Roberta Frasier Anderson

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Roberta C. Frasier was appointed Family Life Specialist with the Oregon State University Extension Service in 1959, a position she held until her retirement in 1974. She trained Extension and 4-H educators and project leaders on a variety of topics pertaining to families, child development, aging, and communications within families; developed curriculum; and wrote guides and publications.

Frasier’s numerous Extension publications include Family Communication (1964); Child Guidance Techniques (1965; Spanish language version, 1981); Death: A Family Crisis (1966); Early Marriage (1966); and Teaching Money Skills to Preschool Children (1969) She was also co-author of Parents and Babies: A Guide for Home Economics Assistants, published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1966.

Frasier was the recipient of the first Osborne teaching award given by the National Council on Family Relations. The U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded her its Superior Service Award for her creative programming in family life education.

Frasier was born in Walla Walla, Washington in 1912 and grew up in rural Southeast Washington. She earned a B.A. from Washington State College (1933) and a Master of Social Work from the University of Washington (1952). Prior to her appointment at Oregon State University, Frasier was chair of the Child Development Department at Washington State University from 1947 to 1959.

A mother of three children, Frasier was widowed in 1948. In 1972, she married Peter Rictor Anderson and began using the name Roberta Frasier Anderson.

A guide to a collection of Anderson’s papers is available at the Oregon State University Archives.