An audio recording of an oral history of Dale Scheller about his life in Beaverton, Oregon, during the Korean War. Scheller was born in Portland and grew up in Gresham, Oregon, on a dairy farm of 180 acres. By the start of the war, Scheller was married with a few kids and had a well-established dairy farm that was selling milk along nine different routes. Scheller describes what Hillsboro looked like in the 1950s, specifically regarding the school districts, the population growth, and the building of roads. He remembers the attitude toward the government being very patriotic and people wanting to take care of themselves. Scheller talks about how Communism restricted freedom and was not the right thing, but in giving a couple examples, how it could be better for some countries. Though being a farm boy, Scheller was aware of many things happening surrounding the war. He volunteered with the civil defense of the area in doing night watches on the grand stand. He knew people who fought in the war, but doesn’t remember any bomb drills or shelters in the area. Scheller comments on the different values that were held over the generations between the Korean War and the Vietnam War and how that affected how the wars were received. The biggest difference between the 1950s and contemporary to the recording for Scheller was the administration and how it was being run. Scheller finishes with talking about how the community has grown and how he would like the see the livability of the agricultural area continue to grow. Voices in the recording are clearly audible and there are random background noises such as a clock chiming and a phone ringing. The interview took place as part of the Century High School oral histories project.
An audio recording of an oral history of Gary Morton and his life in Portland, Oregon, during the 1950s. It was recorded on May 31, 2000, as part of an oral history project specifically looking at lives during the Korean War and the effects it had on people. Morton was born in California in the early 1940s and moved in time to go to grade school and high school in Portland, Oregon. He was about ten years old during the Korean War of 1950-1953. Growing up in a white, middle class family and community, the biggest thing that Morton remembers from the 1950s is discovering pizza. Morton did not have opinions on the war at the time because the US government was seen to be the good guys and could do no wrong. He, and others in his community, believed that it was important for the US to stop the spread of communism through the world. Morton talks about the strong fear of communism and bombs that people had. He remembers the TV announcements, siren warnings, hiding under a desk, bomb shelters and their information packets in preparation to survive a bomb. As a kid, Morton was aware of the possibility of radiation from the bombs because the government showed videos of the Japanese melting from the Nagasaki bomb during World War Two. There was an expectation that the US government would stop the bomb if one was seen coming. There was an equal fear of polio at the time, aggravated by the fact that the cause was unknown at that point. Morton remembers entertainment including going to the movies, picnics and going to the beach, and playing baseball. He remembers the standard clothing of jeans and white t-shirts with a buzzed haircut for men and girls wearing skirts and dresses. Morton describes the 1950s as an “Age of Innocence” since nobody at that time questioned anything. This “swallowing of facts” included everything from the war to the sports heroes that he read about in the newspapers. He compares it to today, where everybody questions everything.
An audio recording of an oral history of Walter McKinney on the Korean War. McKinney talks about his life in Hillsboro in the early 1950s and his time at the University of Oregon in Eugene. He recalls being an aircraft observer for Hillsboro and the fear of missile bombing. He discusses the Korean War, World War II, and the Cold War as well as General MacArthur and President Truman. McKinney also talks about the effects of the polio epidemic.
An audio recording of an oral history of Leonard Peshka on the Korean War. Peshka discusses his whereabouts 1950-1953 and life in Hillsboro, Communism and the Red Scare, the possibility of nuclear attacks in the Portland area, and civil defense. He talks about the Korean War and its local impact, and compares the Korean War with World War II. He was stationed in New Guinea in World War II. Peshka also talks about the polio epidemic and entertainment in 1950s.
An audio recording of an oral history of Robert C. Barnes and Irene Barnes on the Korean War era in Hillsboro, Oregon including topics such as the politics of the Korean War, the United States' response to communism, and comparing the war to World War II and Vietnam. They talk about nuclear weapons, fear of nuclear attack and civil defense drills. They comment on Hitler, Stalin and Joseph McCarthy and discuss veterans, government help, and great sacrifices. They also touch on the polio epidemic.
