The Oregon State University Sesquicentennial Oral History Project

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Nancy Kerns Oral History Interview. November 21, 2014

Nancy Kerns Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.

November 21, 2014

Location:  City Hall, Pendleton, Oregon.

Nancy Kerns (b. 1956) graduated from OSU in 1978 with a bachelor's degree in American Studies. After completing law school in 1981, Kerns began a career in the legal profession that has included stints as deputy district attorney for Umatilla County and, since 2011, city attorney for the city of Pendleton. Kerns is the first and only woman in Pendleton's history to have held the office of city attorney. Her interview includes reflections on the American Studies program at OSU during the mid-1970s; memories of law school and studying for the bar exam; and a look back on an accomplished legal career spent primarily in rural eastern Oregon.