Clarence Meeker was a Medford product through and through.
Coming to Southern Oregon in the 1890s at the age of 12, he graduated from the city’s first high school and became a prominent downtown merchant. A natural leader and civic booster, he also served two terms as a city councilman, and as Medford’s wartime mayor. Like many of his contemporaries, Meeker was fascinated by stories of the early settlers, and in his efforts to preserve Jacksonville’s historic county courthouse, laid the groundwork that enabled the Southern Oregon Historical Society to gather and preserve one of the largest regional history collections in the country. His life and work form, detailed in the December Windows in Time Presentation, “The Mayor’s Gift: The Enduring Legacy of Clarence Meeker,” is a fascinating but little-known chapter of Rogue Valley history.
Larry Mullaly is a retired educator and community college administrator with a love for sharing history. He serves on the coordinating committee of the Window’s In Time program, is a frequent contributor to the Southern Oregon Historical Society Quarterly, and long-time host of the Windows In Time monthly lectures.
The monthly Windows in Time lunchtime lectures feature well-known writers and historians and bring alive the people, values, and events that shaped our southern Oregon heritage. Lectures are jointly sponsored by the Southern Oregon Historical Society (SOHS) and Jackson County Library Services. Programs are presented in Medford (first Wednesdays, in-person and online) and again in Ashland (second Wednesdays, in-person). Recordings of Medford presentations are available on the JCLS Beyond YouTube channel.
