Jon Anderson

Jon Anderson is a 54-year-old father of three and a dedicated research chemist at Intel for over 20 years. He is also a survivor of childhood sexual abuse at the hands of his trusted Boy Scout troop leader while attending Whittaker Middle School in NE Portland. He is one of far too many people who suffered in shame and silence, while decade after decade, an array of authorities quietly shielded scoutmasters and others accused of molesting children.

Proof of the Scout’s institutional knowledge of the abuse was discovered in 2012 when the Oregon Supreme Court ordered the release of 1,200 internal files (approximately 20,000 pages of documents) that the Boy Scouts of America tried to keep from public view. Dubbed the “perversion files,” the documents detail how from 1965 to 1985, Scout troop leaders and volunteers who were known to have sexually abused children were allowed to continue to work with children. It was common practice that rather than prosecuting the abusers, the Scouts simply allowed the predators to move along to new troops, to molest new victims.

That’s what happened to Jon. His troop leader, Steven Terry Hill, had been a known problem in the San Francisco Bay area, so the Scouts transferred him to Portland, where he abused 11 Portland boys in the mid-70’s.

Next, Hill started a driving school and adventure club so he could attract new victims. In 1979, the Scouts sued Hill in order to prevent him from portraying his adventure club as associated with the Scouts, but it wasn’t until 1988 that the Scouts opened an “ineligible volunteer” file on Hill — meaning he was officially no longer allowed to work with Scouts. Hill was finally convicted in 1991 of sexually abusing youth. The Scouts never reported him to authorities. He served about 20 years in prison and was released in April 2011. He is reported to still reside in Portland.

Jon continues to work with a therapist today. And even with ample access to support and a loving family, this intelligent, well-spoken, gregarious man tried to take his own life, just a year ago, despite his unwavering love for his beautiful daughters. The “monster” still haunts him, even as he works through his traumatic memories and bravely takes a stand for all other victims of abuse.

Cases like Jon’s hold the negligent organization accountable for the abuse, the cover-up and the impact on the victims and our community. The cumulative impact helps change the behavior of big institutions in our society. These civil cases force organizations to make systematic changes to stop sweeping predators under the carpet at the expense of children whose lives are forever changed. The Horton decision threatens to upend access to justice for survivor like Jon and all Oregonians whose lives have been forever changed by the actions of others.