Both Helen and Alan Berg earned degrees from and were faculty at Oregon State University; in addition, they both served as mayor of the City of Corvallis.
Helen M. Berg earned an MS in statistics from Oregon State University in 1973 and worked as a statistician and Director of the Survey Research Center at OSU from 1975 until her retirement in 1993. She was active in a variety of community organizations including the Madison Avenue Task Force and the Corvallis Community Day Care Board. She served on the Corvallis City Council from 1991 to 1994 and as mayor for three 4-year terms (1995-2006).
Alan B. Berg earned an undergraduate degree in forestry management from Oregon State College in 1941. After service in the military in World War II, he completed a Master of Forestry degree at the University of Washington in 1955. He returned to Oregon State in 1957 to teach forest ecology and retired as a Professor of Forest Science in 1981. He was also active in a number of organizations, including the League of Oregon Cities and the Nature Conservancy. He served on the Corvallis City Council from 1973 to 1978 and then two terms as mayor from 1979 to 1986.
The Bergs were married in 1983. Alan B. Berg died in 1989.
The Helen M. and Alan B. Berg Papers document their careers at Oregon State University and civic activities in the City of Corvallis. The collection consists of approximately equal amounts of materials created or assembled by each of them.
The Helen Berg materials include article reprints, correspondence, chronological files and materials pertaining to the development of the Corvallis riverfront. The chronological files include correpondence, speeches, newspaper clippings, and materials related to Helen Berg's civic activities. A sound recording, two DVDs about Corvallis, and a CD with photographs and other documents honoring her work as Corvallis mayor are included.
The Alan Berg materials include a published transcipt of a 1981 oral history, his undergraduate and graduate theses, article reprints, and reports and proceedings published by the OSU Forest Research Laboratory and the School of Forestry. The materials also include certificates and diplomas, Berg's military records, and correspondence and clippings from his years as a member of the City Council and as Mayor. Subject files document Berg's involvement in civic organizations and in the campaign against Cascadia Dam. The papers include materials documenting his forestry work and employment; essays and short stories he wrote; and ephemera.
Most of the photographs in the papers are of Alan Berg. They include images of him as a child, during his military service, and of his forestry work. The papers also include portrait photographs of Helen Berg.
Collection is open for research.
Helen M. and Alan B. Berg Papers, Oregon State University Archives, Corvallis, Oregon.
This collection is not fully processed; this guide is preliminary.
These materials were donated to the Archives in 2008.
Additions to the collection are expected.
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