Dr. Thomas A. Kerns, A Life Committed to Helping
Like many children of alcoholics, Dr. Thomas Kerns became familiar with the destructiveness of alcoholism at an early age.
He remembered, as a young boy, his first experience with the disease. His bed was in the hallway of his family's house. In the middle of one night he was awakened by his father, a respected dentist in the community, walking by his bed. “I sat up and saw him and he was holding a bottle and he was wavering back and forth before my eyes. And he spoke to me in a slurred manner... I saw him staggering and said, ‘Dad, you’re drunk’ and felt a sick feeling in my stomach.” Young Tom learned to accept alcoholism as “one of those things some kids have to grow up with.”
Eventually his father died from injuries resulting from a drunk driving accident. Later, Dr. Kerns would rely on these experiences when treating his patients.
Over the years, as a family physician, he continued to witness how addiction destroys friendships and families; but he found the most commonly used treatment methods were largely unsuccessful. Then, in the early 1950s he was introduced to Alcoholics Anonymous and began learning about alcoholism directly from recovering alcoholics.
Long before other health professionals would take the time to provide alcoholics with the treatment needed to turn their lives around, Dr. Tom Kerns was there. He completed post-graduate courses and became one of the first certified medical addictionologists in Oregon.
After what he would call a good, long life, Dr. Kerns died June 25, 2005 in his home in Eugene, Oregon, surrounded by his family. His legacy of service lives on in his family, his many friends and his community.
