Dr. Margaret Fincke was a home economics nutritionist at Oregon State College from 1935 to 1968. She was born in 1900, in Astoria, New York. Fincke received her A.B. from Mt. Holyoke College in 1921. She received her master’s degree from Columbia University in 1932, and her Ph.D. in 1935. Her dissertation for her Ph.D. was titled, “The Availability of Calcium from some Typical Foods”. She was also a member of the American Institute of Nutrition and the American Home Economics Association. Prior to coming to OSC, Fincke worked as an assistant researcher at the Chemistry Department at Columbia University. She began at OSC as an Associate Professor of Foods and Nutrition in 1935, becoming the first Ph.D. on the School of Home Economics staff. By 1943, she was promoted to the rank of professor. She became the head of the Foods and Nutrition Department in 1944. During World War Two, Fincke served on the Benton County Civil Defense Committee and was a nutrition chairman of the Benton County Red Cross. In 1955, she was nominated to become a consultant in Home Economics in Thailand for six months, following the contract formed between Oregon State and Kasetsart University. In the summer of 1961, she participated in the International Congress of Biochemistry in Moscow, Russia. She became Acting Dean of the School of Home Economics from 1963 to 1964 following the former Dean Scholl taking a sabbatical leave. Toward the end of her career, Fincke became president of the Oregon Dietetic Association. In 1966, she was nominated for the Oregon State University Alumni Association’s Distinguished Professor Award. She retired in 1968. By the end of her career, Fincke was an internationally recognized nutritionist, with significant contributions to the field of home economics and nutrition.
Mary Iola Bash was the Assistant Dean of Women from 1946 to 1953. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1914 from the University of Washington. She was born in 1891, in Port Townsend, Washington. As a child, she traveled between China and New York often, due to her father’s work in railroads. He built the first railroads in China. Before coming to OSC, she was a high school teacher and worked for the YMCA. She was also a manager of student housing at the University of Washington. Her friend Grace W. Carman was listed as her beneficiary. Carman was notified by the Good Samaritan Hospital that the College Administration Council made a gift of $15 to the Mary Bash memorial following Bash’s death. Her annual salary was initially $3000. A parent of a female student who visited with Bash in 1948 said this of her: “She has vision and foresight concerning girls problems, with a directness for action, plus a sincere, interested intent, with a most friendly manner, with guidance definitely the keynote.” When she became the acting dean of women in 1948, her salary rose to $4,400 a year. She was affiliated with the National Association of Deans of Women. She died in 1953.
Martha Ruth Morton was the Assistant Dean of Women from 1948 to 1953. She was born February 20, 1923 in Sharon, Pennsylvania, and lived in Ohio at the time of her application. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Oberlin College in 1944, where she majored in Latin and minored in education and mathematics. She earned her Master of Arts from Syracuse University in 1946 in the field of student personnel administration, where she completed a research paper relating academic success at Syracuse University and entrance test scores. Before coming to OSC, she was the head resident at Oberlin College, and a resident counselor at Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina. While at Syracuse University, she participated in a specialized training for young women interested in dean work. She was a member of the National Association of Deans of Women, the North Carolina Association of Deans of Women, and a member of the executive board of the Greensboro Business and Professional Women’s Club. She was hired at $3,800 a year with tenure, and resigned in 1953.