Dr. John C. Pierce

Introducing the New Executive Director of the Oregon Historical Society

The Oregon Historical Quarterly is pleased to introduce Dr. John C. Pierce as the new Executive Director of the Oregon Historical Society.
A native of the Pacific Northwest, Dr. Pierce was raised in Yelm, Washington, a pioneer timber and farming town near Olympia. He has served in senior leadership positions for over twenty-five years, most recently as vice chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (1997–2001). He spent most of his academic career at Washington State University in Pullman, where he was dean of the College of Liberal Arts for eleven years, chair of the Department of Political Science, and professor of Political Science.
Dr. Pierce brings to the Society broad experience in history-related projects and programs, including working with Dr. Jacqueline Peterson on "Sacred Encounters: Father DeSmet and the Indians of the Rocky Mountain West," an exhibit that was at the Oregon Historical Society in 1995. He was actively involved in the Colorado Springs Pioneer Museum Foundation, served on the Washington Commission for the Humanities, and twice served on the Columbus Foundation by presidential appointment. He is currently a board member of the Old Town History Project in Portland.
Dr. Pierce is a prolific author who has published over fifty articles and has written, co-written, or edited seventeen books, including Critical Masses: Citizens, Nuclear Weapons Production, and Environmental Destruction in the United States and Russia (with R. Dalton, P. Garb, N. Lovrich, Jr., and J. Whitely, MIT Press, 1999) and a collection of essays, River Earth: A Personal Map (Washington State University Press, 1999). He is currently working on "A River's Reach," a historical novel set in the twentieth century.
Dr. Pierce's wife, Dr. Ardith Pierce, is principal of the Stafford School in the West Linn/Wilsonville school district. He has two sons, Dr. Forrest Pierce of the music faculty at Lewis and Clark College and Lamar Pierce, who is completing a Ph.D. in Business and Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley.
We are proud to welcome Dr. Pierce as the director of the Oregon Historical Society.
Courtesy Ken Lomax, photographer
A Message from Dr. John C. Pierce
What compels me most about the Oregon Historical Society is its central role in defining the histories of both our qualities as a diverse people and the shared values and experiences that bind us together.
My career as teacher, scholar, and administrator has been motivated by a deep personal commitment to the growth of the quality of public life. The central theme of that career has been the understanding and creation of conditions under which democratic governance can best be achieved. If, as I believe, democratic governance and a high-quality public life require knowledge and understanding of culture, issues, and conditions, then few things can be more important than the history within which they were born.
Creating that understanding requires alliances with partners in the community, innovative practice, and a sound resource base. Most importantly, an institution must have tradition and culture that enhance what has come to be called "social capital" — the resource that accrues to networks and organizations from high levels of trust.
The Oregon Historical Society has enjoyed a high level of social capital for over a century, and my goal is to broaden that trust and involvement throughout the public. It is an honor to work with such a devoted constituency and a privilege to serve this vital and important institution.

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