Epilogue

The deaths of three attorneys – two in Chicago and one in suburban St. Louis – last month from gunshot wounds focused renewed concerns on safety in law offices and courtrooms.

In Chicago, patent lawyers Michael McKenna and Allen Hoover were killed Dec. 8 in their 38th floor office by an apparently disturbed former client who had sought advice for his invention of a concealed toilet in a truck seat.

The assailant, who reportedly forced a security guard to admit him to the law offices, also killed an office employee and wounded McKenna's paralegal. He was later shot to death by police officers.

In Clayton, Mo., Ernest Brasier was found dead from a gunshot wound in his office on the evening of Dec. 19. Police found no sign of forced entry or robbery.

Obituaries follow of the three lawyers.

Chicago patent attorney Michael Robert Malec McKenna died Dec. 8 at age 58 in his office. He was shot by a former client whom he had advised almost five years earlier that his invention was not likely to be patented.

A 1976 graduate of the Chicago-Kent College of Law, Mr. McKenna attended night classes while working days as a mechanical engineer for ComEd. He was a principal in the Law Office of Michael R. McKenna, leasing space in the offices of Wood, Phillips, Katz, Clark & Mortimer.

A registered organ donor who participated in bicycle rides to raise money for AIDS research, he tutored children at Cabrini Green and served on the council of his church. An inventor himself, Mr. McKenna held two U.S. patents.

His paralegal, Ruth Zak Lieb of Oak Park, suffered a gunshot wound to a foot but was able to attend the funeral.

Chicago patent attorney Allen Joseph Hoover, a Wilmette resident, died Dec. 8 at age 65 in his office, a victim of the same assailant who murdered Michael McKenna.

A 1965 graduate of the DePaul University College of Law, Mr. Hoover was a partner in Wood, Phillips, Katz, Clark & Mortimer. He was former chief patent counsel of the Chemetron Corp. and patent attorney with Sunbeam.

Survivors include a son, Allen E. Hoover of Banner & Witcoff, Chicago.

Also killed in the Dec. 8 incident was Paul Goodson, a retired teacher who worked part-time in the firm's mail room.

Civil defense attorney Ernest F. Brasier was murdered Dec. 19, nine days before his 58th birthday. He was found that evening with a gunshot wound in his head in his Clayton, Mo., office near the St. Louis County Courthouse.

Born in Chicago, Mr. Brasier was a 1974 graduate of the University of Missouri Law School. A partner in Boggs, Boggs & Bates, he was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1997.

William L. Rutherford, who was honored in 2005 as a Pillar of the Bar by the Peoria County Bar Association and Illinois Bar Foundation, died Nov. 21 at age 91 in his home.

A 1937 graduate of the University of Chicago Law School who did graduate work in taxation at Columbia University, Mr. Rutherford was best known as the creator of Wildlife Prairie Park in 1978 and head of the Forest Park Foundation since 1939.

After the foundation deeded the park to the state, its name was changed in 2000 to the Hazel and Bill Rutherford Wildlife Prairie State Park.

A consultant to the U.S. Secretary of War during World War II and a Navy flight instructor, Mr. Rutherford returned to Peoria and practiced for more than a half-century with several other lawyers.

He served on the White House Com-mission on Aging, the Illinois Board of Vocational Education and Illinois Public Aid Commission, and was a director of the Illinois Department of Conservation.

He represented the Greater Peoria Airport Authority during and after its formation, and was a founder of the Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation as well as several health and nature developments in the state.

Mr. Rutherford devoted significant time to pro bono representation and was a recipient of the Peoria County Bar's Distinguished Community Service Award.

Retired Chicago attorney Maureen A. Sweeney Cain died Dec. 29 at age 70 of pulmonary hypertension. A 1979 graduate of the Chicago-Kent College of Law, she entered at age 40 while working part-time at the American Bar Association, selling real estate and waitressing.

Ms. Cain had a master's degree in speech and had taught at the junior college level before entering law. She was with the Illinois attorney general's Crime Victims Division before beginning a real estate law practice. She also taught courses for the Chicago Association of Realtors.

Retired Chicago attorney Evar Christell Jr., a past president of the Nordic Law Club, died Dec. 16 at age 86 of pneumonia in Northwest Community Hospital, Arlington Heights. He was a resident of Northfield.

A 1948 graduate of the DePaul University College of Law, Mr. Christell trained as an Army Air Corps bombardier during World War II, but the war ended before he saw active duty.

A member of several law firms, including Ruff, Weidenaar & Reidy, he retired six years ago and was a court-appointed arbitrator for two years.

Mr. Christell was a past president of the Augustana Hospital board and the Chicago Toastmasters.

Retired attorney Richard Dalton Sr., a past president of the McLean County Bar Association, died Nov. 29 at age 82 in OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, Peoria.

A 1953 graduate of the University of Wyoming Law School, Mr. Dalton served in the Navy during World War II. He practiced law in Gridley and Bloomington for 30 years before retiring to Englewood, Fla.

Lake Forest attorney and certified public accountant Walter Charles Hamann died Dec. 3 at age 85. A 1944 graduate of The John Marshall Law School, he was a lawyer and accountant for KPMG.

A past president of John Marshall's alumni association and member of the board of trustees, Mr. Hamann was a recipient of the law school's Distinguished Alumni Award.

Chicago attorney Antonia Rago Herbert died Nov. 23, still registered to practice at age 93, of congestive heart failure in a Franklin, N.H., nursing home.

A 1938 graduate of the DePaul University College of Law, she had been admitted to Harvard Law School but denied entrance when she was identified as a woman.

During World War II, Mrs. Herbert was decorated by President Roosevelt for her work on War Fund and blood donor drives. In 1948, she was a delegate to the Palace Conference at The Hague on behalf of war orphans and displaced persons.

Mrs. Herbert's legal career included being legal counsel to the Commission on the Status of Women and serving as an Illinois Industrial Commission arbitrator. She also was a real estate broker.

Survivors include an attorney son, Barry S. Herbert, deputy circuit librarian for the federal courts in Chicago.

Retired Cook County judge Michael Ruane Keehan Sr. died Dec. 20 at age 62 of heart ailments in St. Francis Hospital, Evanston.

A former police officer assigned to gang intelligence, Mr. Keehan graduated in 1981 from The John Marshall Law School. He was an assistant Cook County state's attorney before entering private practice in criminal law.

He was elected to the circuit court in 1998 and retired last March.

Retired Chicago attorney Gerard Swiatoslaw Kybaluck died Dec. 23 at age 78. Admitted to the Illinois bar in 1961, he was a corporate attorney with Allstate Insurance Co.

Retired Chesterton, Ind., attorney Frank J. Laverty, a Chicago police homicide detective from 1966 to 1997, died Dec. 5 at age 66 of lung cancer in his home. A 1987 graduate of The John Marshall Law School, he served in the Army from 1962 to 1964.

Retired Chicago attorney Charles Edward Lindell died Dec. 17 at age 78, in Dyer, Ind. An Army veteran, he was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1953.

Retired Chicago attorney Ann Goggin Lutterbeck died Dec. 18 at age 83 of a heart ailment in a Washington, D.C., retirement home. She had moved to Georgetown last year.

A 1949 graduate of the DePaul University College of Law, Mrs. Lutterbeck worked nights as a telephone switchboard operator to pay tuition. She also had a master of laws degree from the University of Illinois.

After raising four children, Mrs. Lutterbeck returned to law practice with the American Life Convention in 1971. She later was an attorney for the Illinois Fair Employment Commission and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

She finished her legal career in 1988 as a fair employment practices attorney for CNA Insurance Co., then volunteered with the Executive Service Corps of Chicago on reforms of Chicago Public Schools.

Retired federal administrative law judge Thomas I. Megan of Chicago died in December at age 93. He was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1939 and was an Army major during World War II.

Mr. Megan was a former vice president in the law department of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Co.

Retired University of Chicago Law School professor Bernard D. Meltzer, a labor law scholar and Edward H. Levi Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus, died Jan. 4 at age 92 of prostate cancer in his home.

A 1938 graduate of the law school, he worked for three government agencies until 1943, when he was commissioned as a Navy officer and assigned to the Office of Strategic Services.

After the war, Mr. Meltzer helped draft the United Nations charter and joined the prosecution team for the Nuremberg trials to focus on economic crimes of the Nazi regime.

He returned to the law school and developed the first course on the law of international organizations. He retired in 1985 but continued to consult and work at Sidley & Austin.

Mr. Meltzer chaired the Cook County Hospital Committee, served on the Illinois Civil Service Commission, and was a Major League Baseball salary arbitrator.

Chicago attorney James Bruce O'Brien, an Evanston resident, died Dec. 24 at age 66. A 1964 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law, he was a partner in Schiller, DuCanto & Fleck and a Fellow of the American Association of Matrimonial Lawyers.

Retired attorney Harry C. Pirtle of Jacksonville died Dec. 24 at age 80 at Regency Nursing Care, Springfield. A 1950 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law, he was an attorney for the John Deere Life Insurance Co.

Niles attorney Lawrence Joseph Ptasinski died Dec. 31 at age 57 in a Milwaukee hospital of injuries due to being hit by a speeding car in Walworth, Wis.

A 1975 graduate of The John Marshall Law School, he had been a partner in Ptasinski & Smith since 1994, practicing in estate planning and real estate law. Previous firms were McCallister & Ptasinski, Wigell & Ptasinski, and Lawrence J. Ptasinski & Associates.

Mr. Ptasinski was a past president of the Niles Chamber of Commerce, the St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital Center Advisory Board and the Weber High School Alumni Association.

Merrillville, Ind., attorney Nathaniel “Ned” Ruff, a member of the Illinois bar since 1981, died in December at age 64. He was corporate co-counsel for the City of East Chicago, Ind.

Retired 7th Circuit judge John Wilson Russell died Dec. 3 at age 85 in his Carlinville home. A 1950 graduate of the Northwestern University School of Law, he served in the Navy during World War II.

A founding partner Phelps, Carmody & Kasten, Mr. Russell practiced in Carlinville until 1977, when he became a judge. He left the bench in 1991 and volunteered with the Macoupin County Housing Authority.

He was city attorney for 12 years, a city alderman for two terms and a member of the park district board for 15 years. He also served on the Carlinville Board of Police and Fire Commissioners.

A former vaudeville performer, Mr. Russell was director of the Summer Repertory Theatre Group at Blackburn College and a founder of Geriatric Theatre. As a trustee of the college, he helped create the county student scholarship fund.

Retired attorney Robert Gregory Sampson of Arlington Heights died Dec. 3 at age 81 in his home of complications from muscular dystrophy, which he had suffered since birth.

A 1947 graduate of the DePaul University College of Law, Mr. Sampson joined the City of Chicago corporation counsel's office. He was involved in acquiring land for O'Hare International Airport when his work was noted by the chairman of United Airlines.

He was a vice president and special assistant to the UAL board chair, and an advocate for people with disabilities, for almost 30 years before retiring in 1986. He also was an adviser on disabilities to several presidents.

Mr. Sampson served on the Muscular Dystrophy Association board and appeared in its annual fund-raising telethon. He helped establish a plan to obtain airplane rides over the city for underprivileged children.

A recipient of a Horatio Alger Award for achievement, Mr. Sampson also was honored by the Federal Aviation Administration and DePaul. The MDA has named an award and a fellowship in his honor.

Retired Chester attorney William Arthur Schuwerk died Dec. 8 at age 85 in St. Ann's Healthcare Center. A 1948 graduate of the St. Louis University Law School, he joined his father, William H. Schuwerk, as the third generation member of the family firm.

He had been a first lieutenant in the Army Infantry during World War II, participating in several battles in Europe, including the Battle of the Bulge.

Mr. Schuwerk was Randolph County state's attorney from 1952 to 1964, president of the First National Bank from 1964 to 1984, and a director of the Chester Savings and Loan. He was president of the school board for 12 years.

Survivors include a son, 20th Circuit Judge William A. Schuwerk Jr.

Retired attorney Henry Thrush Synek, a resident of Wilmette and Northbrook, died Oct. 26 at age 85 of Alzheimer's disease. He had been on incapacitated disability status since November 2000.

A 1943 graduate of the University of Chicago Law School, Mr. Synek was active in community activism and civil rights initiatives. He was a Winnetka village trustee for several years.

A member of the Chicago Bar Association's Christmas Spirits cast for more than 50 years, he received the Spear Carrier Award in 1976..

Mr. Synek was volunteer legal counsel for construction of the Winnetka ice arena and was house league director of the village hockey club for many years. He was a Little League baseball coach and Cub Scout leader.

Retired Chicago attorney Melissa Beth Lumberg Zagon died Jan. 2 at age 39 of lung cancer in Evanston Hospital. A 1992 graduate of Harvard Law School, she practiced with Jenner & Block and Goldberg Kohn, where she became a partner in 1999.

In 2000, Mrs. Zagon had just become counsel to True North Communications when she was diagnosed with lung cancer despite never having smoked.

She joined another victim to establish the Lungevity Foundation and was its president until January 2005. Her efforts helped raise $3.4 million for cancer research.