During winter term 2025 Dr. Kara Ritzheimer’s History 310 (Historian’s Craft) students researched and wrote blog posts about OSU during WWII. The sources they consulted are listed at the end of each post. Students wrote on a variety of topics and we hope you appreciate their contributions as much as the staff at SCARC does!
Blog post written by Lucas Ainsworth.
Two women overlook the construction of the Chemistry Building, now Gilbert Hall, 1938.[i]
Introduction
As World War II escalated, more and more resources were required from the home front, leading to sacrifices needing to be made. Colleges and universities across the United States were hotbeds for social and economic changes due to the war, with Oregon State College being no exception. Still a growing academic center, the college had aspirations to expand and build up its college campus, with new buildings and projects needing to be planned and constructed. However, wartime reductions of labor and finances made these projects difficult to plan and even more difficult to build. Throughout this blog, we will explore evidence from a variety of sources, including the President’s Office General Subject and Correspondence Files, that add clarity as to what challenges Oregon State College (OSC) faced when planning out building programs for years following the outbreak of war in Europe.
Document Description
A memo promoted and adopted by the Wage and Hour Commission of the State of Oregon on May 23, 1941 mandated a list of orders that all firms, corporations, and private entities, including Oregon State College, must adhere to.[ii] These orders outlined building and occupational conditions that employers of women and minors must meet, including the availability of drinking water, adequate lighting, heat, and general cleanliness. The order ends with a declaration that any individual, firm, or corporation that is found to have disobeyed the mandate would be charged with a misdemeanor and fined no less than $25 and no more than $100 (roughly $540 and $2,150, respectively, in modern US dollars). This document was typed and printed on bright pink paper, ensuring it would be seen and read, as it was meant to be displayed publicly in spaces where workers would gather.[iii] While the document itself does not directly reference Oregon State College, it provided a list of mandates that the college would have to comply with should they hire any women as employees. With much of the male population being drafted into the war, this was a likely scenario. Additionally, the order would impact any future building plans, as it functions as a new building code that subsequent projects would have to adhere to.
Snell Hall under construction, circa 1942.[iv]
The Broader Issue
The 1941 memo from the Wage and Hour Commission highlights the changes made to construction projects following the outbreak of war in Europe. At the time the previously discussed memo was published, the United States had not yet entered the war, but economic changes to labor and housing were impacting agricultural workers and minorities looking for housing.[v] After the U.S. entered the war, construction projects slowed due to a lack of funding and/or a lack of labor. Many buildings took much longer to complete, with several being started during the war but not being completed until well after.[vi] These impacts left colleges like OSC with a decision: what projects should be completed—and which would be left on the cutting room floor?
Connection to OSU History
Due to limited resources during WWII, OSC had to shelve several campus projects that were initially planned and approved. On October 20th, 1943, a memo from the Oregon State System of Higher Education (OSSHE) was sent to several Oregon college presidents requesting that each institution provide a list of building projects planned for the following ten years. The OSSHE asked colleges to list the cost, status, site, and finances of each project. The OSSHE would then review and approve the proposals.[vii] Additionally, a November 9, 1943 letter from OSC President August LeRoy Strand to the college deans passed along the request and acknowledged the time constraints, as the building program was due back to the board by December of that year.[viii] Importantly, Strand mentioned that any future project not included on the list would have to be brought to his office and the Campus Plan Committee. On November 23, 1943, landscape architect Arthur. L. Peck and architect L.N. Traver listed proposed building projects, including a social science building and the president’s residence.[ix] The short timeframe of the OSSHE request and the acknowledgement of the difficulties in getting this list completed suggest that budgets for construction projects were running thin and that projects deemed unnecessary or overly expensive were potentially at risk of being denied.
Notably missing from the proposal brought to President Strand were plans for a Naval ROTC building, which letters from Mr. Traver and Naval Captain J. Carey discussed in December 1945. These letters state that preliminary plans for the NROTC building/Naval Sciences Building were cleared by the naval and architectural offices and now needed presidential approval, as directed by the 1943 memo from President Strand.[x] The blueprints and sketches of the building’s exterior show how finalized these plans were, with classrooms, offices, and military equipment storage all present.[xi] However, this building was never built, potentially due to limited budgets during wartime and because the project was not included in the initial ten-year plan requested by the OSSHE. As stated in William Robbins’ chapter, “the State Board of Higher Education reduced the system’s budget by $141,000 for the 1944–1945 biennium” due to declining enrollment, meaning fewer funds were available for construction projects.[xii] As the previously mentioned building projects were already submitted in the years prior, funds were not allocated for future projects, resulting in the Naval Sciences building never breaking ground. This alludes to a greater issue within higher education: decreased budgets led to fewer funds available for campus projects and maintenance.
Floorplan for planned Naval ROTC building, 1945.[xiii]
National Context
OSC was not the only college in the nation dealing with labor shortages and/or forced changes to previously established building programs. Across the U.S., colleges and universities faced depleted capital funds for campus projects. In his chapter about WWII’s effect on higher education, V.R. Cardozier states that the expenditures for building programs were “virtually halted on most campuses during the war not only because of lack of money but due to unavailability of materials, shortage of labor, and in recognition of the need to conserve resources.”[xiv] Most importantly, between 1941 and 1943, administrators from some 130 colleges reported that expenses for construction and capital equipment faced a reduction of nearly 70%, with additional reductions in funds for athletics, instructional salaries, and library purchases.[xv] Military training during the war resulted in reduced funds for less-essential expenditures. The reduction of enrollment and tuition income led to decreased funds for these projects.[xvi] Michael Bezilla’s 1991 article from the Penn State Libraries outlines how Penn undertook expansion in a budget-conservative manner. An influx of enrollment after the war led to the need for more residence halls and campus facilities, but wartime expenses depleted budgets.[xvii]
In 1944, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, otherwise known as the G.I. Bill. This law sought to prepare veterans for civilian life and made many buildings available for housing, which allowed for depleted budgets to be saved for other areas.[xviii] OSC felt these challenges as well, where reduced budgets called for new plans for construction and campus facilities.
Picketing outside the Sackett Hall construction site protesting the unfair conditions and expectations, 1947.[xix]
Conclusion
To conclude, Oregon State College, as well as other institutions of higher education around the nation, faced financial and labor shortages during the Second World War. These reductions in resources led to the delaying or cancelling of construction projects, as well as causing preapproved projects to take much longer. Universities had much to adjust to following the war escalating and eventually ending, including preparing for veterans to return from war as well as adjusting existing construction projects. Because of requests from the board of education and resource management, some projects, including OSC’s planned NROTC building, never had the chance to break ground.
Works Cited
Bezilla, Michael, “Challenges of the Post-War Era” in Penn State: An Illustrated History. Penn State Special Collections Libraries, Penn State University Press, 1991
Cardozier, V.R., Colleges and Universities in WWII, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1993
Historical Images of Oregon State University, Oregon State University. “Picketing adjacent to the Sackett Hall construction site”, 1947. Oregon Digital. Accessed 2025-02-15. https://oregondigital.org/concern/images/df719c417
Historical Images of Oregon State University, Oregon State University. “Snell Hall under construction” Oregon Digital. Accessed 2025-02-15. https://oregondigital.org/concern/images/df72s7363
OSU Special Collections & Archives Research Center, Oregon State University. “Chemistry Building (Gilbert Hall)”, 1938. Oregon Digital. Accessed 2025-02-15. https://oregondigital.org/concern/images/df70d2774
OSU Special Collections & Archives Research Center, Oregon State University. “President’s Office General Subject File, Physical Plant – Buildings, Saddle horse barn, 1941” Oregon Digital. Accessed 2025-02-15. https://oregondigital.org/concern/documents/5x21th01w
OSU Special Collections & Archives Research Center, Oregon State University. “President’s Office General Subject File, War Activities, Office of coordinator, 1942” Oregon Digital. Accessed 2025-02-15. https://oregondigital.org/concern/documents/g445cf551
President’s Office General Subject and Correspondence Files, “Memo from Oregon State System of Higher Education to Oregon College Presidents”, RG 013-SG 11, 174 https://oregonstate.app.box.com/file/1781119845278
President’s Office General Subject and Correspondence Files, “Letter from President Strand to Deans of Oregon State College”, RG 013-SG 11, 175 https://oregonstate.app.box.com/file/1781119845278
President’s Office General Subject and Correspondence Files, “Building Program Proposals”, RG 013-SG 11, 176-180 https://oregonstate.app.box.com/file/1781119845278
President’s Office General Subject and Correspondence Files, “Naval Sciences Building Plans”, RG 013-SG 11, 334-343 https://oregonstate.app.box.com/file/1781119845278
President’s Office General Subject File, Physical Plant, Building program, 1940-1941, 26 https://oregondigital.org/concern/documents/m900nv99b
Robbins, William, “Wartime: 1938-1950,” in The People’s School: A History of Oregon State University (2017), 145-169
Springate, Megan E., The American Home Front During World War II: The Economy, National Park Service, last updated February 2025
Wage and Hour Commission Order No. 16, May 23, 1941. OSU Special Collections & Archives Research Center, Oregon State University. RG 193
[i] “Chemistry Building (Gilbert Hall),” 1938, OSU Special Collections & Archives Research Center (hereafter SCARC), Oregon State University, Oregon Digital, https://oregondigital.org/concern/images/df70d2774
[ii] Wage and Hour Commission Order No. 16, May 23, 1941, SCARC, RG 193, Buildings.
[iii] Wage and Hour Commission Order No. 16, SCARC, RG 193, Buildings.
[iv] “Snell Hall under construction,” 1942, Historical Images of Oregon State University, Oregon Digital, https://oregondigital.org/concern/images/df72s7363
[v] Megan E. Springate, “The American Home Front During World War II: The Economy,” National Park Service, last updated February 2025
[vi] “Snell Hall under construction.”
[vii] “Memo from Oregon State System of Higher Education to Oregon College Presidents,”1943, SCARC, President’s Office General Subject and Correspondence Files, RG 013-SG 11, 174.
[viii] “Letter from President Strand to Deans of Oregon State College,” 1943, SCARC, President’s Office General Subject and Correspondence Files, RG 013-SG 11, 175.
[ix] “Building Program Proposals,” 1943, SCARC, President’s Office General Subject and Correspondence Files, RG 013-SG 11, 176-180.
[x] “Navy ROTC Building (Not Built),” SCARC, RG 193, Buildings.
[xi] “Naval Sciences Building Plans,” 1945, SCARC, President’s Office General Subject and Correspondence Files, RG 013-SG 11, 334-343.
[xii] William Robbins, The People’s School: A History of Oregon State University (Oregon State University Press, 2017), 164-167.
[xiii] “Naval Sciences Building Plans,” 1945, SCARC, President’s Office General Subject and Correspondence Files, RG 013-SG 11, 334-343.
[xiv] V.R. Cardozier, Colleges and Universities in WWII (Greenwood Publishing Group, 1993), 213.
[xv] Cardozier, Colleges and Universities in WWII, 214.
[xvi] Ibid., 213.
[xvii] Michael Bezilla, “Challenges of the Post-War Era” in Penn State: An Illustrated History, Penn State Special Collections Libraries, Penn State University Press, 1991, https://libraries.psu.edu/about/collections/penn-state-university-park-campus-history-collection/penn-state-illustrated-1
[xviii] Michael Bezilla, “Challenges of the Post-War Era.”
[xix] “Picketing adjacent to the Sackett Hall construction site,” 1947, Historical Images of Oregon State University, Oregon State University, Oregon Digital, https://oregondigital.org/concern/images/df719c417
