Laureates to be inducted during April 8 luncheon
Six new Laureates of the ISBA Academy of Illinois Lawyers will be inducted Tuesday, April 8, during a luncheon at the Standard Club in Chicago. For reservations, mailto:jhibbs@isba.org.
The incoming Laureates are Michael W. Coffield of Chicago (posthumous), Bruce N. Cook of Belleville, Alfred E. Gallo of Hillside, Jack E. Horsley of Mattoon, Malcolm L. Morris of DeKalb, and Letitia “Tish” Spunar-Sheats of Chicago.
Laureates are worthy of colleagues’ praise
It has been said that recognition by one’s peers is the highest form of praise. That recognition embodied in selection as a Laureate of the ISBA Academy of Illinois Lawyers is indeed praiseworthy.
Letters of support for the nominations of the 2008 Laureates represent the collective verdict of a jury of their peers. Some excerpts follow, in addition to those in the article about Jack Horsley.
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Michael W. Coffield, who died a year ago at his desk in Chicago, “exemplified all that was good about the legal profession,” said his nominator, Laureate Robert F. Cummins.
“He respected the law and all lawyers. He made friends of his adversaries. He was legendary for his talents in the courtroom and his generosity outside it.”
From Brian L. Crowe: “Mike’s role as an advocate for lawyers in trouble was admirable. He devoted much time counseling such clients, not only as to their ARDC problems but also instilling in them self-worth and return to dignity.”
From Laureate Eugene I. Pavalon: “Mike not only has a deep reverence for the law, but was also quick to identify the humor which often presents in the course of the practice of law, and in particular with the turns and twists of trials.”
From Judge Charles P. Kocoras, about Coffield’s tutoring of Chicago high schoolers: “Mike’s eloquence was unmatched, when he talked about how much could be accomplished by our inner-city kids, if only they were supplied a measure of attention, guidance and affection.”
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Belleville trial attorney Bruce N. Cook “has never waivered in his belief that society as a whole has an obligation to provide the poor with access to the court,” said Laureate Lois Wood, executive director of Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation.
“Such access necessarily includes the availability of attorneys to assist them,” she added. “Bruce has come to believe that attorneys’ first choice in their charitable giving should be to programs serving the legal needs of the poor.”
From 20th Circuit Judge Annette A. Eckert: “Mr. Cook has enjoyed enormous success as a trial attorney in both the state and federal courts. He has shared his success with the community. Both his professional skill and his charitable acts should be celebrated and acknowledged.”
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“No narrative could be written about Alfred E. Gallo without recognizing his career involvement with the institution that gave him an opportunity to become an attorney, The John Marshall Law School,” said ISBA past president Leonard F. Amari, his nominator.
“Many of us, but for John Marshall, would not be lawyers today and we owe Al Gallo, in no small part, for this opportunity,” he added. “Once he begins to assist an applicant, the beneficiary becomes Mr. Gallo’s career mentee.”
From retired Supreme Court justice Moses W. Harrison II: “He is a dedicated professional who has been an inspiration to many young lawyers as representing the very best qualities in our profession. He has been a true role model.”
From Justinian Society past president Joseph M. Gagliardo: “What is most impressive about Al is that he is a firm believer that it is not enough to be successful as a lawyer; rather, that success must be achieved by adhering to the highest ethical standards, preserving your integrity, and treating the people around you with dignity and respect.”
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Malcolm L. Morris, a law professor and interim dean of the Northern Illinois University College of Law “instills in his students an understanding of the need to be contributing members of the legal profession,” said his nominator, law library director John R. Austin.
From former dean James J. Alfini: “He has worked very hard to insure that the entire law school program is a rich and meaningful educational experience for the students and that they be given every opportunity to develop a strong sense of service to the legal profession and to their communities.”
From Illinois Bar Foundation President David B. Sosin: “Long before many of the current diversity programs were fashionable, Malcolm rolled up his sleeves and began placing minority students with law firms in a summer internship to expose them to the real world of law.”
From Charles N. Faerber of the National Notary Association: “His scholarship, legal acumen and unmatched mastery of the laws, customs and practices of the notarial office in both the common law and civil law systems have been instrumental not only in modernizing the nation’s often anachronistic rules for paper-based notarial acts, but also in formulating new rules on the authentication of electronic signatures.”
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Chicago attorney Letitia Spunar-Sheats “had the courage and confidence to start her own practice as a young attorney at a time when it was unusual for women to venture down that difficult road,” said her nominators, Laureate Sharon L. Eiseman and Annemarie Kill.
From colleague Lawrence Abramovitz: “Prior to law school she was a teacher and this has continued with her teaching law to college students, other lawyers and laymen with nominal or no remuneration throughout her career.”
From ISBA past president Thomas A. Clancy: “The soul of our local profession has been warmed and energized by Tish’s inspired participation. The leadership positions speak for themselves.”
From retired judge James A. Geocaris: “Letitia impressed me with her punctuality, ability, diligence and fairness. But most of all, she impressed me with her compassion for the little people who appeared in our courtroom.”
From Appellate Justice Michael J. Murphy: “She overcame the untimely death of her husband, John. Today, she will tell you that her love for him, his encouragement and support of her endeavors, has provided the intangibles that helped her attain her professional success.”
Horsley extolled by friends
By Stephen Anderson
Jack Horsley went to the cemetery on Feb. 19 to commune with his beloved Mary Jane, and probably tell her somehow that he had been elected a Laureate of the ISBA Academy of Illinois Lawyers.
Horsley is essentially homebound in Mattoon by the effects of colon cancer and recurring cardiac episodes, so he was driven to his wife’s grave by his daughter, Judy.
His 92nd birthday last Dec. 12 was a lonely one. He and Mary Jane had been married 34 years before her death on Aug. 20.
Chicago trial lawyer Philip H. Corboy, whom Jack Horsley calls his “dearest and best friend,” was an honorary pallbearer at the graveside service in Dodge Grove Cemetery.
Corboy, who also is an Academy Laureate, was asked by Horsley to accept his Laureate medallion during the induction luncheon Tuesday, April 8, at the Standard Club in Chicago.
In a letter of support for the Horsley nomination, Corboy noted: “To say that Jack is a lawyer’s lawyer only begins to define the measure of Jack as a lawyer.”
He went on to say that “Jack is a genius … the closest personification to an encyclopedia, dictionary, bible and great literary work than any other person I know. He is a man of many gifts; he is a man of depth.”
Another Laureate, Chicago attorney Willis R. Tribler, said in his nominating letter: “Jack Horsley is the sort of all-purpose lawyer who has become rarer and rarer in this age of specialization.”
ISBA past president Ole Bly Pace III of Sterling recalled “the image of the carefully groomed trial lawyer with great persuasive skills and reserved style.”
He added that Horsley “was unfailingly courteous and professional, but he was always a very powerful advocate for his client.”
Illinois Supreme Court Justice Rita B. Garman wrote that “Jack Horsley personifies the lawyer as scholar. His guide for physicians, ‘Testifying in Court,’ is in its fourth edition and is generally regarded as a classic.”
She noted that he added to the recorded history of Illinois law with such works as “a history of his own law firm, Craig & Craig, which documents an entire era of legal practice in downstate Illinois.”
Horsley said that although he could not attend the April 8 induction ceremony, he would be present in spirit and with gratitude.
“Not being able to be with you saddens me,” he wrote. “To be associated with the distinguished colleagues who are my fellow Academy Laureates is a great honor.”