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Oral history interview with Virginia Fuller

 Collection
Identifier: SR 2885-1

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Virginia Fuller was conducted by Jamie Minkus and Kirsten Wall in Portland, Oregon, on April 25, 2002. The interview was conducted as part of the Oregon Wine Archives Oral History Project, which collected interviews with notable figures in the wine-growing industry, including vintners, vineyard growers, community members, and workers active in the development of Oregon's wine industry. The sound quality of this interview is extremely poor, and much of it is inaudible.

In this interview, Fuller discusses moving to Forest Grove, Oregon, with her husband, Bill Fuller, and their children in 1973, and talks about her role in the family winery, Tualatin Vineyards. She speaks about planting their first grapevines, about the development of their winemaking style, and about marketing their wines. She describes the creation of blue road signs for local attractions, now part of the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Outdoor Advertising Sign Program; talks about developing brochures for the winery; and discusses the cooperation among early Oregon winemakers. She talks about her former career as a nurse, discusses her taste in wine, and speaks about her children, their families, and their careers. She also talks about the development of Forest Grove, and closes the interview by talking about Oregon winemakers that lobbied the Oregon legislature on behalf of the wine industry.

Dates

  • 2002 April 25

Creator

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

Virginia Fuller, nee Hamfeld, was born in Santa Barbara, California, in 1936. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing. In the 1950s, she and William Lee Fuller were married; they later had four children. In 1973, she moved with her family to Oregon. She helped to establish the Tualatin Vineyards. The winery later became part of Willamette Valley Vineyards and was renamed Tualatin Estate Vineyard.

Extent

0.1 Cubic Feet (2 audiocassettes (1 hr., 29 min., 39 sec.))

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Oral history interview with Virginia Fuller conducted by Jamie Minkus and Kirsten Wall on April 25, 2002. The interview was conducted as part of the Oregon Wine Archives Oral History Project. Fuller discusses her role in the development and operations of the Tualatin Vineyards winery in Forest Grove, Oregon.

Existence and Location of Copies

General

Forms part of the Oregon Wine Archives Oral History Project.

Creator

Title
Guide to the oral history interview with Virginia Fuller
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.
Sponsor
The Oregon Wine Archives Oral History Project was funded by a grant from the Oregon Winegrowers Association.

Repository Details

Part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library Repository

Contact:
1200 SW Park Ave.
Portland OR 97205 United States
5033065204
5033065240