John Hansen received a B.S. in agricultural economics from Oregon State College in 1941, beginning his work with the Extension Service in 1943. From 1949-1972, Hansen was Staff Chair for the Polk County Extension Station.
Sager was a State Home Economics Leader with the Extension Service. Rachel Azalea Sager was a clothing specialist and Home Economics specialist from 1932-1952. Sager also served on the Oregon Nutrition Committee for 17 years. The Azalea House, named after Sager, is a women's cooperative.
James Franklin Bishop was born 5 September 1912 at Tigard, Oregon. He graduated from Oregon State Agricultural College in 1934 with a B.S. degree in Agricultural Technology. Between 1943 and 1955 Bishop served as Assistant County Agent in Coos County (1943-1944), County Club Agent in Marion County (1944-1947), Umatilla County Club Agent (1947-1949), and as the first City Extension Agent for Salem (1949-1955). Bishop then became a County Extension Agent at Large, a position he held until he resigned in September 1956 to become Public Relations Officer for George Fox College in Newberg. Later, he was employed by the Tigard School District. He was married to Elizabeth O. Bishop, and died July 22, 1997.
Ralph S. Besse was a farm management Extension specialist from 1922-1932, then served as Assistant Director of the Agricultural Experiment Station from 1932-1949. From 1949-1953, Besse was Associate Director of the Experiment Station.
Nellie Catherine Lyle was a Home Demonstration Agent from 1939 to 1947. She was born in 1913 in Glendale, Arizona. After completing work at University of California, Los Angeles, University of California, Berkeley, and OSC, she received a Bachelor of Arts in Home Economics from the Arizona State Teacher’s College in 1936. She received her Master of Science from OSC in 1939 in household administration. Her thesis was titled Normative Study of Growth and Development of 1938-1939 Oregon State College Home Management House Infants. During her final year of school, she worked as a graduate assistant in the Home Management House. In addition, she had five years’ cumulative experience teaching elementary school and home making in Arizona. She also co-led a 4-H home economics club. In 1947, her superiors at OSU planned to arrange sabbatical leave for her so she could take on research in additional areas, thereby allowing her to become an extension specialist in housing or home management, as they expected rural families’ needs for housing information to increase considerably. They expressed that she showed a “marked ability” for the field. Instead, she chose to resign later in the year to be married, at which point she was earning a salary of $3,456.
Wanda Cecil Thorson was a home demonstration agent for Douglas County for the 1946-1947 school year. She was born in 1920 in Tacoma, Washington. She received her Bachelor of Science in Home Economics from OSC in 1943. Before coming to OSC, she spent three years serving in the Navy as a supply officer at the Mare Island Naval shipyard. She attended high school in Myrtle Creek, Oregon, and was a resident of Douglas County herself. In December, she married and changed her name to Mrs. Wanda Matson. She began to work half time in June of 1947, and resigned at the end of the month.
Mary Ellen Heckathorn Debunce was a home demonstration agent in Deschutes County for Oregon State College from 1941 to 1943. Her annual salary was $2,100. She had previously worked as an assistant dietitian in Hollywood and Santa Barbara, California. She received her Bachelor of Science in Foods and Nutrition from the University of Idaho in 1932, and as a graduate she studied clothing and textiles at the University of Idaho from 1935 to 1937 and Oregon State College from 1940 to 1941. Her master’s thesis was titled, “Household Administration, Home Economics Education Problems of Oregon Women Purchasing Ready-Made Dresses”. She was single when she came to work at OSC, but later married in 1942. She resigned in 1943 due to health problems. She was born in 1910, in Hartford City, Indiana.
Miriam Jenely Black Colford was an emergency assistant home demonstration agent in Malheur County for Oregon State College from 1945 to 1950. Her salary was $2,400 a year. She previously worked as a nutrition counselor and cafeteria manager at various navy shipyards during World War 2. She also worked as a dietitian at Washington State College. She received her Bachelor of Science in Foods from Washington State University in 1942. She married Dr. Thomas E. Colford and was promoted to assistant professor home demonstration agent in 1948. Her salary increased to $3,300 a year. She resigned in 1950 because her husband’s business moved. She was born in 1908, in Sifton, Washington.
Kathleen Jean McCrae was a Home Demonstration Agent-at-Large from 1939 to 1941, with a salary of $2,100. She was born in 1914, in Florence, Oregon. After completing work at Oregon Normal School, San Francisco Teacher’s College, and OSC, she received her Bachelor of Science in Home Economics Education and Physical Education from the lattermost in 1938. Before coming to OSC, she was a home economics and physical education teacher in Prineville, Oregon. Before that, she spent four years teaching at rural schools in Oregon. She sought a position at OSC because she reportedly desired to work with adults and enjoy farm life. She was a member of the Oregon State Teachers Association, Omicron Nu at OSC, and the Presbyterian Church. She transferred to Washington County in 1940. In 1941, she resigned to be married.
Zaneta Isabel Reiner was assistant supervisor of the Memorial Union Dining Service, and later was a home demonstration agent at large from 1943 to 1947. She was born in 1916 in Gettysburg, South Dakota. She earned her Bachelor of Science in institutional management from OSC in 1943, with additional study in nutrition and clothing. She immediately began work as assistant supervisor of the MU Dining Service after her graduation, making an annual salary of $1200. However, in 1944, it became clear that enrollment in the Army Specialist Training Unit program had dropped, making it no longer necessary to employ her services. She was let go, and began serving temporarily as a home demonstration agent in Umatilla County. She applied to be a home demonstration agent at large in 1946. She was hired at an annual salary of $2400, and she resigned from this position the next year to go into business in Pendleton.
Geraldine Danzl was an assistant extension agent for the U.S. Department of Agriculture at Oregon State College from 1947 to 1950. Her annual salary was $2,400. She had previously worked as an assistant 4-H Club leader in Stillwater, Oklahoma. She was also an assistant home demonstration agent and 4-H club leader in Wellington, Kansas. She received her Bachelor of Science in Home Economics Education from Oklahoma A&M in 1944. She was married to Francis Danzl with no children when she came to work for OSC. Francis Danzl was going to school at OSC while she worked. In 1948, she was promoted to an Extension Agent for Benton County, with an annual salary of $3,300. She resigned in 1950 because her husband obtained his degree and obtained employment in Seattle, Washington. She was described as “an exceptionally able staff member”. She was born in 1923, in Sallisaw, Oklahoma.
Mary Lou George was a county extension agent at Oregon State College in 1949. She was born in 1924, in Philomath, Oregon. She received her Bachelor of Science in Home Economics Education from Oregon State in 1948 and studied home economics at Cornell University as a graduate student. Before coming to work at OSC, George worked as a high school homemaking teacher in Heppner, Oregon. She was brought on to work as an extension agent in Washington County at an annual salary of $3,540. She was chosen for the position due to her previous work as a teacher and active participation in community activities. However, George only worked a little over a month before resigning to be married and devote her time to her family.
Erma Holliday Little was a specialist in family relationships with OSC’s Home Extension service in 1946. She was born in 1911, in Milan, Missouri. She received her Bachelor of Science in Home Economics and Social Science from the State Teachers College in Kirksville, Missouri, in 1940; and her Master of Science in Family Relationships and Sociology from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1944. Her thesis subject was “A Study of the Dominative and Integrative Practices of a Group of Parents in Relation to their Preschool Children.” Before coming to OSC, she was a teacher of family life at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Blacksburg, Virginia, from 1944-1946. She and her husband left because he wished to move west and work with rural people. She was also formerly a high school home economics teacher, a home management supervisor for farm security in Missouri, and frequently taught in rural schools. She was married to Dr. James Little.
Katherine Monahan was a home demonstration agent in Morrow and Umatilla Counties from 1946-1952. She was born in 1913 in Condon, Oregon. She received her Bachelor of Science in Home Economics from OSC in 1942, and her graduate degree in the same field from Eastern Oregon College of Education in 1934. Before finding employment with OSU, she was an elementary school teacher for six years in Gilliam and Sherman Counties. She then spent two years assisting her parents on their sheep ranch in Condon. She prepared for extension work by taking summer classes at OSC, focusing on housing and extension methods. In Morrow County, she carried on a full program in home economics extension work and helped to double the 4-H enrollment in the county. However, Morrow County found itself in financial difficulty and could not afford to continue supporting extension work there. She was transferred to Umatilla County in 1947, which came with an increase in rank to assistant professor and an increase in salary to $3,336 with indefinite tenure. She resigned at the start of 1952 to take care of her parents. She was hired at a yearly salary of $2,700 and departed at a salary of $4,356.
Constance Marie Hampton was an assistant county 4-H Club agent for Oregon State College from 1946 to 1948. Hampton was born in 1921, in Lyons, Oregon. She was married to Earl Hampton when she began working at OSC. She received her Bachelor of Science in Home Economics from Oregon State College in 1942. During her studies, Hampton was secretary of Oregon State College’s branch of Omicron Nu, a home economics honor society. She came to work as a club agent for Marion County in 1946 at an annual salary of $2,400. She resigned in 1948 when her husband completed his degree at Willamette University and accepted a teaching position at Pendleton High School.
Jessie D. Hinton was a home demonstration agent for Oregon State College from 1942 to 1943. Hinton was born in 1907, in Gaston, Indiana. She received her Bachelor of Science in Home Economics from Purdue University in 1929, and her Master of Science from Iowa State College. Her master’s thesis was titled, “The Problem of Savings and Investments in Relation to the Farmers’ Scale of Living”. Before coming to OSC, Hinton worked as a demonstration agent in Minnesota and Maryland. She was appointed to serve as a home demonstration agent in Multnomah County in 1942, at an annual salary of $2,400. She resigned in 1943 to be married and devote her time to home making.
Marion May Donaldson was a home demonstration agent for Yamhill County at Oregon State College from 1946 to 1947. Her annual salary was $2,700. She had previously been a dietitian for the U.S. Army during World War Two, with overseas duty in Africa and Italy, and rank of first lieutenant. She received her Bachelor of Science in Home Economics from Oregon State College in 1938 and studied as a student dietitian at Duke University Hospital in 1939. She had extensive experience in 4-H Club work. As a child, she was involved with the 4-H Club and even received the 4-H Union Pacific Scholarship to attend Oregon State. She resigned from Oregon State in 1947 to reenlist in the Army Medical Corps, where she could receive a lieutenant’s commission. She was born in 1916, in Helena, Montana.
Ann Elizabeth Epperson was a home extension agent for Multnomah County at Oregon State College from 1940 to 1942. She was born in 1919, in Oakland, California. Epperson received her A.B. in Education from San Jose State College in 1933 and received her Master of Arts from Oregon State College in 1940. Before coming to Oregon State, she worked as a teacher in San Anselmo, California. She joined Oregon State College’s extension service in 1940. Her annual salary was $2,100. She married in 1942, and became Ann Epperson Erkkilla. Later that year, she resigned to be with her husband, who was an officer in the Navy.
Elvera C. Horrell was an extension statistician and secretary for the Federal Cooperative Extension at Oregon State College from 1928 to 1937 and from 1939 to 1968. Horrell was born in 1906, in Portland, Oregon. She received her undergraduate education in business administration from Oregon State College from 1927 to 1937. She was brought on to work at Oregon State in 1928 as a stenographer for the Department of Agricultural Economics at $100 per month. Horrell was promoted to secretary of the office of Agricultural Economics in 1935. She resigned in 1937 to join her husband, Everett Horrell, in Eastern Oregon. She returned to work at OSC in 1939 as a secretary. In 1942, she was promoted to Junior Extension Statistician, at an annual salary of $1,800. In her new position, Horrell handled statistical questions for the County Agricultural program. She prepared statistical reports and handled special requests for her department’s statistical data. She was promoted to Agricultural Economist in 1965. She retired in 1968 with the rank of Assistant Professor.
Mary Beth Minden was a Home Management Specialist from 1947 to 1958. She was born in 1919 in Boise, Idaho. She completed undergraduate work at the College of Idaho and OSC, receiving her Bachelor of Science from the latter in 1940, where she studied home economics, education, and biological science. She received her Master of Arts from Columbia University Teachers College in 1947, in the field of home management and consumer education. She spend three years as a vocational home economics teacher in Idaho, and spent three years in the U.S. Navy, serving as an Administrative Assistant in the Navy Officers’ School. She was hired at a salary of $3,408, and was granted the rank of associate professor in 1950. She applied for sabbatical leave for the calendar year of 1955, to pursue her Ph.D at Purdue University, catch up with newer developments in these fields, and improve her work as an Extension specialist. OSC granted her request, as they felt this would set her up to provide for the growing need for assistance to Oregon families with economic problems. She extended this absence until October 1956 in order to complete her degree. She graduated in the fall of 1956 with a degree in Consumer Economics and Marketing, with minors in Economic Theory and Home Management. Her thesis was titled “Consumption Decision and Implications for Consumer Education Programs.” She resigned from OSC in 1958 at a salary of $9,156, having spent eleven years on staff. She left to become head of the Home Management Department of the School of Home Economics at the University of Connecticut.
Thelma Elizabeth Smith was a home demonstration agent for Josephine and Polk County from 1946 to 1949. She was born in 1906 in Roseburg, Oregon. She received her Bachelor of Science in Home Economics and Education from OSC in 1929. She attended Iowa State College for graduate work, and received her Master of Arts from Columbia University in 1941, where she studied textiles, economics, psychology, and sociology. She taught at Smith-Hughes schools in Roseburg in Eugene, spending ten years as a home economics teacher at Roseburg Junior High School, and two years as a Clothing and Home Furnishings Teacher at Eugene High School. In 1944, she was granted a year’s leave from Eugene High School due to illness, and spent the next twelve months recovering at her parent’s ranch in Riddle, Oregon. She sought a change from her previous employment expressing that she wished to work with adults. She began in 1946 at a salary of $3,150 annual as a home demonstration agent for Josephine County. In 1948, she resigned to move to Salem and be married. In February of 1949, she agreed to take over as Acting Polk County Extension Agent, while OSC sought someone to fill the position permanently. In August, she resigned at a salary of $4,200.
Rebecca K. Johnston was a county extension agent for Oregon State College from 1949 to 1952 and from 1956 to 1958. Johnston was born in 1925, in Marshall County, Kentucky. She received her Bachelor of Science in Vocational Home Economics from Western Kentucky State Teachers College in 1946. She was a member of the National Education Association and the National Vocation Association. Before coming to work at Oregon State, Johnston taught home economics at an Illinois high school. Johnston made the move to Oregon to be closer to her mother, a resident of Grant County. She was hired by Oregon State to work in Crook County at an annual salary of $3,480. She resigned in 1952, but came back to work in 1956, where she was assigned as an extension agent in Malheur County. She resigned in 1958 to accept a position as an extension agent in Alaska.
Edith Jeffers Freeman was an Extension Rural Sociologist at Oregon State from 1946 to 1954. She was born in 1900, in Frederick, South Dakota. She received her Bachelor of Science in Home Economics from the University of Washington in 1932. She received her Master of Science in Family Relations from Cornell University in 1939 and her Ph.D. in Rural Sociology from Cornell in 1943. Her thesis for her master’s degree was titled “Family Education through Home Visits”. Her thesis for her Ph.D. was titled “Social Class as a Factor in the Family Group Relations of Certain Farm Families”. Before coming to OSC, she worked as an Assistant Professor in Sociology for Pratt Institute. She was hired as a home demonstration agent at large for OSC in 1946, at an annual salary of $3,408. But due to high enrollment levels in the Department of Sociology during the Fall of 1946, she was transferred to the department to serve as an instructor from October to December. She returned to being a home demonstration agent after the Fall term of 1946. In 1948, Dr. Freeman was transferred to work under a new project under the Federal Cooperative Extension Department called “Rural Sociology”. She received the new title of Sociology Specialist, and an annual salary of $3,948. Under this project, Dr. Freeman studied the relations between marriage, family, and class in rural Oregon. She resigned in 1954, after her position was discontinued.
Dora Braughton Cooper was a home demonstration agent for Wasco County for Oregon State College from 1944 to 1948. She was married with no children when she began working for OSC. Her annual salary was $2604. She was previously a teacher at Roseburg High School. She also did work with the 4-H Club in rural schools in Douglas County. She received two Bachelor of Science degrees, one in education and one in home economics, from OSC in 1942. She was promoted to assistant professor with an annual salary of $3,000 and relocated to Deschutes, Oregon in 1946. She resigned in 1948 to become a stay at home wife. She was born in 1913, in Paradise, Oregon.