Oral history interview with Oran B. Robertson

Collection

Identifier: SR 9496

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Oran B. Robertson was conducted by Linda S. Dodds on February 20, 1980, as part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library's oral history program. At the time of the interview, Dodds’ name was Linda S. Brody.

In this interview, Robertson briefly discusses his family background and early life in Salem, Oregon, then talks about working as an engineer for Boeing Aircraft in Seattle, Washington, from 1938 to 1945. He then discusses his career with Fred Meyer Inc. He speaks about Fred G. Meyer, and describes Meyer’s personality and his personal and business philosophies. He discusses the operation of the company, the factors that led to the business’s success, and the growth of the company since going public. He closes the interview by talking about the future of Fred Meyer, Inc. and reflecting on his career with the company.

Dates

1980 February 20

Creator

Robertson, Oran B. (Oran Benjamen), 1917-1999 (Interviewee, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Biographical note

Oran Benjamen Robertson was born in Turner, Oregon, in 1917. When he was two years old, his family moved to Salem. After high school, he attended the University of Washington in Seattle while he worked at Boeing Aircraft. In 1942, he and Margery R. Mack were married; they later had two children. He continued working for Boeing during World War II. In 1945, he returned to Oregon with his family and began working as an industrial engineer for Fred Meyer, Inc., later becoming a vice president and director of engineering for the company. When he retired in 1988, he was chair of the board and chief executive officer. He died in 1999.

Extent

0.1 Cubic Feet (1 audiocassette (1 hr., 2 min., 10 sec.) + transcript (25 pages))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral history interview with Oran B. Robertson conducted by Linda S. Dodds on February 20, 1980. Robertson was a vice president, and later CEO, of Fred Meyer, Inc. in Portland, Oregon.