Oregon Public Broadcasting

The founding President of Portland Community College has died. Amo DeBernardis was 96-years-old.

The son of Italian immigrants, he rose to become an assistant superintendent of Portland Public Schools, and was appointed PCC’s first president on its creation in 1961. With a  sharp tongue, and an iron will, he advocated for funding, and space for a growing institution.Earl Blumenauer    “Everything you’ve read about Amo DeBernardis is true, but it doesn’t do justice.  I frankly was shocked he passed away before he turned one hundred.”

Congressman Blumenauer, a former PCC Board member who frequently locked horns with DeBernardis, says it would have been just like the late administrator to survive to his 100th birthday out of sheer willpower.

The two were on opposite sides many times, most famously over PCC’s Rock Creek expansion. But Blumenauer recalls his old rival’s commitment was unparalleled, laying the path for PCC’s current status as a regional player in education.

A spokesman for PCC says arrangements for a public service are pending.