Oral history interview with Webster A. Jones

Collection

Identifier: SR 9456

Staff Only

Oral history interview with Webster A. Jones

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Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Webster A. Jones was conducted by Oregon Historical Society Chief Librarian Louis Flannery in San Juan Capistrano, California, on December 11, 1980, as part of the oral history program at the society's research library.

In this interview, Jones discusses his family background and early life in Westfall, Oregon, including his education and early interest in history and journalism. He talks about covering sports, aviation, and police as a reporter and editor for the Oregonian newspaper in Portland. He also discusses his experiences as a pilot and his association with aviator Tex Rankin. He talks about his involvement with various organizations, including the Aero Club and the Oregon Historical Society. He speaks about collecting books on Oregon history and by Oregon authors. He closes the interview by talking about his interest in greyhound racing.

Dates

Creation: 1980 December 11

Creator

Jones, Webster A. (Webster Anderson), 1904-1990 (Interviewee, Person)
Flannery, Louis, 1936- (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

Webster Anderson Jones was born in Vale, Oregon, in 1904, and grew up in Westfall. He earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oregon. Before World War II, Jones worked as a reporter and editor for the Oregonian newspaper in Portland, covering sports, police, and aviation. After serving in the U.S. Navy during the war, he became the managing editor of Sunset Magazine in San Francisco, California. He later moved to Southern California, where he was editor of Western Family Magazine in Los Angeles, and also worked in public relations.

In 1926, Jones began collecting rare books and other materials relating to Western Americana. By 1981, when the Oregon Historical Society acquired his collection, it comprised more than 60,000 books and other materials.

In 1930, Jones married Ruth Miriam Styles, and they later had two children. Jones died in 1990.

Sources: Vital records on Ancestry.com; information provided by Jones in his interview; “Historical Society gains collection,” by Ann Sullivan, Oregonian, June 30, 1981, Page B1.

Extent

0.1 Cubic Feet (2 audiocassettes (1 hr., 57 min., 42 sec.))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral history interview with Webster A. Jones, conducted by Louis Flannery on December 11, 1980. Jones discusses his journalism career at the Oregonian newspaper in Portland; his experiences as a pilot; and his interest in collecting books on Oregon history.