Oral history interview with Jean P. Black

Collection

Identifier: SR9096

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Jean P. Black was conducted by Karen Wingo in Portland, Oregon, on May 7, 1980. In this interview, Black discusses her early life and education, particularly her college experiences at the University of Michigan and the University of Washington, as well as studying abroad in Rome. She then talks about searching for a job as a librarian after graduation. She speaks at length about working as a librarian and teaching classes at Vanport College, including the aftermath of the 1948 flood and the transformation of the college into Portland State University. She talks about the make-up of the student body and faculty, the development of the PSU library collection, and the process of finding land for the PSU campus. She closes the interview by discussing funding for PSU and talking about other colleges in Oregon.

Dates

1980 May 7

Creator

Black, Jean P. (Jean Phyllis), 1903-1992 (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, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/.

Biographical note

Dr. Jean Phyllis Black was born in Duluth, Minnesota, in 1903. She moved around a lot as a child, spending much of her youth in Europe prior to World War I. She earned a Ph.D. in history from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree in library science from the University of Washington. She studied for her doctorate in Rome. In 1946, she became the first librarian at Vanport College, which ultimately became Portland State University. She retired in 1969. She died in 1992.

Extent

.1 Cubic Feet (1 audiocassette (1 hr., 24 min., 25 sec.))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral history interview with Jean P. Black conducted by Karen Wingo on May 7, 1980. Black was the first librarian for Vanport College, later Portland State University.