Eaton, Bob L., Jr. (Robert Lester), 1945-2021
Biography
Robert “Bob” Lester Eaton, Jr., was born in Dayton, Washington, in 1945, and grew up in Portland, Oregon. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon. He was the director of the city parks and recreation department in Woodburn, Oregon, from 1975 to 1986, then served for a year as director of the Woodburn Chamber of Commerce. While living in Woodburn, he also owned a car and spa rental company. He moved to Astoria, Oregon, where he served as director for the Astoria Chamber of Commerce and later as president of the Port of Astoria Commission. He served on the Pacific Marine Conservation Council, and was the executive director of Salmon for All, an organization representing commercial fishing interests on the Columbia River, until 1996. Eaton died in 2021.
Sources: Vital records on Ancestry.com; information provided by Eaton in his interview; “Woodburn Chamber to appoint Director,” (Salem) Statesman Journal, 1986, Page 2B; obituary for Eaton, Oregonian, March 16, 2021 (accessed March 2026), https://obits.oregonlive.com/us/obituaries/oregon/name/robert-eaton-obituary?id=10328917.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Oral history interview with Bob L. Eaton
Oral history interview with Bob L. Eaton, conducted by Clark Hansen in two sessions, on February 21, 2000, and April 4, 2000, as part of the Columbia River Dissenters Oral History Series. Eaton discusses his work as executive director of Salmon for All, an organization representing commercial fishing interests in the Columbia River, particularly gillnetters.