Ericksen, Walter E. (Walter Eugene), 1918-2002
Biography
Walter Eugene Ericksen was born in The Dalles, Oregon, in 1918. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. In 1947, he married Marilyn R. Gronewald, and they later had three children. Ericksen was a cantaloupe farmer and a leader of the Wasco County Fruit and Produce League. He also served on the State Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service Committee, and with the Wasco County Education Service District. The Ericksens also briefly owned the Valley Vista Nursing Home, now known as the Evergreen The Dalles Health and Rehabilitation Center. Ericksen died in 2002.
Sources: Vital records in Ancestry.com; information provided by Ericksen in his interview; Ericksen’s obituary in the Oregonian, September 5, 2002, Page D10.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Oral history interview with Walter E. Ericksen
Oral history interview with Walter E. Ericksen, conducted by Clark Hansen on October 4, 1999, as part of the Columbia River Dissenters Oral History Series. Ericksen discusses his experiences as a cantaloupe farmer in The Dalles, Oregon; how fluoride air pollution from aluminum factories on the Columbia River affected his farm, people, and fish in the area; and his involvement in lawsuits against polluters.