Forms part of the: Oregon Legislature Oral History Series.
Collection is open for research.
Elizabeth "Becky" Avery Johnson, nee Hill, was born in Indiana in 1913. Her family moved to Bellevue, Ohio, when she was an infant. She graduated from Miami University in Ohio in 1935 with a bachelor's degree in education, and subsequently from Wellesley College with a master's degree. She taught English at high schools in Lima, Ohio, and in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, until 1942. She joined the Navy during World War II, serving in the WAVES beginning in 1943. While in the service, she was stationed in Portland, Oregon, where she met Sam Johnson, who later became an Oregon state representative. They were married in 1944 and had two children. She was a member of several organizations, including the Oregon State Board of Higher Education, the Teachers Standards and Practices Commission, and the Oregon Historical Society. She died in 2007.
Forms part of the Oregon Legislature Oral History Series.
A handwritten index (10 pages) is available for in-person use at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Oral history interview with Becky Johnson, by Rick Harmon and Jim Strassmaier, SR 1115, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
This oral history interview with Elizabeth Johnson was conducted by Rick Harmon in three sessions from June 25, 1986, to June 19, 1987, and by Jim Strassmaier in two additional sessions, on March 30 and March 31, 1993, at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon. The interview was conducted as part of the Oregon Legislature Oral History Series, a project focused on the experiences of people involved in Oregon government. A transcript of the interview is available.
In this interview, Johnson discusses her family background and early life in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Bellevue, Ohio, including her family's religious faith, and life under Prohibition and during the Depression. She talks about her college experience at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and at Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachsetts. She shares her experience as a woman in the Navy during World War II, serving with the WAVES, particularly her time stationed in Portland and Astoria, Oregon. She speaks at length about the family background and early life of her husband, Oregon State Representative Sam Johnson. She talks about their marriage, about living in Redmond, Oregon, and about Sam Johnson's career with his family's timber business. She also discusses the S. S. Johnson Foundation, which funds programs for nursing students. She talks about her involvement in Oregon politics, particularly her role on the State Board of Education. She also talks about Sam Johnson's time in the Oregon House of Representatives, and as mayor of Redmond. Johnson closes the interview by talking about her family life.
Copyright held by the Oregon Historical Society. Licensed under Creative Commons, BY-NC-SA:
Tape 1, Side 1, through Tape 3, Side 1. In the first interview session, conducted on June 25, 1986, Johnson discusses her family background and early life in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Bellevue, Ohio, including her family's religious faith, and life under Prohibition and during the Depression. She talks about her relationship with her brother, Robert W. Johnson, and shares the origin of her nickname, "Becky." She then discusses attending Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, including joining a sorority, and her involvement with the YWCA. She speaks at length about her parents' lives and careers.
Tape 3, Side 2, through Tape 4, Side 1. In the second interview session, conducted on June 18, 1987, Johnson speaks further about her experiences during the Depression and Prohibition. She shares additional details about her college experience at Miami University.
Tape 4, Side 2, through Tape 5, Side 2. In the third interview session, conducted on June 19, 1987, Johnson continues to discuss her college experience at Miami University. She discusses attending Wellesley College, then teaching English to high school students. Johnson then talks about her experience as a woman in the Navy during World War II, serving with the WAVES, particularly her time stationed in Portland and Astoria, Oregon.
Tape 6, Side 1, through Tape 10, Side 1. In the fourth interview session, conducted on March 30, 1993, Johnson revisits the topic of her early life, and the lives and careers of her parents. She continues to discuss serving with the WAVES in Portland, and talks about recruiting women for the Navy. She speaks about her marriage to Sam Johnson, who later became an Oregon State Representative, and discusses his family background and early life in the San Francisco, California, area and in France. She also talks about his struggle with hereditary gout. She talks about living in Redmond, Oregon, and Sam Johnson's career with his family's timber business, including a trip they took to Chile to explore timber opportunities there. She speaks at length about the S. S. Johnson Foundation, which funds nursing education programs.
Tape 10, Side 2, through Tape 15, Side 1. In the fifth and final interview session, conducted on March 31, 1993, Johnson continues to discuss Sam Johnson's career with his family's timber business. She discusses her involvement in Oregon politics, including her involvement with the Oregon Republican Women's organization, campaigning for President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and particularly her role on the State Board of Education. She also talks about Sam Johnson's time in the Oregon House of Representatives, his relationship to the changing Republican Party, and legislation he was involved with. She also discusses his time as mayor of Redmond. Johnson closes the interview by talking about her family life.