Oster celebrates 50 years

Joan Dove was the first person hired at Oster when the company located in McMinnville in 1958. She said she started at $1 an hour.
‘And that was good pay back then,’ Dove said.
Dove was one of 21 original employees when Oster opened its doors here at a temporary location on Sparta Street in the current Whitey’s Small Engine Repair building.
On Friday, an estimated 450 Oster employees, past and present, gathered at the longtime location on Cadillac Lane to celebrate the company’s 50 years in McMinnville.
‘I remember when we first moved into this building,’ said Wilma Henegar, who worked at Oster nearly 44 years. ‘We had this huge building and we were all in one spot on one line. One cake would feed us all.’
Barbara Capshaw, the third person Oster hired, has cake memories of her own.
‘We had birthday cake every time someone had a birthday. That’s how connected we were,’ said Capshaw. ‘When Oster first came here, McMinnville ready needed this. It was what you’d consider a good-paying job.’
The shoe factory and garment factory were the town’s two big employers when Mayor Ulus Davenport made a trip to Milwaukee, Wis., that proved pivotal in landing the company.
Dove said it was Davenport who saw to it that she was the first one hired. ‘He put in a good word for me,’ said Dove.
Hengar said working on a clipper line had its challenges. She said she’d often soak her swollen hands at night so she could come back the next day.
Mertie Pistole Clemons didn’t hesitate when asked about her favorite part of working at Oster.
‘At the time I was working, we got six weeks paid vacation,’ said Clemons.
Oster currently has 327 employees, half of which have been there over 20 years. Eva Rigsby currently has the most seniority. In August, she’ll celebrate her 48th year at Oster ‘ all working the same job sharpening clipper blades.
Despite technological advances, Rigsby says her job has changed very little.
‘We’re still using the same kind of machines,’ said Rigsby, who started at $1.12 an hour. ‘But it’s easier now because I’ve done it so long. When I first got here, I wanted to go home after a couple of hours.’
Current Mayor Royce Davenport praised Oster for ’50 years of productive effort in McMinnville. Oster has been one of the proud parts of our community.’
Davenport remembers when his dad would bring home Oster products and they would try to figure out what it was.
‘I still remember the Oster scissor sharpener,’ said Davenport. ‘I don’t know how many pairs of scissors we broke before we learned how to work the thing.’
Plant manager Greg Sweeton praised the efforts of all Oster employees.
‘It takes every one of us to have a successful operation,’ he said.