Theodore Combs Oral History Interview with Carol Buge

An interview in three sessions in December 1987 with Theodore C. Combs, Caltech BS 1927 and former secretary of Caltech’s Board of Trustees. He recalls his undergraduate years at Caltech, his work as a civil engineer in Upland, Long Beach, and in the timber industry, and his wartime work for the 9th Corps Area in California and in purchases and contracts for the under-secretary of war in Washington, DC. He retired from the timber industry and returned to Caltech in the mid-1960s, initially working in corporate relations and later as secretary of the Board of Trustees (1968-1973). He comments on the contributions of various trustees and board chairmen over the years and discusses his longtime involvement with the Alumni Association, the Gnome Club, the Caltech Y, the Industrial Relations Center, and the Caltech Associates.