"Ol John's" Shoe Shine Parlor, ca. 1935. John Finley Hines ("Ol John") began shining shoes in the Memorial Union in 1930, within a year after the Memorial Union opened. His parlor, one of the "friendliest places on the campus", was a campus attraction because of John's extensive display of photographs of students, athletic teams and events, and campus scenes. [OSU Archives #537]
"Ol John" Received Letters from Around the World, 1943. During World War II, John Hines received letters, pictures, and samples of foreign money from Oregon State students, alumni, and faculty serving all over the world, which he shared with those who remained on campus. Several Oregon State coeds have gathered in John's shop to catch up on the latest news. [OSU Archives P17:1098]
Alumni Return to visit John, 1944. On the day this photograph was taken, three alumni happened along within an hour's time to see John and inspect his bulletin board featuring pictures of men in service throughout the world, including fighter pilot, Marion Carl (just above John's finger).
When he left OSC in 1946, John had accumulated more than 3000 images, most of which were given to the Alumni Association. Many of the images are now part of the Oregon State University Archives Photographic Collections. [OSU Archives P25:1757]