Albert Brauer Oral History

*Editorial note: This machine-assisted transcript preserves Albert Brauer's spoken wording, repetitions, false starts, and filler words as captured in the recording. Interviewer prompts have been omitted. Timestamps mark the beginning of each passage. Review against the audio before quotation or publication.*

[00:00:00] Do I have to tell the truth? I have to tell the truth. Well, that's most interesting. You're asking me to pray upon a memory that has restrictions. Remember that. Why is that? Because my memory is not that good on some fine things. Well, let's see. I would say as far as how I got involved was a visit over here by several individuals from Eugene and the school superintendent here met with me asking if I would give consideration to running for the board, the lane board. And Well, I knew a little bit about it because I was on the school board here and they had communication several times here. Bird Dots and I remember coming over once or twice and spoke to our board, our local school board I'm talking about. And so I was aware of this. The other thing is that we had a kind of a unique situation prior to that time in which we as a school district were voted in without our approval into the Southwest Oregon Community College. We were the fringe district to the north. There was a fringe district to the south. And later we were allowed

[00:01:42] to vote ourselves out of it and we did. Well, we felt that we were on such a fringe area that really the students from this area wouldn't benefit that much by the people here were very tax conscious and so on. And I would say those were the reasons and when it did come up to a vote, then it was voted down overwhelmingly, you know, that we remove ourselves from that. So we actually removed ourselves from it. I think we were the only district, I mean, this this Southwest Oregon Community College was the only one where there were districts put in school districts and then they removed themselves that I know about anyway. So we did have that brief experience. I think it was two years or something like that. We paid taxes on that. Anyway, these individuals came over from Eugene plus the local school superintendent and asked if I would consider running for the board. And of course, they gave me a big pep talk and said, you know, you really ought to do this. And, you know, quite a challenge and all that. And I like

[00:03:04] challenges. And so I agreed that I would do it. So I did. I had no idea. I really didn't because it was so you knew and unique that really all I knew about it is really pretty much what Bert Dodson had said. And also I talked to Dale Parnell once because I knew him through being on the school board here. And he gave me some idea what he thought, you know, might take place. And I think that was true of all the board members really. I don't think most of them really knew what they were getting into totally. And that kind of made it exciting, you know, because, you know, you're really plowing verging ground to a great extent. You know, there were big ideas and big dreams and high ideals and so forth. There was no question about that. And so we ran a little campaign. And yeah, so I was elected to represent this area, which is from basically Western, well, the Elmira school district. Well, I think it also included the Bethel school district. I'm not sure about that,

[00:04:45] but everything over here in the West anyway. Well, I tell you, I thought I was fairly wise. I really worked through the educational circles. I figured, you know, in this situation that the people who were most interested in this were people that were in education or mostly related education one way or another. And so I used that avenue to gain my support. And there were school teachers here in this area and principals and so forth that kind of spread the word around. And we had some brochures printed up, you know, just some very simple brochures. And these are handed out to all the teachers in, you know, through the district. And that's how we really, let's say, effectively campaigned. Well, let me think. I guess in a very neophyte way, one was trying to express to them maybe what in my mind we were pursuing here. And I guess my talk with Dale Parnell before that really motivated me a great deal because he saw some fantastic things. And, you know, when I thought about those things,

[00:06:31] I thought that that's very reasonable in something that one should strive to achieve. And that was to provide an educational atmosphere by which people who were not bound for a four-year institution could get an education. And, you know, we could get a top grade technical education and then also provide education for people who had long since left school if they wanted to, you know, come back and retrain or get into some other area that they would have the opportunity to do that. And then the other thing which, of course, I had experienced being on the school board here locally is, you know, a lot of people who go to school, who go to school only because they really have to, not because they really want to, and they're really not motivated in school. And I'm talking about people that are approaching graduation and so on. And a lot of people drop out, a lot of people don't do a very good job, and they get a few more years under their belt. And they mature enough and

[00:07:43] they go back and school really means something to them. And I felt that this was one way to help those people too. And I think sometime our idealism at that time got way ahead of us. But I don't think there was anything wrong with it. It just that education is not the total answer to all the world's problems. And sort of you sort of get in caught into that, you know, and oh yeah, there's no question that that's a major facet. But I mean, it isn't the only one. And as I say, I, you know, I really felt that one could really help a lot of people out. And that's kind of the way I'm motivated being a physician anyway. And that, I felt like it contributes something. So I ran and was elected. And at that time, because of the way the elections were, it was, people were put on the board on a staggered basis. And those who won the highest tally of votes were given the maximum terms. And those with the least were given the one-year term. And I was one of those that won the

[00:09:04] maximum and one other person. And so we were on for the longer term, the four-year term. And then I was reelected twice more. So I was on the board basically 12 years. At that time, when I left the board, I was by far the senior member on the board as far as time of service. And I think that's been exceeded now by another individual or maybe two more individuals who've been on 12 years or a little bit longer than that. Well, those are people that were not on the original board. But I think Katherine Loris I think has served more than 12 years. And I think that read the guy from down in the, excuse me, I'm bad on names, the fellow that's down in the Pleasant Hill area. Do you know what I'm talking about? Who serves on the board now? That guy. But he I think will exceed by the time he leaves the board. He will exceed 12 years. Oh yeah, oh man. When it came to that time, I was happy to leave the board because the things had changed so drastically from the beginning to the end of that

[00:10:50] initially. And then of course in the early 70s or late 60s, this confrontation thing began. Students, this kind of rebellion that everybody was out to do their own thing and all this and everything became a confrontation. There was a confrontation with the students, there was confrontation with the teachers, there was confrontation with everyone. And it just wasn't the fun that it was earlier on because there's a lot more stress and that type of thing when people are out to kind of hack at you. And I just part of the job. But I almost left the board in 1972 after I was injured and I was really begged not to do that because I was in the hospital for eight weeks and I had been away from the board for it was about almost six months because of the injury. But after I felt better I decided to stay on so I did and then ran one more term and say that was it. Well a number of people did, including the president and Bert Dodson and so on. That's while I was in the hospital in Eugene, people that came

[00:12:43] to visit me and I had stated some things to some people and that was, well I just, you know, lost my wife and she'd just been killed and I lost my leg and you know things were kind of topsy-turvy and I felt very strongly about my responsibility, my children and which I have six of and they were all at that time they were between the ages of 11 and 18 and when kids lose a parent somebody has to assume some of those roles and I felt you know really obligated to do that and that's one of the reasons I said initially I maybe should leave the board. But as things you know settle down they say that I changed my mind and so I'd continue. Well I was pretty sick then still I was still out of it you know to some degree but they felt that I had served well and that I would you know it'd be a loss if I left and again those were in some tough times when everybody as I say was that everybody else's throat you know that kind of thing almost and they knew I wasn't that kind

[00:14:20] of person and I suppose that they felt that it would be best for the overall good of the college and I you know it wasn't any big high-pitched thing or anything like that because but they just you know asked me to reconsider and I you know I'm glad I did I mean I stayed with it for those 12 years because as I it was a real challenge and a real experience and to get involved in something new or you could you know do things that are creative in some ways and I think we achieved a lot already.

[00:15:22] Oh yeah sure I definitely I was excited about those things because I truly believe they were reachable in many ways some of them were. I think Lane has done a fantastic job you know in many of these areas the things they have provided for people to help people improve their you know their position in life by you know your improved education or increased ability to earn and and to really have a sense of worth the things I mentioned earlier you know about providing a technical education which really wasn't available except you know through using technical school for those people there and you know to provide an education for those people who are not four-year college people and to provide good adult education and I think you know to a great extent we achieve those things we we you know provide a lot of remedial education as well and I I feel that we did it in a very good you know in a very good way and I think that the sort of the ability to take people who've kind of failed

[00:17:06] or dropped out or you know something got real fouled up in their life and kind of retread them and allow them to to get back into it and to find you know something new and better through some more advanced education I think is a it was a tremendous help yes I mean to some degree I can remember it we met our meetings in then the old County School Office and I don't know I think that building is gone now it's it's close to where the courthouse is now that annex you know that was built we met in that lower room there and I can remember the well there were some forums to begin with and that's where I met some of the other candidates at various in various school districts I went to a few of those forum candidates and I mean forum meetings where candidates could speak and express themselves and so I'd met some of these people and I do remember the first meeting and I remember Bill Bristow was elected chairman he of course is not deceased and he was a fellow

[00:18:42] at own Bristow's jewelry store and he was chairman for a couple years then I think it was all Bill was a fine guy very business-like and had a dry sense of humor he'd served on various committee educational committees over and you know in in the Valley and I think Bill was a guy who really exerted a lot of leadership without a lot of pressure and I have a lot of admiration for him and what he accomplished oh yeah and it was tough then because the board was I'd say the board that first board was an outstanding board in many ways and they really worked together there were you know some feelings between maybe the the the group that well the way it kind of lined up was that we had one member of the board that was kind of in a different position than the other six many times and you know like creative little testy situations once in a while but you know that was no big issue I didn't mind it myself oh he'd needle everybody but and that was the way he

[00:20:41] did to kind of break some tension once alone all go as the one who was cut on the outside many times in her positions and again you know that's perfectly alright I have no problem with that myself but that's just the way it was and in some ways she sort of unified the board really by some of her actions and I remember some of the meetings we had it very in various school district we met cottage Grove once and we met here over here once in the early days I mean we met in Pleasant Hill once that I can remember I think we yeah we met in Springfield once I remember in cottage Grove that was I can't remember where exactly when I think that was an early 65 when we decided what we'd named the campus and there were some other things that we decided in that meeting that but the biggest thing which you know would have meaning today is the we decide on the name of the campus that was probably about six months after we began our board meetings and the the reason

[00:22:14] was just to gain some exposure in the various areas that you know people knew what was going on that's why we well we had to decide it because the Eugene technical school came into this thing and that became a part of our operation and so there was quite a number of students just from that I say the big things were you know hiring the instructors hiring administrators making determinations about tuition tuition offsets this is then a little bit later making decisions about an architect making decisions about the bonding the sale of bonds the actual construction the contracts making some determination as to the excuse me the type of courses one interesting experience that brings to mind was well I need to back up one one other thing that the course is very was very crucial when I said hiring teachers all that was hiring the president that was that was a major event because I really kind of set the stage for a lot of things and when we made this trip down to calisone california and visited campuses when we were looking at you

[00:24:10] know to get any ideas or thoughts about our campus and that was a very interesting trip I can't remember about a plane lot of us went down there and we were we viewed a lot of campuses we went by groups to different sets of campuses one other interesting thing that existed too and that is when oregon legislature set up the community college law they allowed you to start you know a community college if you voted yourself in but there was no wherewithal tax wise or they provided you no money so we had to go out and borrow money to take care of the basic things that you had to do until we had passed a tax base and then could begin to generate some money and that was you know a year away that was another thing that was kind of a major issue too when I think back where are you going to get the money yeah we had to say we had to work out some arrangement with I can't remember where that money came from we had to borrow I can't remember how many thousand

[00:25:27] dollars you know to operate for a year without or nearly a year whatever it was I don't remember here you are supposed to be doing all kinds of things and you have no money to do them with really except borrowed money and that made it a little bit interesting but I think those are you know right off hand I think those are the major decisions that were made when we picked Parnell as president and there was some disagreement about that mostly from Mrs. Freeman she was quite strong in her opinions and in opposition to him and I was probably the strongest one in favor of having him and eventually our persuasion won out and he was he was elected and and selected and do you remember who she wanted well as I remember it came down to two candidates we had two local candidates and we had I think there were about three or four from I think three that came out of a screening process and it ended up coming down to the two local candidates and Parnell was one and the other one was the fellow who was superintendent of the Eugene

[00:27:14] schools and I can't remember his name no that's the guy yeah Miller pond and she wanted pond and I'm not so sure that she wanted him as much as she didn't want Parnell to have it I think that was a lot of it there was some enmity between the two which I don't know about but

[00:27:43] she wanted pond that reminds me of a story this but Burt would have nothing because Burt had nothing to say about that and Burt was always a very class kind of guy that never interfered or tried to persuade or tried to affect anybody's judgment never did Burt was always clean that way in every regard always was as long as I was there and he worked under all the presidents and including the one we got now and and Burt was always pretty straightforward and I the pond was the one that she wanted like I say I think it was more that she didn't want makes this school different from any other school if that's the case well I can't speak today but I can speak then and for the years after I think our school was unique in its philosophy we didn't speak that we were concerned about vocational technical education we did it and a lot of community colleges didn't do it a lot of community colleges really were nothing more than junior colleges just a stepping stone onto a school of higher education another thing we we were really

[00:29:23] motivated and worked toward re-helping that student who was the down and outer the dropout you know the guy that messed up and wanted to come back we really did a lot to try to help that person get back into the the stream of life in an educational sense and I know that Parnell excited me in a lot of my thinking because he really had some visions you know that you know made sense to me and and when they were put to the test I would say that the majority if not all of them really stood the test and I guess when he sort of excited me about some things I felt that this guy in his administrative style and everything else his way the way he got along with people the the strong support that I know that all the superintendents gave him in the county and as I understand I don't know this to be a fact but I was told this that he had the support of every superintendent I don't know about the Eugene situation but you know all the school districts around gave him support and you know you got to

[00:31:04] have a good working relationship with the districts you know because ultimately that's where your roots are in the various individual school districts and I feel that he I felt strongly he was the man for the job and he knew the area you know he was an Oregonian um and that's that's special you know it really is I've seen this happen before where people from who knows where you know comes in and and they're going to do something and it never pans out because they just aren't really into what Oregonians think and feel and smell and taste and all that they just you know they're you know from New York or Florida or who knows where and they just never get into it and there's that's a very important thing can you can you define that I mean have you ever well well not really um so I'm not an Oregonian myself by birth I come from the middle west but I think I'm pretty much an Oregonian now and I know there's a different there's different cultural variations here than there are back where I come from

[00:32:22] and I'm sure other than California or as I say any other place and when you're out in the public and you've got to relate to the public and you have to seek that public support you know if you're not kind of one of them and you're somebody else so to speak or they perceive you to be somebody else and that can be a detriment and Dr. Parnell proved himself over time and time again in the things that he did and after he left the campus which was really uh we really hated to see that happen he didn't stay all that long he was only there about four or five years then then McCall pointed him to the school super tendency of the state you know and

[00:33:25] and that really made us a bit downhearted you know because we were really riding high with him running the show and the school was really moving and then he was there for a while you know that he moved on down to California and now he's he's the chief honcho in the AAJC I understand and and he well deserves it because Dale was always a guy who's worked hard and you know really had a lot of creativity you know was willing to put things kind of out new things new ideas and put them to the test and Dale has a gift also in that he gets along well with most people I've never seen really have a real problem I'm not talking about Freeman now because that was something that had occurred way before our time and I don't know what that was well now I've been told that you those early meetings would often go on until two or three in the morning awful hours well not the earliest meetings I wouldn't say those were the baddies meetings after we I'd say means well I would say

[00:34:56] on up you know their meetings I can remember that at their times I never got home till four o'clock in the morning you know driving back and you know I was working every day you know here and you know I think back but I think back man that was really kind of dumb you know in some ways but I guess I would had a lot of stamina and I could hack it but I don't know if I could do that today because that that was a lot of work when you start you know at six or seven the morning and then you you know sometimes don't get to bed and you've been under all this kind of stress all day and then you go to bed and maybe you get four hours sleep or five at most and then you got to go at it again that can really wear you down there were a lot of meetings in the beginning traveled I don't know how many thousand miles you know going to board meetings going to various things when we were you know looking at camps as hiring people interviewing presidential candidates all this kind of stuff you know you know there were long long hours you know

[00:36:14] but again I I didn't mind it I enjoyed that and it didn't seem to affect me in an adverse way but I would admit a couple times when I almost fell asleep on the road twice that I can remember you know that kind of scared me but that was twice in literally hundreds of opportunities so it was tiring can you tell tell me a little bit about what happened when Parnell took the the other job even as far as going to the state I mean taking that well I mean is what happened what did the board do as far as we had a conference call I'll never forget that and I don't remember the man's name he was the chief assistant to governor McCall he called the board and we were all on the phone was a conference call all all seven of us and I was in the hospital when this came up and he got on the phone and and told us that the governor wanted to appoint him and you know basically if we we wouldn't agree with that and all that and of course you agree with it you know um and of course we knew this was coming beforehand a little beforehand that

[00:37:44] that was rumored that he was one of the chief candidates for the position and so it wasn't long as a he was gone but that's how it took place that's how we were notified officially of it and of course he wanted to take the position although I'm sure that he really liked Lane very much and no he wasn't I'm sure he was enticed to even consider running for a higher office you know and often wonder what would have happened if he had um because I don't know there were those who were really pushing him to inner politics and and do that but that's that's how it occurred

[00:38:48] let's see um we had an interim then we went through a search process again and uh we had I can't remember 200 and or 300 and some candidates from who knows where you know everywhere because you know they had heard about lane and they you know it wasn't they were impressed by it then it was a kind of a paper screening to get the number down to some reasonable figure and then uh then there was actual screening then we the we were the board then was given I think five candidates by the screen committee and then we chose one and that was probably my association with the greatest mistake we ever made on the board we chose the wrong man and that's when we we uh chose this chap from Arizona what was his name well again name slipped me I'm sure Burt could tell you but uh is that Pickering yeah Pickering that's the guy and we had to ask him to resign after a year you know and of course that causes all kinds of problems you know it's a disaster so it was a mistake we realized afterwards he's a guy that was very impressive in the interviews

[00:40:22] and in his credentials and all that but this is where some of this holds true as to what I was saying before he was not an Oregonian and that was something against him uh and that showed through as well as the fact he'd never really run a college before I mean fully and he just didn't pick up on it and so he had to ask him to resign and then that's when Schaefer was hired then we picked him so that that to me stands out strongly as the biggest mistake we ever made as a board that lane I would like to ask you is you've you've intonated that you felt that at the very beginning it was a lot of fun in some obviously a lot of work but a lot of fun being on the board but by the time your 12 years were up you were ready to leave could you tell me what what part of the scholastically what part of lane scholastically changed or the the direction that the college was well I think I think the thing that kind of got upsetting this you know the students some of the students you know really

[00:42:00] got out in left field you know that was the age of rebellion and you know against everything and as you say you're there trying to help people and get a second chance if you want to call it that and you know when you become threatened personally and you get spit at and you know swore at upside one side down the other you know that that upset you a little bit yeah during board meetings well that one part of the instant happened at the end of a board I was chairman of the board at that time and I had three or four women come up to me and at the end of a meeting because they didn't get what they wanted and threatened me and spit at me right across the table you know they were on that side and I was on this side never very unhappy women women who had been divorced and were trying to make it with kids and all this and I don't remember what the issue was anymore you know but that was the one of the more intense kinds of things that you know when you go through that kind of garbage you know it can't be fun

[00:43:27] and you know I don't mind people having their opinions but you know when they can't control themselves with their opinions and there's something wrong and that's just one incident and as I say I re you know it was kind of a I guess you could say almost like a big family relationship initially you know and for a number of years you know the president and the board and all the chief administrative officers and the staff and all this you know everybody really worked together you know and then when the labor unions came in and the teachers unionized and all this then everything the atmosphere all changed and then it was a confrontation thing and people that you you know and admire and all this kind of stuff kind of being your adversary I know some people love that but I don't I don't love that role of always having to sort of fight for everything you know I think there's better ways of doing it and I'm not saying you know by any means that a lot of the staff were like that because a lot

[00:44:46] of them weren't but there were some who were and they relish that you know it's like people that you know in various other areas of life today I mean they relish an adversary role you know and but that whole group of people that I remember we hired initially there were some outstanding people that were one of the advantages of having Parnell because he had his finger on everybody in the state you know all the top teachers in high schools and and so on and he could you know he had him he knew who they were and he went on hired all these people you know and an outstanding group of people that were really some fine teachers and they're still good teachers some of them are still there and I say a lot of those people were not really in that position were teachers that came on later on and that were you know already gung-ho to get into that and and of course another thing that happens which you've probably been told already you know the first years let's say the first five

[00:46:06] years when you initiate something new you basically got the public behind you know you can just about do anything but that honeymoon wears out you know and then you get into a situation where the money gets tighter and all this kind of stuff and this brings about again different segments in the school fighting for their share of the pie you know like if you raise tuitions a student would be down your back you know because you were you know you were making them pay more and the teachers didn't get enough or the administrators didn't get enough or you know whatever you know and and so you had to be kind of a referee on a board of trying to resolve these things and you got so many bucks and now how are you going to portion these things out and these kind of factors and this is what you know what sometimes became unpleasant because I had a you know I had that's the part that you know it's kind of hard is when when things did get a little combative at times not so much with other board members although maybe

[00:47:39] a little bit but you know the selfish interest really came into it more and more as the school got bigger and bigger and bigger you know and somewhat became more impersonal as things went on and so that you know that had some bearing on the ones thinking you know why they would you know not maybe enjoy the camaraderie that existed for a number of years in the of all the time that you spent there have you ever thought to yourself I really learned a lot from that experience absolutely I learned a great deal uh it's the largest responsibility I've ever had to carry as far as something outside my own family I'm talking about you know we we were responsible for spending large amounts of money I mean you know we were involved in all that the budgets and all the buildings and all this type of thing and you know our budget I can't remember it was over 25 million dollars when I left and I know the buildings were I can't remember that's about 25 million early on

[00:49:12] and you know being able to deal with people and I felt I was a moderate type person on the board people said I was the conservative or one of the conservatives but I was one that was always trying to placate both sides and I think I did that many times to bring you know opposite views together and try to kind of negotiate things and resolve issues and I think that was very much a learning time and a time that I feel that or I mean that kind of experience was really helpful to me I made many friends is another thing and not just you know staff people but with some students as a helping to be involved in the creation of something new to me is something that is kind of irreplaceable I mean there's only seven of us that can say yeah we were involved in that in the beginning nobody else can make that claim and and I would say that as a whole when I look back that I can say that 95 plus percent of our actions were right I feel good about that I told you what our greatest mistake was and

[00:50:59] by far and but I'd say the the vast majority of our decisions were right there were other little things but that was that was definitely the biggest thing and so I feel that I gained a great deal you know by being able to serve on that board

[00:51:28] yeah well I wouldn't say that I learned anything more than I already knew but I mean these things I miss make clear you know don't surprise me that these things happen and you know you can go back and kind of analyze all this stuff that went on like that

[00:51:56] and it you know like those women that time you know obviously they were under extreme stress and they felt that something should be done but they really demonstrated a great deal of immaturity on their part by the way they did it and I feel sorry for people like that the fact that you're sort of put in the fire and you know you're on the cutting edge of things you know when you experience that yeah that's very advantageous you know to go through that experience so you learn something from that but I mean these kinds of things you know didn't surprise me you know I recognize what human nature is like I've dealt with it enough and it just that you know things were so kind of peaceful in many ways you could move ahead and you could deal with the gut issues of the school you know in the earlier days and you know make the big decisions so to speak and not be involved in all this piddly stuff that really took so much energy and time but really didn't get you anywhere you know I would say that you know that's the kind

[00:53:32] of thing that would you know being you know thoughts that are in your mind is you know lush I carry on with this or not you know and you know really my using my time to a good advantage you know you know you'd wonder about that you know sometimes but now just when you look back I you know I don't I wouldn't have changed anything really I really wouldn't because it was you know overall it was all very positive experience it was a very in-depth learning experience it was an area where one could contribute and make really an impact upon people in their lives in a very significant way and I was just glad to be a part of it I think that's fine but there's is there anything I haven't asked you to

[00:54:34] who have you talked to already well I've talked to uh president shafer

[00:54:50] what read did you say oh oh yeah marie bright right right all right now you mean yeah I haven't seen melon years he's been retired quite a while yeah he was an excellent administrator excellent how many other board members you could talk to oh uh captain lauris yeah but uh of course she's not one of the originals and I don't remember that um I think you might be my only original board member of course burt has told me a great deal of that he has an excellent memory oh yeah burt is a detail man yeah burt burt's got his mind filled with details you know and he always was that way you know he had everything down to the gnat's eyebrow you know and um uh that doesn't surprise me that he still got all that stuff plugged up in his head and uh um I guess lyle was one of the original yeah lyle was and um liles you know talk about that lyle is a guy who was not his favorite part now either in the beginning but he you know confessed to the board after dale was on the board about a year that he admitted his mistake and recognized that

[00:56:25] dale was an outstanding uh you know person to have and uh of course lyle was a representative of labor you know he was a labor representative and uh a lot of you know lyle are good friends and and all that uh but lyle was he was influenced too much by things going on outside the board rather than the conversation inside the board and that's what made him uh create some tensions you know uh originally but they weren't the kind of picky uh irritative you know just regurgitated garbage that uh that uh uh augur freeman had you know i mean she was a real obstructionist on the board and uh because there was only one you know it didn't create that much trouble but i mean she there were things that she did to try to you know keep the board from re-functioning and getting his job done by dwelling on things that really were superfluous you know and uh that's the way she was that's the way she was overall i say the first board you know i think they all caught the vision you know and really

[00:57:55] strived to everyone was working hard to really make the campus uh and i mean just the buildings i mean the whole idea the whole concept uh to really make it something to be outstanding and i know before i left the board you know uh we heard this from a number of people that are supposed to be in the know that we were considered one of the outstanding community colleges in america and i remember the department of education representative for a community colleges it was a woman i can't remember she was somebody from california i don't remember who she was a doctor of she'd been on appointed and she told us that we were one of the five best community colleges in america i remember that distinctly when she met with us that was oh man probably in 70 to something like that 74 70 i can't remember exactly when that was

[00:59:09] well one of the originals um well there were two dentists on the board and one is in junction city who is still there madsen big tall guy really a fine guy he's very quiet soft-spoken guy and the other one is dean webb who is now in corvallis but he he was in cabbage grove at that time um dean of course being out of the state for a long period of time is probably not as close to it he wasn't on the board that long um madsen would be a good one to talk to especially um let me see the other guy it was a guy who was on there for a brief period of time then ackerman came on um i can't remember his name yeah something like that yeah big big husky fellow um let me see bristos dead um oh another guy that you could talk to he wasn't on the original board but he came on um he's the one that knocked freeman he ran against freeman and that was um dick williams who was an administrator at sacred heart for quite a number of years he was on the board about four years he's retired now

[01:00:42] um i'm trying to think now who the others myself those two guys freeman and scholz there's one other person who is it there's somebody else that's missing syringe oh guys girl well that's it that's it that's all of them and uh madsen i'd say it probably i don't know how we all got an interview but i'd say madsen would be a good one to catch of that original group well he's in washington dc now he was in california you know uh he was having another college down there and um i don't know burt could give you that information better than i could give it to you because i know they remain in communication with each other and um he was out here we had a that he was in california then because um see both he and his wife are from oregon and they have relatives around and stuff like that so dale would be a good one to talk to oh no question about that i um i'm just trying to think if there's anything else that would really be pertinent to uh you know those early years i i would say that that board or

[01:02:41] another thing you know was not afraid to make a decision that maybe was you know a bit different than um maybe maybe it was out of the ordinary um i remember when it came to things that were proposed for the new campus um that we did a lot of things that were different than had been tried in a lot of other places there were a lot of things that were you know first-timers on that campus and uh well i think the way the the way we put the buildings together the groupings of buildings and the underground system through them that was something that was kind of unique to college i mean to community college campuses the large buildings with the roof structures the varied roof structures i think that's very unique um the way the center building was put together was with all pre-stressed concrete that was a bit unique um a building that if it had been poured fresh you know poured concrete would have taken two or three times longer to complete so the building was ready to go um we wanted to have um

[01:04:20] we wanted to keep the buildings close enough together but still you know that we didn't jam pack them together that you know that's one of the things we saw down in california some of these campuses they had buildings you know almost miles apart you know and here students were supposed to go from building to building and you know there's no way they could get back and forth and

[01:04:45] then some of the programs we got into that you know affected some of the buildings you know those we weren't afraid of those challenges either um i um i'm really quite proud of that campus you know um we got a lot for what we put into it i mean dollar-wise and um i always take a lot of pride in that because it i think it reflects you know a

[01:05:26] you know an idea to to be gotten by people that go through there that you know it is a nice campus it's designed for the students and to make things i guess to provide the you know a good atmosphere for them to learn in and the costs on that were relatively as i say inexpensive i um i don't get over there very often now but even when i go back there now you know i get a little excited when i see that because um you know one can say i had a part in that and putting that all together and i um i am overall very very pleased with you know my experience there even though it was a ton of work you know but i i wouldn't want any different yeah one of them we weren't happy about because it caused a bit of damage and uh they were a bit green um in the contract and supposedly the damage was to be covered and it wasn't and it wasn't anything immense but you know it caused a lot of nuisance all that one where there was a student riot or something that was

[01:07:08] to occur and uh you know there were some things done i can't remember there was about a thousand dollars in damage or something like this and uh i can't remember what the film was about but it had to do with a student riot on campus