Oral history interview with Becky Johnson

Collection

Identifier: SR 9453

Staff Only

Oral history interview with Becky Johnson

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Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Becky Johnson was conducted by Linda S. Dodds at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon, on November 19, 1981, 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 addition to the audio recording, a transcript of the interview is available.

In this interview, Johnson discusses her family background and early life in Bellevue, Ohio. She talks about her college experiences at Miami University in Ohio and at Wellesley College, and discusses her career as a teacher in Ohio and Michigan during the Depression, including her salary. She shares her reasons for leaving the teaching profession to join the U.S. Navy during World War II, and shares her experiences recruiting women for the Navy in Portland, Oregon. She closes the interview by briefly discussing her involvement in Oregon politics.

Dates

Creation: 1981 November 19

Creator

Johnson, Becky (Elizabeth Avery Hill), 1913-2007 (Interviewee, Person)
Dodds, Linda S. (Interviewer, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Joint copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society and the estate of Becky Johnson. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright – Non-Commercial Use Permitted, https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-NC/1.0/

Biographical note

Elizabeth "Becky" Avery Johnson, nee Hill, was born in Indiana in 1913. Her family moved to Bellevue, Ohio, when she was an infant. She graduated from Miami University in Ohio in 1935 with a bachelor’s degree in education, and subsequently from Wellesley College with a master’s degree. She taught English at high schools in Lima, Ohio, and in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, until 1942. She joined the Navy during World War II, serving in the WAVES beginning in 1943. While in the service, she was stationed in Portland, Oregon, where she met Sam Johnson, who later became an Oregon state representative. They married in 1944 and had two children. She was a member of several organizations, including the Oregon State Board of Higher Education, the Teachers Standards and Practices Commission, and the Oregon Historical Society. She died in 2007.

Sources: Vital records on Ancestry.com; information provided by Johnson during her interview and in an additional oral history, SR 1115, also held at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Extent

0.1 Cubic Feet (1 audiocassette (58 min., 15 sec.) + transcript (23 pages))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral history interview with Becky Johnson conducted by Linda S. Dodds on November 19, 1981. Johnson discusses her career as a teacher in Ohio and Michigan, and her work as a recruiter of women for the U.S. Navy in Portland, Oregon, during World War II.