Xian's importance as a travel attractions was renewed when the incredible life-sized terra cotta army of Emperor Qin Shu Huangdi was excavated in 1974. This is one of the world's great archeological treasures.
The final stop on the ISBA tour is Beijing, China's capital city for more than seven centuries, for three nights in the Harbour Plaza Hotel.
Sightseeing opportunities include the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the Temple of Heaven, the summer palace, the Ming Tombs and the winding Great Wall of China along ridgelines north of the city.
Cook County Associate Judge Joseph N. Casciato will receive an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Justinian Society of Lawyers during its annual dinner Thursday, Sept. 26, at the Palmer House Hilton, Chicago.
A 1974 graduate of the DePaul University College of Law, Judge Casciato was appointed to the bench in 1982. Assigned to the motion section of the Law Division, he has lectured on civil procedure and complex litigation at DePaul.
Retiring Chief Justice Moses W. Harrison II of the Illinois Supreme Court will administer the oath to new Justinian Society officers during the annual installation and awards dinner (see photo above). Call (312) 255-8550 for more information.
Advocates Society
The first fall meeting of the Advocates Society will take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, in the Copernicus Center, Chicago. Call President Robert M. Zelek at (312) 346-7710.
ACLU - Illinois
The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois and its Roger Baldwin Foundation will hold its annual Bill of Rights Celebration dinner Saturday, Oct. 5, in the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Chicago. Call Marcia Liss, (312) 201-9740, ext. 303, for reservations.
Fay Clayton will received the Edwin A. Rothschild Civil Liberties Award. Lifetime Achievement Awards will be presented to law professors Dawn Clark Netsch and Victor J. Stone.
Black Women Lawyers
"Our Side," a roundtable discussion on affirmative action and diversity, will take place during a luncheon meeting of the Black Women Lawyers Association of Greater Chicago on Thursday, Sept. 26, at Duane, Morris & Heckscher, Chicago.
Guest speaker Elise Boddie of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund will focus on current status issues and what needs to be done in the future. Sharon E. Jones is chair of the event. Call (312) 554-2088.
Bohemian Lawyers
Joseph Vosicky, a past president of the Bohemian Lawyers Association of Chicago, will discuss his recent experiences as a Fulbright Fellow during the organization's dinner meeting Thursday, Sept. 26, at the Klas Restaurant in Cicero. Call David Krula, (630) 369-6616.
Catholic Lawyers
Appellate Justice Mary Jane Theis of Chicago will be honored by the Catholic Lawyers Guild as Lawyer of the Year on Sunday, Oct. 6, during a brunch that follows the annual Red Mass in Holy Name Cathedral. Call Jill O'Brien at (312) 467-9800 for details.
Decatur Bar
Members of the Decatur Bar Association will attend a professional football game between the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings at Memorial Stadium in Champaign on Sunday, Sept. 8. The ticket, transportation, food and drink are included in the $50 cost. Call R. C. Bollinger, (217) 428-0948.
DuPage County Bar
ISBA Assembly member James McCluskey, past president of the DuPage County Bar Association, is gathering pledges for his performance in the Wisconsin Ironman Triathlon on Sunday. Sept. 15. Proceeds will benefit DuPage legal aid and bar foundation activities. Call (630) 653-7779.
DuPage Women Lawyers
Past presidents of the DuPage Association of Women Lawyers during the past 20 years will share their experiences at a dinner meeting Tuesday, Sept. 10, at the Lisle Hilton Hotel, beginning with a 5:30 p.m. reception. Call (630) 221-0802 for reservations.
Among the expected speakers are Irene F. Bahr of the ISBA Board of Governors, Assembly members Colleen McLaughlin, Michelle Porro and Peggy M. Raddatz, and Angela Imbierowicz, past chair of the Civil Practice and Procedure Section Council.
Hispanic Lawyers
The Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois has obtained a block of tickets for a professional soccer game on Saturday, Sept. 7, between the Chicago Fire and Los Angeles Galaxy. It will take place in Cardinal Stadium at North Central College in Naperville.
The food tent will open at 5 p.m., and HLAI President Elizabeth Granados-Perez will conduct a business meeting at 5:30 p.m. A reception will follows, and the game starts at 7:30 p.m. The $20 cost does not include transportation. Call David Manjarres, (312) 494-5382.
John Marshall Alumni
In addition to the reunion dinner of The John Marshall Law School Alumni Association on Saturday, Sept. 14, the day's events, beginning at 9:30 a.m., include breakfast, tours of the law school building and a seminar, "E-mail Marketing and Spam."
Alumni of the classes of 1952 and 1977 will be honored on their 50th and 25th anniversaries at the dinner in the Palmer House Hilton, Chicago. Call Gary Watson, (312) 987-1420, ext. 578.
Justinians - DuPage
The DuPage County chapter of the Justinian Society will hold its 12th annual Cancer Charity Ball on Friday, Oct. 11, at the Wyndham Drake Hotel, Oak Brook. Proceeds will benefit the cancer unit at Central DuPage Hospital. Call Frank J. DeSalvo, (630) 653-0920.
Kane County Bar
The annual Steer Roast of the Kane County Bar Association will take place from 4 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2, in the Batavia VFW Hall on Route 25. Call (630) 762-1915.
McHenry County Bar
Members of the McHenry County Bar Association will participate in a First Friday Fracas on Sept. 6. Call (815) 338-9559 for time and location.
Peoria County Bar
A Habitat for Humanity Project will get some help from Peoria County Bar Association members during a work day initiative from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon Saturday, Sept. 14. Lawyers will spruce up landscaping and perform other tasks at the Ridgewood Knolls subdivision. Call, Lisa Wilson, (309) 674-9831, to volunteer.
Phi Alpha Delta
The annual judicial reception of the Chicago alumni chapter of the Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity will take place from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, in the 10th floor faculty lounge at the Chicago-Kent College of Law. Call John K. Norris, (312) 321-9898.
Sangamon County Bar
The Sangamon County Bar Association plans to have a "smoker" at Sebastian's Restaurant in Springfield on Thursday, Sept. 12. Call Shirley Vinson, (217) 753-6365.
West Suburban Bar
New members of the West Suburban Bar Association will be greeted during a reception from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, at the Avenue Ale House in Oak Park. Call (708) 366-1122.
Winnebago County Bar
Rockford attorney Charles Box, the city's former mayor, recently received the Edward Potter Lathrop Medal for exceptional community service from the Winnebago County Bar Association. Roger Reno received the Seely Forbes Award for kindness and generosity.
Prairie guide cites locations across country
Did you know there are four routes on the Boone County Historic Trail that mirror the history of Illinois prairies before settlers started arriving in covered wagons?
Did you know about the pristine one-acre prairie preserve within Bureau County's Hetzler Cemetery, where tombstones date back to 1843, or another in Byler Cemetery in Adams County, where graves are dated 1847 to 1849?
Those discoveries are among just the first few listings in the 50-page Illinois section of "Prairie Directory of North America," a well-researched work by retired attorneys Charlotte Adelman and Bernard L. Schwartz of Wilmette.
The couples' interests in nature begin at home, where a cobblestone path winds through a back yard that is a miniature prairie full of indigenous greenery, flowers, birds and butterflies.
Adelman, a past president of the Women's Bar Association of Illinois, became intrigued with prairies as a volunteer in the James Woodworth Prairie Preserve, where she realized that such ancient landscape once covered much of the country.
Schwartz and Adelman have returned their lawns to a natural state with 1,000 native plants. "The prairie is constantly changing," she said. "It's a kaleidoscope of colors and fragrances."
Their compendium of protected and preserved North American prairies was published last year. Reviewers and naturalists call it indispensable for prairie enthusiasts and nature lovers.
"Prairies are fun for lawyers to visit alone, with friends, colleagues, children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews," Adelman said. "Our book helps planning day trips to local prairies and longer trips to faraway prairies."
The couple will discuss the book and its purpose during a lecture at 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, at the College of Complexes in Lincoln Restaurant, 4008 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago.
Book signings and talks are scheduled at 12 noon Saturday, Sept. 28, at Borders Books in Wilmette, and 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3, for the Wildflower Preservation Society of Illinois in the Lincoln Park Cultural Center, 2045 N. Lincoln Park West.
"Prairie Directory of North America" is available at $19.95 in bookstores or from the publisher, Lawndale Enterprises, at www.lawndaleenterprises.com.
Jordan Shifrin pens second condo book
Buffalo Grove attorney Jordan I. Shifrin, a member of the ISBA Real Estate Law Section Council, has written his second book about condominium law, a practice area in which he has concentrated for more than 25 years.
"Welcome to Condo World, Where Life Is Almost Perfect" is a comprehensive study of the issues, challenges and legal issues and related to residence and membership in a condominium. To obtain copies, call Kovitz, Shifrin, Nesbit at (847) 777-7266.
The book blends anecdotes, quotations and cartoons with a legal perspective on the situations faced by homeowners in a community association. Shifrin's previous work was a handbook, "The Collection of Delinquent Assessments."
Lester Munson counseled church, hospital, college
Retired Chicago and Wheaton trial lawyer Lester E. Munson died Aug. 8 at age 89 of congestive heart failure in a Batavia retirement community. A 1938 graduate of the Chicago-Kent College of Law, he was a deck officer on Navy destroyers in the Atlantic and Pacific during World War II.
Mr. Munson practiced with Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. and Continental Casualty Co. until 1953, when he joined Louis A. Smith in the plaintiff's personal injury and workers' compensation firm of Smith & Munson. He was elected to the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. The office closed in 1989.
Four three decades, Mr. Munson was the pro bono attorney for Evangelical Covenant Church of America, advising four successive presidents. He served on the boards of Swedish Covenant Hospital and North Park College, which he helped expand from a junior college to a four-year institution.
Mr. Munson also was a member of the Covenant Board of Benevolence and a founder in Miami of Covenant Palms, the denomination's first senior living community. He was a founder of Evangelical Covenant Church of Glen Ellyn and its first chairman.
In retirement, Mr. Munson developed a talent in watercolor painting, displaying and selling his works at art shows until 1999. An expert photographer, he won the Chicago Bar Association contest for seven straight years.
Survivors include a son, Chicago attorney Lester E. Munson Jr., an associate editor for Sports Illustrated, and daughter-in-law, Judith W. Munson, a past president of the Lawyers' Assistance Program.
Bernard Barasa
Chicago attorney Bernard L. "Bud" Barasa, an arbitrator for the Illinois Industrial Commission for 33 years, died Aug. 10 at age 90 of fibrosis in his Lincoln Park home. He had retired last fall.