Oral history interview with Leslie E. Poole

Collection

Identifier: SR9249

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Leslie E. Poole was conducted by Curtis Johnson on October 31, 1980, at Poole’s home in Portland, Oregon. The interview was conducted as part of the Drive-in Restaurants of Portland Oral History Project, a series of interviews that Johnson conducted about the history of Portland drive-ins, with a particular emphasis on Tik-Tok and Yaw's Top Notch.

In this interview, Poole discusses his early life in Oregon and his experience in the U.S. Navy during World War I. He talks about his early career as a structural engineer for various construction companies in the Pacific Northwest. He discusses why he liked engineering and talks about working with different construction materials, including concrete and steel. He speaks about working with Fred Meyer Inc., and describes the techniques he used in designing buildings for the company. He then speaks at length about his design for Bart’s Drive-in in Portland. He talks about his design process and closes the interview by sharing his experience getting his engineering license.

Dates

Creation: 1980 October 31

Creator

Poole, Leslie E. (Leslie Erving), 1899-1987 (Interviewee, Person)
Johnson, Curtis (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, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/.

Biographical note

Leslie Erving Poole was born in Jamestown, Kansas, in 1899. He came to Oregon with his family when he was 2 years old. During World War I, he enlisted in the Navy. In 1922, he earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Oregon Agricultural College, now Oregon State University. In 1925, he and Lela G. Howitt were married; they later had one child. He worked on several buildings for Fred Meyer, Inc., and designed the building for Bart’s Drive-in in Portland, Oregon. He died in 1987.

Extent

.1 Cubic Feet (2 audiocassettes (1 hr., 36 min., 32 sec.))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral history interview with Leslie E. Poole conducted by Curtis Johnson on October 31, 1980, as part of the Drive-in Restaurants of Portland Oral History Project. Poole was a structural engineer and worked on buildings for Fred Meyer Inc. and Bart's Drive-in in Portland, Oregon.