened as well
as her volunteer work and personal life. In addition, she provides insights on
the landscape architecture profession as a whole, including advice to others in
the profession, women in the profession, and her philosophy of design.
|
October 30, 1975 |
1 | 8-9 | Ann Janelli interview Ann Casselberry Janelli (1932-1977) was a landscape architect
who worked in various private firms in California. She later opened her own
firm in near Berkeley with her architect husband, Edward Janelli. Ann Casselberry grew up on a farm outside of Chicago. She
attended the University of Chicago but left school when she married in 1949.
She and her husband, Grange Simons Coffin, later divorced and she moved to
Reno, Nevada, with her four children. She entered the Landscape Architecture
Program at University of California, Berkeley, and graduated with her BLA in
the mid-1960s. She then worked in land planning and landscape architecture for
various firms in the San Francisco Bay Area, including Lawrence Halprin &
Associates; Eckbo, Dean, Austin & Williams (EDAW); and Ribera & Sue.
She went on to open a private practice with her second husband, called Janelli
& Janelli.
In this interview Ann Janelli discusses her education and
career in landscape architecture in California. She talks about influences on
her career choice and her decision to pursue a degree in the landscape
architecture program at Berkeley while raising four children. She discusses her
work and the environments of the various landscape architecture firms that she
worked at in the San Francisco Bay Area. She also discusses the development and
current work of the private practice she opened with her architect husband. She
provides insights into the landscape architecture profession as a whole,
including women in the profession, the role of landscape architects and their
lack of visibility, and flexibility of the profession
|
1975 |
1 | 10 | Helaine Kaplan interview Helaine Kaplan Prentice (1949- ) is a landscape architect,
city planner, and author based in Berkeley, California. She grew up in New Jersey and received her bachelor’s degree
in City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania. She went on to get her
master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from Harvard in 1973. She then worked
in planning for local government, including the City of Oakland, as well as
consulting. She is currently a lecturer at the University of California,
Berkeley, in city and regional planning.
In this interview Helaine Kaplan discusses her education and
career in landscape architecture and city planning. She talks about her
unconventional entrance into the landscape architecture profession through her
undergraduate education in city planning at the University of Pennsylvania. She
goes on to talk about her graduate education in the landscape architecture
program at Harvard, including the challenges of being a woman and lacking a
bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture. She discusses her work in city
planning, particularly with the City of Oakland, as well as influences in her
career, and starting her own consulting business. In addition, she discusses
aspects of the landscape architecture profession as a whole, including women in
the profession, the lack of criticism in the profession, and the importance of
landscape architects working in local government.
|
1975 |
1 | 11 | Jean Walton interview Jean Walton (1910-1994) was a landscape architect in
California, who worked at the firm of Lawrence Halprin & Associates for 25
years. Over the course of her career, she became the plant expert and an
eventual principal at the firm. Jean Walton grew up in Berkeley, California, earning a
bachelor’s degree in applied arts from the California School of Arts and Crafts
in 1934. During World War II, she worked as a drafting engineer at Lockheed
Aircraft Corporation. After the war, she took a position in the office of
landscape architects Florence Yoch and Lucile Council. Walton graduated with
her bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture (BLA) from the University of
California, Berkeley, in 1950. As a student, she had worked part-time for
Lawrence Halprin. After graduating, she became a full-time employee of Lawrence
Halprin & Associates. Over the years, her role evolved from general work to
specialization in plants, working on projects throughout the country and
internationally. During her career, she received accolades including the
Landscape Award from the American Association of Nurserymen for the design of
the Oakbrook Shopping Center in Oak Brook, Illinois. She was also a periodic
lecturer at Berkeley. Walton retired in 1975.
In this interview Jean Walton discusses her education and
career in landscape architecture in the San Francisco Bay Area. She talks about
influencing experiences in her eventual entrance into the landscape
architecture profession, including childhood events, her work for Lockheed
during World War II, her job at the office of landscape architects Florence
Yoch and Lucile Council, education in landscape architecture program at
Berkeley, and student employment in Lawrence Halprin’s landscape architecture
firm. She discusses her work over the course of 25 years at Lawrence Halprin
& Associates, including her specialization in plant materials and planting
design, as well as various projects she has worked on, including one of her
favorite projects at the Oakbrook Shopping Center in Oak Brook, Illinois. In
addition, Walton discusses her personal life and various aspects of the
landscape architecture profession, including women in the profession,
characteristics needed to succeed as a landscape architect, and her design
philosophy.
|
1975 |
1 | 12-13 | Roberta Wightman
interview Roberta Wightman (1912-2010) was a landscape architect who
worked in the Pacific Northwest for over 50 years. Prior to her move to Seattle
in 1944, she worked as a landscape architect in Springfield, Illinois
(1938-1944). Wightman was born and raised in Chicago by physician parents.
She took courses at Oberlin College in Ohio, Middlebury College in Vermont, and
Cambridge University in England. She received a bachelor’s degree in Landscape
Architecture from University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign in 1938. When
Wightman moved to Seattle, she worked for Edwin Grohs at the University of
Washington Arboretum. Wightman then worked for Edwin Grohs and Associates in
Seattle from 1945-1948 before starting her own landscape architecture business.
Roberta Wightman retired in 2000.
In this interview Roberta Wightman discusses her education and
career in landscape architecture, from the early influences of her parents to
past and current work, as well as advice for those entering the profession. She
talks about her education, including her early Montessori education; college
education; art classes at Taos, New Mexico; and her education in the landscape
architecture program at University of Illinois. She describes in depth some of
the projects she has worked on, including her first job on a five-year project
planning and designing a community surrounding Lake Springfield. She also
discusses personal life and various aspects of the landscape architecture
profession, including being a woman in the profession, her design philosophy,
and changes in the profession over time.
|
October 29, 1975 |
Interview transcripts Two of the 12 women interviewed declined to be recorded. Ronda
Skubi created transcripts of these interviews based on notes taken during the
interview.
|
|||
Box | item | ||
1 | 14 | Patricia Carlisle
interview Patricia Carlisle (1928-2020) was a landscape architect for
over 25 years, working at firms in Philadelphia and San Francisco.Pat Carlisle was born and raised outside of Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. She was educated in landscape architecture at Penn State
University, earning her BLA in 1950. She went on to work at the landscape
architectural firm of Simonds and Simonds for ten years, becoming an associate
in 1955. She moved to San Francisco in 1961, and joined the landscape
architectural firm of Royston, Hanamoto, Beck & Abey (at the time named
Royston, Hanamoto & Mayes). She became a principal at the firm in 1974.
Carlisle also served on the City of San Francisco Art Commission from 1978 to
1983.
In this interview Pat Carlisle discusses her education and
career in landscape architecture. She talks about her childhood and influence
of family in her career choice as well as her education at Penn State. She also
discusses her work at various firms, including Simonds and Simonds in
Philadelphia and Royston, Hanamoto, Beck & Abey in San Francisco. She also
addresses the profession of landscape architecture as a whole, commenting on
the characteristics needed to be a landscape architect as well as women in the
profession.
|
October 29, 1975 |
1 | 15 | Marcia Dawson interview Marcia Dawson (1942- ) is a landscape architect whose work has
been primarily in the Pacific Northwest. Marcia Dawson was born and raised in Pennsylvania. She
attended Wellesley College where she earned a bachelor’s degree in art history.
She went on to study landscape architecture at the graduate level at the
University of Pennsylvania where she received her MLA. After moving with her
husband to Seattle in 1967, Dawson began working part-time for the landscape
architectural firm Jongejan/Gerrard/Associates in Bellevue, Washington.
In this interview Marcia Dawson discusses her education and
career in landscape architecture. She talks about formative aspects of her life
including parents and attending Wellesley College. She goes on to talk about
her pursuit of a career in landscape architecture through education at the
University of Pennsylvania and work experience in the field. This work includes
her job at the landscape architecture firm of Jongejan/Gerrard/Associates. She
discusses personal life, including her husband and children and balancing roles
of work and family. She also provides insights into women in landscape
architecture and her contributions to the profession.
|
October 29, 1975 |
VideorecordingReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | item | ||
1 | 16 | Roberta Wightman speaking to garden
club |
between 1975 and 1990? |
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | item | ||
1 | 17-22 | Garden designed by Barbara
Fealy |
between 1975 and 1995? |
1 | 23-26 | Garden on NW Madison St. in Portland,
OR |
between 1975 and 1995? |
1 | 27 | Garden in Dunthorpe, a suburb of
Portland, OR |
between 1975 and 1995? |
1 | 28 | Garden in Westmoreland neighborhood of
Portland, OR |
between 1975 and 1995? |
1 | 29-34 | Garden on NW Hilltop Road, Portland,
OR Possibly the garden of Mr. and Mrs. William W. Wessinger, 321 NW
Hilltop Road, Portland, OR.
|
1976? |
1 | 35-36 | Garden designed by Barbara
Fealy |
1990 |
Print materialsReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | item | ||
1 | 37 | Cover of ASLA
Bulletin featuring photograph of Beatrix Farrand Beatrix Farrand (1872-1959) was a founding member of the Women
in Landscape Architecture organization.
|
July 1973 |
1 | 38 | "Report of the Task Force on Women in
Landscape Architecture" in ASLA
Bulletin Includes introduction by Darwina L. Neal, Chairperson, Task
Force on Women in Landscape Architecture.
|
July 1973 |
1 | 39 |
The Gardens of
Salem and Surrounding Area brochure |
between 1975 and 1984? |
1 | 40 | Ronda Skubi's manuscript,
Women in Landscape Architecture Manuscript submitted to the Department of Landscape
Architecture, University of Washington.Manuscript includes transcripts of interviews with Roberta
Wightman, Jean Walton, Helaine Kaplan, Ann Janelli, Dorothy Hussey, Barbara
Fealy, Marcia Dawson, Patricia Carlisle, Elizabeth Brazeau, Mary Booth, Lucille
Biesbroeck and Mai Arbegast.
|
December 1975 |
1 | 41 |
Middlebury
College Newsletter article about Roberta Wightman, "A Gardener in
Eden" Article written by Pat McLorie.
|
Fall 1978 |
1 | 42 | University of Illinois alumni
newsletter article about Roberta Wightman |
1988? |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Landscape architecture--History--Sources
- Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)
- Women landscape architects--Interviews
Personal Names
- Skubi, Ronda--Archives