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President's Office Photographs, 1923-1998

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Oregon State University. Office of the President.
Title
President's Office Photographs
Dates
1923-1998 (inclusive)
1935-1995 (bulk)
Quantity
0.9 cubic foot, including 1752 photographs, (4 boxes, including 1 oversize box)
Collection Number
P 092
Summary
The President's Office Photographs consist of photographs documenting the activities the presidents of Oregon State University, primarily from 1960 through 1995, as well as individual portrait photographs of Oregon State faculty and staff from the 1930s through 1960s.
Repository
Oregon State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives Research Center
Special Collections and Archives Research Center
121 The Valley Library
Oregon State University
Corvallis OR
97331-4501
Telephone: 5417372075
Fax: 5417378674
scarc@oregonstate.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Languages
English
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Historical Note

Since its designation as a land-grant institution of higher learning in 1868, Oregon State University has had 19 presidents, including 5 acting (or interim) presidents. They have been William A. Finley, 1865-1872 (Finley was appointed president of the university's predecessor institution, Corvallis Academy, in 1865); Joseph Emery, acting, 1872; Benjamin L. Arnold, 1872-1892; John D. Letcher, acting, 1892; John M. Bloss, 1892-1896; H. B. Miller, 1896-1897; Thomas M. Gatch, 1897-1907; William Jasper Kerr, 1907- 1932; George W. Peavy, acting, 1932-1934, president, 1934-1940; Frank L. Ballard, 1940-1941; Francois A. Gilfillan, acting, 1941- 1942; August L. Strand, 1942-1961; James H. Jensen, 1961-1969; Roy A. Young, acting, 1969-1970; Robert W. MacVicar, 1970-1984; John V. Byrne, 1984-1995; Paul G. Risser, 1996-2002; Timothy P. White, interim, 2002-2003; and Edward J. Ray, 2003-.

The president is the chief executive officer of the university. From 1868 to 1929 the president reported to the college's Board of Trustees/Regents. Since the creation of the Oregon University System (formerly the Oregon State System of Higher Education) in 1929, the president has reported to the System's chancellor.

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Content Description

The President's Office Photographs consist of photographs documenting the activities the presidents of Oregon State University, primarily from 1960 through 1995, as well as individual portrait photographs of Oregon State faculty and staff from the 1930s through 1960s. The faculty and staff photographs, which comprise over half of the collection, were submitted with the employees' employment applications or were part of the personnel files. Most are formal portraits; however, some are snapshots. Many of the images were made by Hise Studio in Corvallis.

Photographs documenting the activities of Oregon State presidents A.L. Strand, James H. Jensen, Robert W. MacVicar, and John Byrne form a substantial part of the collection. These include images of special events, such as commencement, awards presentations, University Day, groundbreaking and dedication events, and alumni and donor events. Photographs of campus buildings and facilities are included as well as images of the presidents with alumni, prominent visitors, and dignitaries. Of special note are several images of Governors Tom McCall and Victor Atiyeh and Senators Mark Hatfield, Bob Packwood, and Ron Wyden.

The collection includes only a few photographs of President Paul Risser and activities during his administration.

The bulk of the images are b/w prints; many of the images from the Byrne years are color prints. The collection also includes b/w and color negatives and color slides.

Images from the collection are available online in the Best of the Archives digital collection.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

President's Office Photographs (P 092), Oregon State University Archives, Corvallis, Oregon.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The photographs are arranged in four series: I. Faculty and Staff Photographs, circa 1930s-1960s; II. Presidents A.L. Strand, James H. Jensen, and Robert W. MacVicar, 1923-1984; III. President John V. Byrne, circa 1935-1995; and IV. President Paul G. Risser, 1996-1998.

Custodial History

Acquisition Information

The photographs were transferred in numerous accessions between the mid-1960s and 2005. Most of the photographs documenting the MacVicar and Byrne administrations were transferred with President's Office Records (RG 013) and subsequently separated to this collection.

Future Additions

Additions to the collection are expected.

Related Materials

The Presidents of Oregon State University Photographic Collection (P 001) includes portrait photographs of most of the Oregon State presidents. Other collections with substantial numbers of images of the presidents as well as Oregon State faculty and staff are Harriet's Collection and the Faculty and Staff (P 046), News and Communications Services (P 057), Gwil Evans (P 082), Robert W. Henderson (P 098), and Extension and Experiment Station Communications (P 120) photograph collections. Photographs of OSU presidents are also part of the John McKnight Bloss Collection, Edwin T. Reed Papers (photos of Kerr), F.A. Gilfillan Papers, Fred M. Shideler Papers (photos of Jensen), and the Roy A. Young Papers. The President's Office Records (RG 013) document the administration of all Oregon State presidents. Photographs of President Risser and of special events and activities during his administration are available in the University Advancement Records (RG 210) and the University Publications Photographs (P 094).

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Finding aid prepared by Lawrence A. Landis; updated by Elizabeth Nielsen.
2010

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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