Oral history interview with Vera M. Springer

Collection

Identifier: SR 1105

Staff Only

Oral history interview with Vera M. Springer

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Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Vera M. Springer was conducted by Mary Mead in seven sessions, from August 9 to September 20, 1990, at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon. The interview was conducted as part of the Oregon Legislature Oral History Series, a project focused on people involved in Oregon government.

In sessions 1 through 5 of this interview, Springer discusses her family background and early life on a farm north of Corvallis, Oregon, and describes how she became an aide for U.S. Senator Dick Neuberger. She speaks at length about the work she did during his 1954 campaign, and about his term in the U.S. Senate from 1955 until his death in 1960. She talks about members of his staff, including Hans Linde; and discusses the work she did as a receptionist in Washington, D.C., and as manager of the senator's Oregon office. She discusses legislation the senator worked on, especially bills regarding forest management and environmental conservation, and focuses particularly on a bill to protect the area that later became the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. She also talks about Neuberger's relationship with U.S. Senator Wayne Morse. She discusses Dick Neuberger’s death during his re-election campaign in 1960.

In sessions 6 and 7 of this interview, Springer describes the memorial service for Dick Neuberger, then discusses the campaign of Maurine Neuberger, an Oregon legislator and the wife of Dick Neuberger, for the U.S. Senate in 1960. Springer speaks about continuing to manage the Oregon office for Maurine Neuberger from 1961 to 1966. Springer talks about legislation Senator Maurine Neuberger worked on, including her continuation of Dick Neuberger’s work on a bill to protect the Oregon Dunes area. She speaks at length about her experience accompanying the senator on a tour of Oregon with President John F. Kennedy. She talks about Maurine Neuberger’s activities after leaving the Senate in 1966, and reflects on the Neubergers' accomplishments in the Senate, particularly in the area of environmental protection.

Dates

Creation: 1990 August 9-September 20

Creator

Springer, Vera M. (Vera Miles), 1922-2012 (Interviewee, Person)
Mead, Mary (Interviewer, 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, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Biographical note

Vera Miles Springer, nee Vera Miles, was born near Corvallis, Oregon, in 1922. She attended business college in Portland, and in 1940, she married Joshua Samuel "Sam Springer. The couple later had two children. During World War II, Vera Springer worked in the Kaiser shipyards in Portland and served in the U.S. Marine Corps. After the war, in the late 1940s and early 1950s, she attended classes at Reed College while raising her children. She was active in the Oregon Democratic Party, and from 1954 to 1966, she worked for U.S. Senator Richard Neuberger and then for U.S. Senator Maurine Neuberger, who won her husband's seat after his death. Springer was later a writer and editor for the Environmental Protection Agency and the Bonneville Power Administration. After she retired, she volunteered for the Oregon Environmental Council, and in 1976, she was appointed to the Willamette River Greenway Commission by Governor Bob Straub. She died in 2012.

Sources: Vital records on Ancestry.com; information provided by Springer in her interview; Springer’s obituary in the Oregonian, November 25, 2012.

Extent

0.1 Cubic Feet (10 audiocassettes (8 hr., 44 min., 11 sec.))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral history interview with Vera M. Springer conducted by Mary Mead in seven sessions, from August 9 to September 20, 1990, as part of the Oregon Legislature Oral History Series. Springer discusses her work for U.S. Senators Dick Neuberger and Maurine Neuberger from 1954 to 1966.

Existence and Location of Copies

Audio available online in OHS Digital Collections.

General

A typescript index (24 pages) and an incomplete transcript (47 pages) are available for in-person use at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.