Oregon's first – and only – woman Gov. Barbara Roberts has had a long and inspiring political career in local and state government, starting when she was elected to a school board in 1973.

On Wednesday, Oct. 23, Roberts will recount her political journey in a free, public talk titled, "Up the Capitol Steps: A Woman's March to the Governorship." The lecture, sponsored by the Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics at the University of Oregon, takes place at 4 p.m. in Gerlinger Lounge, 15th and University Street, on the UO campus. Afterward, Roberts will be available to sign copies of her memoir that shares the same title as her talk.

"Gov. Barbara Roberts took on many battles, large and small, and overcame personal traumas on her road to the governorship," said Wayne Morse Center Director Margaret Hallock. "She stands among the most courageous and compassionate of Oregon politicians."

The event is part of the center's speaker series, "We the People? From Seneca Falls to Selma to Stonewall." Cosponsors include the UO departments of Political Science and Women and Gender Studies, the Women’s Law Forum, and the Center for the Study of Women in Society.

- from the UO School of Law