Oral history interview with Amo R. DeBernardis

Collection

Identifier: SR2079

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Amo R. DeBernardis was conducted by Corbett S. Gottfried from April 9 to November 5, 1993. The interview was conducted in six sessions. In this interview, DeBernardis discusses his early education and his teachers, including at Oregon State University; talks about his career as an educator; and discusses his service as president of Portland Community College. He speaks at length about the development of the college.

Dates

1993 April 9-November 5

Creator

DeBernardis, Amo R. (Amo Richard), 1913-2010 (Interviewee, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Biographical note

Amo Richard DeBernardis was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1913. He studied engineering at Oregon State University, but was forced to drop out after his father became ill. In 1936, he and Jessie Genevieve Hulery were married; they later had four children. He completed his bachelor’s degree through night school, extensions, and correspondence classes in the late 1930s. He then began his career as an educator at high schools. In 1939, he earned a master’s degree in education from Oregon State University. After earning his master’s, he worked as an education administrator until the United States’ entry into World War II. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After his discharge in 1945, he returned to his education administration career. He was the founding president of Portland Community College, serving from 1961 to 1979. He died in 2010.

Extent

.1 Cubic Feet (6 audiocassettes (6 hr., 17 min., 31 sec.))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral history interview with Amo R. DeBernardis conducted by Corbett S. Gottfried from April 9 to November 5, 1993. DeBernardis was the founding president of Portland Community College, serving from 1961 to 1979.