T.J. Starker Oral History Interviews

As one of the first graduates of Oregon State University’s Forestry program, T.J. Starker had a clear vision of what could be achieved in the world of forestry. During his career, Starker would be found in various different appointments that would later aid in his work as a professor of forestry. In this interview, Starker starts with background on his family, namely his grandparents.

Later, Starker shifts to how his own family relocated from Iowa to Oregon. He recalls his time as a young adult in Portland. As a high school student he played football and worked for his father occasionally building houses. Once in college, he further explored his interest in forestry. Starker recalls the head of Forestry, George Peavy, as a likeable sort of man. At Peavy’s suggestion, Starker attended a Master’s program in Forestry in Ann Arbor at University of Michigan. He claims that he the only Oregon stater who managed to pass the US Forest Service’s forest assistant exam. When Starker became a professor in the field, he took what he learned from U of M and incorporated it into his curriculum.

Note: for technical reasons, four interviews conducted with T.J. Starker in 1978 and 1979 are presented here as a single file.