1997 Hall of Fame Inductee Paul Oberst Class of 1939

Professor Oberst was born in Owensboro, did his undergraduate work at Evansville College, and received his LL.B. from the University of Kentucky in 1939. He graduated second in his class, was Order of the Coif and the Note Editor of the Kentucky Law Journal. After doing graduate work at the University of Michigan, where he met his devoted wife, Libbet, Oberst started practicing for the largest law firm in Kansas City. He stayed only a few months before World War II intervened. He was commissioned as an Ensign in the Navy and assigned to the Office of Naval Intelligence. He was awarded a Commendation “With Ribbon” for his service by Admiral Nimittz, Commander in Chief of the Pacific Ocean Areas. 

In December of 1945 Oberst was offered a teaching position at the University of Kentucky by Dean Evans.  He accepted, and in January of 1946 returned to Lexington to begin an unprecedented career at the UK College of Law, now the UK J. David Rosenberg College of Law. Oberst was promoted to the rank of Professor after one year of teaching, and served as Acting Dean of the College from 1966-67. He held numerous visiting professor positions through the years and although he allegedly retired in 1983, Oberst remained very active and involved in the day to day life of the law school until his death. He taught courses in torts, constitutional law, administrative law and was recognized nationally as a constitutional law scholar. 

Professor Oberst was known for his leadership in faculty rights and interests. He was a member of the National Commission on Academic Tenure in Higher Education from 1971-73 and was a longtime member of the American ASsociation of University Professors (AAUP). As a member of AAUP he played a vital role in securing the legislation which added two faculty members to the UK  Board of Trustees. Paul served three terms as an elected member of the Board and several terms as an elected member of the UK Faculty Senate. He also played a key role in forming the “Association of Emeritus Faculty” and the “Emeritus Corps.” These organizations were created to protect the interests of retired faculty. 

Throughout the years, Oberst was been a strong champion of academic freedom. He actively participated with Elvis Stahr and W.L. Matthews in securing the admission of the first Black student to attend the law school, John Hatch. He served on the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights for 22 years and was Chairman for seven years. Professor Oberst also was highly regarded by state government and received appointments to serve on both the Commission on Reorganization of the Executive Branch and the Kentucky commission on Corrections.

Professor Oberst had a true passion for legal education and has made a lasting impact on the University of Kentucky and its College of Law.  He passed away in 2002, at the age of 87.

This link is to a tribute written to Professor Oberst from the Kentucky Law Journal, Volume 90, Issue 3: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1145&context=law_facpub