Oral History Interview with Carole Bennett, Judy Boles, and Donna Adams

Title: Oral History Interview with Carole Bennett, Judy Boles, and Donna Adams
LC Subject: Lesbianism Lesbian community
Local Collection ID: Coll 520
Repository: University of Oregon. Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Interviewee: Adams, Donna Bennett, Carole Boles, Judy
Interviewer: Long, Linda, 1956- Raiskin, Judith L.
Description: The Eugene Lesbian Oral History Project collection consists of interviews of 83 people for the Eugene Lesbian Oral History Project, conducted by Professor Judith Raiskin and Curator Linda Long at the University of Oregon starting in the summer of 2018.
Abstract: Donna was born in 1956 in Louisiana. She attended college in Colorado and came to Eugene in 1976. She attended Lane Community College, then transferred to the University of Oregon. She discusses working for the City of Eugene, starting in 1980, and discusses the sexist environment she first experienced there. She discusses parenting with her partner, Cheryl. Cheryl was a musician in the band “TranSister.” Cheryl died in 2015. Carole was born in 1942 in Vancouver, B.C. She moved with her family to Tacoma and then to San Diego. She met Judy Boles, a lifelong friend, while in elementary school. At a young age, Carole had crushes on girls, but was terrified that someone would find out. Carole was a talented athlete, but felt she could not participate in school sports because she thought others would associate sports with lesbianism. In Eugene, Carole worked at a variety of jobs. She worked at Wild Iris restaurant, cleaned trucks at Starflower Natural Foods & Botanicals, and started her own cleaning business called Arrow Cleaning. She later did social work in Lane County Mental Health. She concludes her interview by talking about her friends, the reason why she stayed in Eugene—to be with a community of women friends. Judy: Judy was born in San Diego in 1944. In early elementary school, she remembers thinking she had a really bad secret. She went to Carlsbad High School, and dated boys. Although she continued to date men, she had a lesbian relationship while in college. Judy was in college at the University of California, Berkeley during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Free Speech Movement at Berkeley. Over the next ten years, she was in and out of college. She received a degree in English. Judy met Carole Bennett, a lifelong friend, when they were both in elementary school. Judy discusses the alternative restaurants in Eugene, such as Gertrude’s Café, which later became Wild Iris restaurant. Because Judy had been a comptroller, she was asked to do financial work for MIUSA (Mobility International USA) and Wild Iris. Professionally, she served as the City of Eugene budget officer, and later was the City of Springfield Finance Director. Judy discusses the tendency of lesbians to do social services work.
Subject: Bands (music); Camilio, Cheryl; Eugene (Or.); Lesbian mothers -- United States; Parenting; Women’s music; Athletes; Boles, Judy; Community mental health services -- Oregon -- Lane County; Eugene (Or.) -- Social conditions; Lesbian community – Oregon; San Diego (Calif.); Wild Iris (restaurant); Collectives; Cooperatives; Eugene (Or.) -- Politics and government; Eugene (Or.) -- Social conditions; San Diego (Calif.); Softball; Springfield (Or).
Location: University of Oregon >> Lane County >> Oregon >> United States
Date: 2018-09-14
Identifier: Coll520_do006
Rights: In Copyright
Dc Rights Holder: University of Oregon Libraries
Local Collection Name: Eugene Lesbian Oral History Project
Type: Collection
Format: application/xml
Set: Eugene Lesbian Oral History Project
Primary Set: Eugene Lesbian Oral History Project
Institution: University of Oregon