This oral history interview with John F. Kilkenny was conducted by Rick Harmon in Portland, Oregon, in 15 sessions from June 12 to October 3, 1984. A transcript is available. The original audio of the recording is incomplete due to irretrievable damage to Tape 14, side 2. Tape 17 is a re-enactment of that audio. The re-enactment was created after the damage to the original tape was discovered. It was based upon an earlier transcript created before the damage occurred, which no longer exists. The accuracy of the re-enactment cannot be verified.

In this interview, Kilkenny discusses his family background and early life on a sheep farm in Heppner, Oregon, his education, and his early law career in Pendleton. He talks about his service as a judge on the U.S. District Court of Oregon from 1959 to 1969, his service on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals from 1969 to the time of the interview in 1984, and his involvement in the preservation of the Pioneer Courthouse in Portland.