Archives West Finding Aid

~~~~~

OSU Multiracial Beavers Oral History Project

Sofia Baum is an undergraduate at OSU who identifies as multiracial person, specifically a Mexican Jew. She grew up in Junction City, Oregon, 30 miles south of Corvallis.

Kali Furman is originally from Idaho and is an Oregon transplant who is a PhD in Women Gender and Sexuality Studies student focusing on social justice education with a hope to be an instructor or a full professor in higher education that can center social justice, particularly racial and gender justice.

Vanessa Johnson is a multiracial woman who worked at Oregon State University from 2014-2016 in the Student Affairs Research Evaluation and Planning office as a coordinator. In 2016, she decided to move back to Utah to be closer to family and to pursue further education.

Charlene Martinez is the associate director at Diversity and Cultural Engagement at OSU who has worked with several multiracial organizations at various universities. She identifies as multiracial Asian and Latina.

Kim McAloney is a professional faculty member at OSU who works in the Educational Opportunities Program. She is currently a doctoral student in the College of Education. McAloney identifies as multiracial and black.

Erich Pitcher works for Diversity and Cultural Engagement as an associate director for research and communication.

Jonathan Stoll self-identifies as a ‘pigh’ (Portuguese, Indian, German, Hungarian), who is multiracial and the father of two multiracial girls. He works at Oregon State University as the Director of Corvallis Community Relations and as the co-interim Assistant Dean of Student Life. He participated in the OSU Multiracial Beavers Oral History Project 2016-2017.

~~~~~~~

2015 OSU Students of Color Speak Out Interviews

Haniya Ferrell ~ At the time of the interview, Haniya Ferrell was an undergraduate student at Oregon State University. During her time at OSU, she worked at the Centro Cultural César Chávez, Social Change Leadership Programs, and in ASOSU as the Coordinator of Multicultural Affairs. Ferrell was one of the three students - along with Jasmine Armas and Jessanne Pope - who organized the 2015 OSU Students of Color Speak Out. She was raised in Antioch, California.

Jasmine Armas ~ At the time of the interview, Jasmine Armas was a fourth-year undergraduate student studying zoology at Oregon State University. Armas was involved in various campus groups Kappa Delta Chi Sorority incorporated, a Latina founded organization, Social Change Leadership Programs, and Student Leadership Involvement. Jasmine Armas was one of the three students - along with Haniya Ferrell and Jesseanne Pope - involved with organizing the Students of Color Speak Out event in 2015. Armas is from Los Angeles county California, specifically Maywood and Lakewood, California.

Jesseanne Pope ~ At the time of the interview Jesseanne Pope was a recent alumnus of Oregon State University. During her time at OSU, she worked in various positions, including the Hattie Redmond Women and Gender Center (previously called the Women’s Center) and the Social Change Leadership Programs, and she described her participation in the Examining White Identity retreat as transformative. Pope was one of the three students – along with Haniya Ferrell and Jasmine Armas – who organized the 2015 Students of Color Speak Out at Oregon State University. Pope was born in Roseburg, Oregon, and was brought up in Grants Pass, Oregon.

~~~~~~~

Bios Organized By Individual

Reverend Alcena Elaine Boozer (b.1938), born Alcena Elaine Caldwell on March 19, 1938 was the Rector of the St. Philip the Deacon Parish for 17 years. Alcena grew up in Northeast Portland and was the fifth of six children. She studied education at Portland State University and got married during her last year in 1960. Over the next 14 years she taught Social Studies, was a counselor and eventually appointed Vice Principal at Grant High School. In 1983 she decided to go to Seminary at Church Divinity School of the Pacific. She was one of the first women ordained in the Diocese of Oregon and one of only 3 African American women ordained in the Episcopal Church nationally. In 1993 Alcena Boozer became Rector of St. Philip in Portland, Oregon, the church she grew up in, and retired in 2012.

Maria Chavez-Haroldson, Owner of Culturally Responsive Solutions, a consulting business focusing on equitable, diverse, and inclusive organizational development practices. Chavez-Haroldson has over 25 years of professional experience as an administrator and leader of social justice change in state governments and non-profits.

Carl Deiz (b.1920) born November, 16 1920, has been a prominent member of St. Philip the Deacon Episcopal Church since 1921. Raised in Northeast Portland, Carl graduated from Franklin High School and soon after worked on the railroad as a waiter. In 1942 he was drafted and sent to Montgomery, Alabama. His older brother, who had been drafted two years prior, had already been trained as a Tuskegee Airman. After finishing officer's school in Miami, Carl arrived in Tuskegee and trained as a pilot. Upon not passing his last eye exam he became a supply officer at Tuskegee. He was discharge in 1945 and returned to Portland where he studied Business Administration at the University of Portland on the G.I. Bill. He eventually worked for the Forest Service and Bonneville Power Administration. In 1949 he married Mercedes Deiz, who became the first African American female judge in Oregon. Deiz continues to volunteer his time and effort at St. Philip the Deacon.

Tara DeMaderios is a recent OSU alumna, now living in the Midwest where she is perusing a Master’s degree. She identifies as multiracial, mixed black and white. DeMaderios participated in the OSU Multiracial Beavers Oral History Project 2016-2017.

Allison Davis-White Eyes, OSU Director of Community Diversity Relations in the Office of Institutional Diversity, previously the Assistant Vice Provost and Director, Diversity & Cultural Engagement. Her research interests include; intersectional theory, the queering of identity and space, and the mobility and migration of culture and identity.

Earnel Durden (b. circa 1937) attended OSU from 1955-1959 as a football player and a student studying physical education and science for a teaching degree. He played on the 1957 Rose Bowl team under Coach Tommy Prothro, and in his sophomore year, Durden was selected as "Joe College." He was one of the few, first African American students to attend OSU—prior to OSU having their first African American female student. Due to this, Durden had many experiences dealing with cultural differences in Corvallis regarding a lack of knowledge and interaction with African American people.

Emalydia Flenory, at the time of her interview, was pursuing an MA degree in English at Oregon State University. Her research focuses on black and white masculinity in relation to sexual politics and popular culture. She was a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the School of Writing, Literature & Film, a Steering Committee Member of the Women of Color Caucus, and the Secretary of the Black Graduate Student Association.

Katie Hutchinson, at the time of her interview, is currently pursuing an MFA concentrated in creative non-fiction at Oregon State University. Her writing centers on kinship, spirituality, race, landscape and anti-capitalism.

Shireen Hyrapiet was born in Kolkata (Calcutta), India. She went to school and college in India acquiring a Bachelor of Science degree with Honors in Geography from Loreto College, Kolkata. In 2001, Shireen moved to the United States for graduate work. She spent a few years at Millersville University in Pennsylvania before beginning a Master of Science degree in Fire and Emergency Management Administration at Oklahoma State University. Shireen went on to receive a PhD in Geography from Oklahoma State University before accepting an Instructor position at Oregon State University. She is currently a Senior Instructor I teaching courses on Geography of the Non-Western World, Sustainability for the Common Good, Human-Environment Geography, Environmental Justice, Geography of Disaster Management, and regional courses on Asia and Latin America.

Elizabeth Kaweesa is a third year PhD student in the Chemistry department at Oregon State University. Her research focuses on drug discovery as well as cancer research. Elizabeth also serves as the president of the Black Graduate Student Association. Elizabeth is from a fishing village near Lake Victoria in Uganda.

Urmila Mali was born in Kathmadu, Nepal, in 1969. She lived in Nepal until her family moved to Tillamook, Oregon, in 1979. There she attended school from fourth grade through high school. After graduating from high school, she chose to go to Oregon State University, following in her sister's footsteps. During her undergrad years, she studied broadcast communication and earned a degree in Masters of Art in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in anthropology and women's studies. As of 2017, she is an Academic Counselor for the Educational Opportunities Program (EOP), which involves working with non-traditional students to provide academic and personal support.

Justin McDaniels spent time abroad before his family finally settled in Canby, Oregon. Being a biracial person in the predominantly white Pacific Northwest gave him a childhood that did not include conversations about race until he entered college at Oregon State University. Once he was aware of the complexities surrounded race and the injustices, he became a student activist on campus to empower marginalized students. Oregon State University’s failure to respond to racist events on this campus led to the “I, Too, Am OSU” movement and the Solidarity March in 2014. With a continued focus on social justice, at the time of the interview, McDaniels was a political science major with a focus on international relations.

Ramycia McGhee is a Chicago native and holds a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism from UW-Whitewater, M.S.in Journalism from Roosevelt University, and an Ed.D in Education Leadership Management from Capella University. Before beginning her career at Linn Benton in fall 2017, she worked as an adjunct English instructor for City Colleges of Chicago. Her specialties include developmental writing and adjunct professional development.

Loretta Milton grew up in Roseburg, Oregon, and attended OSU in the late 1960s. She met her husband, Fred Milton, at OSU. They married in 1969 and moved to Utah where she worked as a teacher’s aide at the Edith Bowen Lab School while Fred completed his degree at Utah State University. For a short time, while Fred Milton played for the Montreal Alouettes, a Canadian football team, Loretta worked as a waitress. Loretta and Fred moved to Portland, Oregon, in the early 1970s, had several children, and were married until his death in 2011. Zalika Gardner, born 1973 in Portland, Oregon, is daughter to Fred and Loretta Milton. Isaiah Adams is Zalika Gardner’s son and Fred and Loretta Milton’s grandson.

Norm Monroe (b. 1939) is OSU's first African-American basketball player for the Men's Team. He played during 1960-1961, but left the team half-way through the season. In a brief Barometer article in January of 1961 it states that Monroe left the basketball team in order to focus on Track. That year and the next, he was one of OSU's star Track and Field Athletes.

Jean Moule (b. 1945) received her doctorate in education from OSU in 1998 and began teaching in the College of Education that same year. Specializing in the topic of multicultural issues in education, Moule authored the book Cultural Competence: a Primer for Educators. Prior to her position at OSU, Moule worked for nearly two decades as a teacher and TAG (Talented and Gifted Program) coordinator for several Oregon (K-12) public schools. From 2003 to 2009, Moule served as director of OSU's Master of Arts in Teaching Elementary Education Immersion Program (a program which she initiated). Moule's career as an instructor at OSU has included the teaching of online coursework, primarily the class: "Racial and Cultural Harmony in the K-12 Classroom" since 2002.

Janet Nishihara is a third generation Japanese American who was born in 1959 in Ontario, Oregon. Growing up in the rural town of Veil, Oregon, Nishihara's high school did not provide many academic opportunities. She earned her bachelor's degree in English education from Oregon State University as well as her master's degree. She has held positions at the university such as a graduate teaching assistant, a writing instructor, an academic counselor, supervisor, and the director of the Educational Opportunities Program. Currently, her position is interim associate provost for academic success and engagement and director of advising on campus. Her current duties include: coordinating the work in regards to the first year experience, improving academic advising, and overseeing academic support programs for students.

Karen Olivo (b. 1939) is the widow of Colegio César Chávez student and groundskeeper, Arthur Olivo. Born in Chicago, at age 6 her family moved to Anchorage, Alaska and then to Yakutat, where she lived with the Tlinget indigenous people. In 1977, while living in Sunnyvale, California and attending De Anza Community College, she met Arthur Olivo. Arthur was a teacher for the Center for Employment Training. When he was offered a job in Tigard, Oregon in 1979, Karen and her youngest son Andrew moved from Sunnyvale to Oregon with Arthur. In the Fall of 1980 Arthur enrolled at Colegio César Chávez and was also the college's groundskeeper. Karen, Arthur and Andrew lived on the property of Colegio César Chávez until they were asked to vacate in 1982. Karen has lived in Gervais, Oregon, since 1983. She has volunteered for nearly a decade with the Foster Grandparents organization as a "Grandparent" at the Western Oregon University Day Care Center and the Jensen Arctic Museum.

Andrew Parodi (b.1975) was born in Mountain View, California. He is the son of Karen Olivo and the stepson of Arthur Olivo. He lived at Colegio César Chávez with Karen and Arthur from 1980-1982. He attended Western Oregon University.

Justeen Quartey is a fourth year Public Health major and the president of the Black Student Union at Oregon State University. Justine was born and raised in Sacramento, California.

Eli Eric Saslow is an American journalist who writes for The Washington Post and ESPN The Magazine. he wrote the 2018 book Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist.

Dr. Susan Shaw, OSU Professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and previously Director of the School of Language, Culture, and Society. Shaw’s work on Women’s Theology has been widely circulated in a majority of Huffington Post articles. Shaw is also a co-author of one of the most used Women Studies textbooks in the country, Women's Voices, Feminist Visions: Classic and Contemporary Readings.

Sarah Smith, an Alumni of Oregon State University, is a University Development Project Coordinator 1 for the Carlson College of Veterinarian Medicine at Oregon State University. Sarah is from Beaverton, Oregon.

Kayla Spears is the Student Leadership Liaison at the Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center. Kayla is a fourth year Political Science major and the vice president of the NAACP chapter at Oregon State University.

Marilyn Stewart grew up in Marianna, Florida. She began her college experience at the Chiploa Junior College with the goal of becoming an accountant. In the mid-1980s, Stewart joined the military for eight years where she continued taking courses and met her husband. She came to Oregon State in 1989 to earn her bachelor's degree in business and her master's degree in education. She began her work with the Educational Opportunities Program (EOP) at OSU as an office coordinator in 1994 after returning to Benton County. Since then she has held other positions such as executive assistant, office coordinator, operations manager, advisor, and academic counselor. Her current title is acting co-director for EOP.

Tenisha Tevis, is an Assistant professor in College of Education with an emphasis in Adult and Higher education at Oregon State University. Tenisha’s research focuses on the policies and practices higher education administrators utilize to help disenfranchised students gain access to and persist through college. Specifically, she explores disability services and the polarizing effects of race. Tenisha grew up in Sacramento, California but came to Oregon from Stockton, California.

Antonio Torres was born in Viña del Mar, Chile, in 1949. He received his undergraduate degree in math and chemical engineering at the Catholic University of Chile in Santiago. After being accepted to MIT, Torres moved to the United States and received a master's in food microbiology and a PhD in food engineering. He has been at Oregon State University since 1984 and now holds the position of associate professor of food processing engineering. Several of his job duties include: research, training, and teaching. He has also contributed to creating a scholarship program for students of diversity. With a love of travel, Torres continues to foster international relationships to places such as Mexico, Spain, and Germany while maintaining his career at OSU.

Juan "Tony" Trujillo was born and raised in Tacoma, Washington, in 1964. After earning his bachelor's and master's degrees at Brigham Young University, he went on to receive his PhD in Ibero-Romance Philology and Linguistics from the University of Texas in Austin. He has been a professor at Oregon State University since 1997 as an Assistant Professor in the School of Language and Society at Oregon State University. His job duties include: classroom instruction, scholarship development, and administrative responsibilities. He also helped develop a Difference, Power, and Discrimination course, and the Spanish Learning Community course, which is a 15 credit language-intensive course. Recently, Trujillo has been developing documentaries and writings to both further his career and self-awareness.

Charlie White (b. 1938) transferred to OSU as a junior in 1964 to join the Men's Basketball Team as the first African-American player recruited on scholarship and only the second ever on the team. In his first year he earned the Attitude and Leadership Trophy and was the second highest scoring player for the season. The next season, as team captain, he led the Beavers to the Pacific 8 Conference Championship. In 1967 he became OSU's Assistant to the Freshman Coach.

Luhui Whitebear, Member of the Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation, OSU Ph.D. student, a mother, poet, and Indigenous activist. Her research focuses on a variety of Indigenous issues ranging from the violence against Indigenous women, reclaiming of Indigenous identity, as well as Indigenous movements of resistance and natural resource protection, such as her work with the Dakota Access Pipeline Resistance Movement.

~~~~~~~

Bios Organized by Panel or Group Interview

Participants in the 2015 OSU Arts and Social Justice Living-Learning Community group interview included Hunter Briggs and Jacq Allen. At the time of the interview, Briggs was a freshman at OSU majoring in ethnic studies with a focus on pre-law. Allen was a fourth year student in public health with an option in health promotion and health behavior. Both participated in the arts and social justice living learning community.

Participants in the 2018 OSU Integrated Learning for Social Change (ILSC) and Arts and Social Justice Living Learning Community group interviews included Micknai Arefaine, Graduate Teaching Assistant for AYA, the Women of Color initiative; Charlene Martinez, the self-defined "masterweaver" and Associate Director of ILSC; Elirissa Hui, Graduate Teaching Assistant for ILSC; Poiema Lee, Student Ambassador for ILSC and AYA, the Women of Color initiative; Mackenzie Gipple, Student Ambassador for ILSC; Havani Fifita, Leadership Liaison for ILSC; Hunter Briggs, Leadership Liaison for ILSC; Jeremiah Allen, a student within the Arts and Social Justice Living Learning Community; and Hope Trautman, Peer Facilitator for SOL, the Multicultural LGBTQ+ Support Group.

Participants in the OSU Hmong and Latinx Students "Voices Without Borders" group interview included Alejandra Mendoza born in Fresno, CA and raised in Boardman, OR, and majoring in Mathematics; Lorena Ambriz born in Mexico, raised in Eastern Oregon, and majoring in Sociology; Guadalupe “Lupe” Garcia from Salem, OR, and majoring in Human Development and Family Sciences; Warren Wang from Portland, OR, and majoring in Biochemistry/Biophysics; Gina Chang from Portland, OR, and majoring in Psychology; Nitché Verdugo from Southern California and Mexico and majoring in Ethnic Studies with a focus on Chicanx/Latinx Studies; Mai Xee Yang from Portland, OR, and earning a Bachelors in Fine Arts. Natalia Fernández from Tucson, AZ, and an archivist. Mendoza, Ambriz, Garcia, Verdugo, and Yang are members of M.E.Ch.A. (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlán). Wang and Chang are members of the OSU Hmong Club.

Participants in the OSU Asian Pacific Islander American, Mixed Heritage Focus Group: Charlene Martinez, associate director at Diversity and Cultural Engagement; Daniel Cespedes, an employee within the Office of Finance and Administration; Reagan Le, associated director of the Asian and Pacific Cultural Center; Stephanie Shippen, an employee within Counseling & Psychological Services; Hevani Fifita, Delfine Defrank, Olivia Calvillo, Makayla Bello, Marwah Al-Jilani, Jason Tena-Encarnacion, Aisha McKee, Mackenzie Gipple, all OSU students at the time of the interview. All participated in the OSU Multiracial Beavers Oral History Project 2016-2017.

Participants in the OSU African American, Mixed Heritage Focus Group: Charlene Martinez, associate director at Diversity and Cultural Engagement; Kim McAloney, a professional faculty member at OSU who works in the Educational Opportunities Program; Mackenzie Gipple, Keyshawn Davis, Breonna Keller-Robbins, Marwah al-Jilani, Justeen Quartey, and Hevani Fifita, all OSU students at the time of the interview. All participated in the OSU Multiracial Beavers Oral History Project 2016-2017.

Participants in the Race in America: Black Woman Series: Iyunolu Osagie, Professor of English, School of Writing, Literature and Film within the College of Liberal Arts; ​Charlene Alexander, Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer in the Office of Institutional Diversity; Allison Davis White-Eyes, Director of Community Diversity Relations in the Office of Institutional Diversity, previously the Assistant Vice Provost and Director, Diversity & Cultural Engagement

Participants in the St. Philip the Deacon Episcopal Church and Urban League of Portland group interview: Herbert Amerson was president of the Board of Directors of the Urban League. Allison Logan Belcher and her family have been members of the church since 1967. Geoffrey Brooks was baptized and raised in the church. He became a public school teacher. His father was the director of the Urban League and his mentors were Joe Nunn's mother and father. Gerry Caldwell (b. 1940) was baptized in St. Philip the Deacon Episcopal Church and was a lifelong member and supporter of the Urban League of Portland. He served for twenty-eight years in the U.S. Army. Myrtle Carr became a member of St. Philips in 1949 and worked with the Urban League for thirty-six years. She served on the Oregon Episcopal Council and on the Vestry. Joe Nunn grew up in the church and served as an altar boy. As an adult he became a public school teacher as his mother, father, and grandfather were before him.

Participants in the Student Activists: The Civil Rights Histories of Oregon’s Universities and Colleges panel: Hannah Leah Crummé, worked at The National Archives of the UK before joining the Watzek Library at Lewis and Clark College in Portland as the head of special collections and college archives. She received her BA from Pomona College in Claremont, California and completed her doctoral research at King's College, London. Eva Guggemos has been the Archivist at Pacific University in Forest Grove since 2011. She previously worked at the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale University. She has an MLS from Simmons School of Library and Information Science, an MA in History from Yale University, and a BA from the University of Kansas.Cristine Paschild has been the Head of Special Collections and the University Archivist at Portland State University Library since 2008. Before joining Portland State, she spent seven years with the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles as an archivist and the director of the collections management and access unit. Paschild holds an M.A. in English and an M.L.I.S. with an archives specialization, both from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Natalia Fernández, is an associate professor and the Curator and Archivist of the Oregon Multicultural Archives (OMA) and the OSU Queer Archives (OSQA) here at the Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center. Fernandez is a board member on the Oregon Black Pioneers’ Board of Directors, and served on the Racing to Change exhibit advisory committee.

Participants in the 2019 MLK Jr. Week Event – “Dr. King’s Legacy Lives On: Student Activism at OSU” panel: Darius Northern, People of Colour; William Miller, Indigenous Peoples’ Day; Raven Waldron,  Scab Sheet, Dr. Asmatey, Indigenous Queer and Two-Spirit Student Alliance; Azeem Hussaini, SUPER, Building Names, Tuition Costs; and Sienna Kaske, Here to Stay and DACA.

Participants in the 2020 Educational Opportunities Program 50th Anniversary Event: Dorian Smith, Dr. Robert Thompson, Dr. Dwaine Plaza, Dr. Janet Nishihara, Dr. Larry Griggs, Ruta Faifaiese, Kim McAloney, and Urmila Mali.

Participants in the 2020 Palmer Patton Lecture: Larry Landis, Director of OSU’s Special Collections and Archives Research Center, and Dwaine Plaza, OSU Professor of Sociology.

Participants in the 2020 "Where Do We Go From Here?" Panel: Tamara Lash (she/her), OSU Alumna ‘20, Social Justice Program Coordinator for YWCA of Greater Portland; Andres Larios Brown (He/They), former Multiracial Aikido Facilitator and Marriage and Family Therapist at OSU. Currently researching Familial Queer Identity processes for Religiously Conservative Cultures, and Diversity Training in Marriage and Family Therapy Programs; Larry Roper (he/him), OSU Professor Emeritus of Language, Culture, and Society;  Damoni Wright, Associate Vice Provost for Engagement & Inclusion and ED Student Experiences & Engagement at OSU; and Charlene Martinez, Associate Director of Student Experiences & Engagement at OSU.