Oral history interview with Gordon W. Gilkey
Scope and Contents
This oral history interview with Gordon W. Gilkey was conducted by Jim Strassmaier from January 19 to April 1, 1998, as part of the Oregon Historical Society’s oral history program. The interview was conducted in seven sessions. The transcript includes additional information provided by Gilkey.
In this interview, Gilkey discusses his family background and early life in Albany, Oregon, including his education. He talks about his work on the official book for the 1939 New York World's Fair and shares his experience as an art professor at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri. He speaks at length about his service in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, commanding a unit of soldiers tasked with recovering artworks stolen by the Nazis. He talks about chairing the art department at Oregon State College, which is now Oregon State University, and speaks about his work as dean to develop the college of humanities and social science into the college of liberal arts. He also speaks about his work as a curator for the Portland Art Museum and as a part time professor at the Museum Art School.
Dates
- 1998 January 19-April 1
Creator
- Gilkey, Gordon (Interviewee, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Sections of this interview have been redacted by the interviewee, and access to original audiocassettes is restricted. Digitized versions of the audio recordings and the interview transcript reflect the redactions and are open for research. Redacted sections are on Tape 2, Tape 4, Tape 5, Tapes 7 through 13, Tape 15, and Tape 17.
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
Gordon Waverly Gilkey was born in Linn County, Oregon, in 1912, and he grew up in Albany. He taught art classes at Albany College, now known as Lewis & Clark College, while still in high school. In 1933, he earned a bachelor's degree at Albany College, and in 1936, he earned a master’s degree in fine arts from the University of Oregon. In 1939, he and Vivian E. Malone were married; they later had two children. That same year, he became a professor of art at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Air Corps, and after the war, he commanded a unit tasked with recovering artworks stolen by the Nazis. He returned to Oregon in 1947, and became chair of the art department at Oregon State College, now known as Oregon State University. He later became dean of the college of humanities and social sciences, and developed it into the college of liberal arts. In 1964, he was appointed by Governor Mark Hatfield to chair the planning council that created the Oregon Arts Commission. After he retired from OSU in 1977, he was a curator at the Portland Art Museum and taught part-time at the Museum Art School, which is now the Pacific Northwest College of Art. He died in 2000.
Extent
.1 Cubic Feet (17 audiocassettes (14 hr., 12 min., 32 sec.) + transcript (350 pages))
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Oral history interview with Gordon W. Gilkey by Jim Strassmaier, conducted from January 19 to April 1, 1998. Gilkey was an artist and a curator at the Portland Art Museum, as well as an art professor at Stephens College in Missouri, Oregon State University, and the Pacific Northwest College of Art.
Existence and Location of Copies
- Art -- Study and teaching -- Oregon -- Portland
- Art museum curators -- Oregon -- Portland
- Art museums -- Oregon -- Portland
- Art thefts -- Europe
- Artists -- Oregon
- Cultural property -- Destruction and pillage -- Europe
- Fine Arts
- Gilkey, Gordon
- Oral Histories
- Oregon
- Oregon State University
- Portland Art Museum (Or.)
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Destruction and pillage -- Europe
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives, American
- interviews
- oral histories (literary genre)
Creator
- Gilkey, Gordon (Interviewee, Person)
- Strassmaier, James (Interviewer, Person)
- Title
- Oral history interview with Gordon W. Gilkey
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Sarah Stroman
- Date
- 2022
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library Repository
1200 SW Park Ave.
Portland OR 97205 United States
5033065204
5033065240
libreference@ohs.org