Oral history interview with Jesalee Fosterling

Collection

Identifier: SR 9028

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Jesalee Fosterling was conducted by Roberta Watts in Portland, Oregon, on April 11, 1978, as part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library’s oral history program. A transcript is available.

In this interview, Fosterling discusses her early involvement with the Portland chapter of Planned Parenthood. She talks about funding the clinic, discusses Oregon’s birth control laws, and describes opposition to the work of Planned Parenthood. She talks about the daily operations of Planned Parenthood, about the types of birth control and other services the organization provides, and about its staff. She closes the interview by discussing the future of birth control.

Dates

1978 April 11

Creator

Fosterling, Jesalee K. (Jesalee Keffeler), 1930-2006 (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

Jesalee Keffeler Fosterling was born in Hollywood, California, in 1930. Soon after, her family moved to Bly, Oregon. In 1951, she and Charles D. Fosterling were married; they later had three children. In 1953, she earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Reed College. She served on the board of the Portland Planned Parenthood clinic from 1962 until 1968, when she became executive director. She oversaw its expansion from a single part-time clinic to a multi-facility organization serving the greater Portland area, now known as Planned Parenthood of the Columbia/Willamette. She retired in 1989. She also served on the boards of the Reed College alumni association and the American Civil Liberties Union. She died in 2006.

Extent

0.1 Cubic Feet (1 audiocassette (1 hr., 4 min., 32 sec.) + transcript (26 pages))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral history interview with Jesalee Fosterling conducted by Roberta Watts on April 11, 1978. Fosterling was executive director of Planned Parenthood of the Columbia/Willamette from 1968 to 1989.