Oral history interview with Lowell C. Ashbaugh

Collection

Identifier: SR 1600

Staff Only

Digitized audio recording of interview

Go to file

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Lowell C. Ashbaugh was conducted by Thomas Rand-Luby in three sessions, from February 11 to March 1, 1993. The interview was conducted for the Oregon Labor Oral History Program, which collects oral histories of individuals who have advocated for working people of Oregon, including public figures, union members, and workers.

In this interview, Ashbaugh discusses his family background and early life in Heppner, Oregon, and his experiences recovering from polio and scarlet fever. He speaks extensively about his experiences and accomplishments as president of Retail Workers Local 1257, including participating in collective bargaining. He discusses the reasons why several locals, including Local 1257, merged to form United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555, and talks about his role in the creation of a credit union for union members. He closes the interview by sharing his reasons for leaving Local 555 to work as a mediator for the state of Oregon.

Dates

Creation: 1993 February 11-March 1

Creator

Ashbaugh, Lowell C. (Lowell Clair), 1921-2006 (Interviewee, 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

Lowell Clair Ashbaugh was born in Heppner, Oregon, in 1921. During World War II, he moved with his family to Portland, and he worked in a clothing store. Ashbaugh served as the president of Retail Clerks Local 1257 (now part of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555). He was also a senior state mediator for the state of Oregon, beginning in 1971.

In 1953, he and Darlene Lorraine Olson were married; they later had one child. In retirement, he moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Ashbaugh died in 2006.

Sources: Vital records on Ancestry.com; information provided by Ashbaugh in his interview; Ashbaugh’s obituary in the Oregonian, November 22, 2006, Page B4.

Extent

0.1 Cubic Feet (7 audiocassettes (6 hr., 24 min., 24 sec.))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral history interview with Lowell C. Ashbaugh, conducted by Thomas Rand-Luby in three sessions from February 11 to March 1, 1993, as part of the Oregon Labor Oral History Program. Ashbaugh discusses his experiences and accomplishments as president of Retail Workers Local 1257 in Portland, Oregon, and talks about why Local 1257 merged with other local unions to form United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of the Pacific Northwest Labor History Association, 1993-2014 (Lib. Acc. 28380).

Existence and Location of Copies

Audio available online in OHS Digital Collections.

General

Forms part of the Oregon Labor Oral History Program.

General

An incomplete transcript (214 pages) and a handwritten index (9 pages) are available for in-person use at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.