Title
Watson, Violet (1966)
Description
"Violet Watson was born in Honolulu, HI during the Second World War. Violet’s father was from
Portland, OR and her mother was of Japanese descent but native to Hawaii. Violet grew up on
multiple military bases, attending a total of nine schools before graduating from high school,
though her family often relocated back to Honolulu. Her father served in WWII and the Korean
War, and his military career was a large influence on Violet’s life. She came to the mainland to
leave Hawaii permanently, and enrolled at Lewis & Clark to be close to her father’s family. In the
“little pink bubble,” Violet was a Theatre and Art double major, taking six years to complete her
Bachelor’s. Often in a scramble to pay tuition at Lewis & Clark, she worked up to three jobs at
once, while also performing in Theatre Department productions and being active in Theta Kappa,
a service sorority she belonged to. Shortly after graduation, Violet married a Lewis & Clark
graduate, and they attended the University of Oregon to pursue Master’s Degrees in theatre. Due
to an “uninformed” marriage, the two divorced and returned to Portland. Violet, to help pay her
student loans and continue her education, began working at Marshall High School while also
continuing her Master’s in theatre at Lewis & Clark. Obtaining her degree in 1972, she continued
teaching at Marshall before taking a year off. Violet then began teaching at Barlow High School
in Gresham, where she would teach theatre for twenty-one years. Bringing a progressive
perspective into a conservative community, Violet directed thought-provoking shows in a
sometimes hostile environment. After retiring, she tried her hand at small-scale farming in Sandy,
which did not work out. Now, she is active in the theatre community in Oregon, often judging
competitions and seeing performances of students she taught twenty years before."
Portland, OR and her mother was of Japanese descent but native to Hawaii. Violet grew up on
multiple military bases, attending a total of nine schools before graduating from high school,
though her family often relocated back to Honolulu. Her father served in WWII and the Korean
War, and his military career was a large influence on Violet’s life. She came to the mainland to
leave Hawaii permanently, and enrolled at Lewis & Clark to be close to her father’s family. In the
“little pink bubble,” Violet was a Theatre and Art double major, taking six years to complete her
Bachelor’s. Often in a scramble to pay tuition at Lewis & Clark, she worked up to three jobs at
once, while also performing in Theatre Department productions and being active in Theta Kappa,
a service sorority she belonged to. Shortly after graduation, Violet married a Lewis & Clark
graduate, and they attended the University of Oregon to pursue Master’s Degrees in theatre. Due
to an “uninformed” marriage, the two divorced and returned to Portland. Violet, to help pay her
student loans and continue her education, began working at Marshall High School while also
continuing her Master’s in theatre at Lewis & Clark. Obtaining her degree in 1972, she continued
teaching at Marshall before taking a year off. Violet then began teaching at Barlow High School
in Gresham, where she would teach theatre for twenty-one years. Bringing a progressive
perspective into a conservative community, Violet directed thought-provoking shows in a
sometimes hostile environment. After retiring, she tried her hand at small-scale farming in Sandy,
which did not work out. Now, she is active in the theatre community in Oregon, often judging
competitions and seeing performances of students she taught twenty years before."
Subject
Oral history
Creator
Lewis & Clark College
Date
2018-03-06
Format
PDF
Type
text
Rights
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
For questions about rights statements, or access to the original document please contact Lewis & Clark College Special Collections and Archives http://specialcollections.lclark.edu
For questions about rights statements, or access to the original document please contact Lewis & Clark College Special Collections and Archives http://specialcollections.lclark.edu
Collection