S.J. Quinney College of Law

Reprinted from archived Spring 2002 Res Gestae magazine

A brief history:

S.J. “Joe” Quinney was a talented lawyer, prominent businessman, and ski industry pioneer. He was a founding partner in the distinguished Salt Lake City law firm of Ray, Quinney & Nebeker, where he practiced until his death at age 90. A pioneer in establishing Utah’s ski industry by founding Alta Ski Area, Quinney was a prime force in the development of Utah’s legal and business communities. His enthusiastic, lifelong interest in and support for art and culture broadened the force of his statewide impact.

He was born May 12, 1893, in Logan. He graduated in three years from Utah Agricultural College (later Utah State University) in 1916 and headed off to Massachusetts where he had been accepted at Harvard University Law School. His wife, Jessie Eccles, whom he married in 1917, attended classes at Radcliffe College. Quinney was drafted into the Army, and spent the war years in quarantine at Fort Lewis, Washington, during the infamous influenza epidemic. Jessie had already traveled back to Salt Lake City, where she gave birth to their first child, David, in 1919. (Their second child, Janet, arrived in 1922.) Following the war, Quinney resumed his studies at Harvard and graduated in 1919. Upon returning to Utah, he was admitted to the Utah State Bar and began practicing law. From 1921 to 1922, he was a member of the Utah House of Representatives.

During his 60-year legal career, Quinney served as counsel to George S. and Marriner S. Eccles of First Security Corporation, Amalgamated Sugar Company, Utah Intemational, Anderson Lumber, and Pioneer Wholesale Company. He was a member of the Holy Cross Hospital advisory board. a director and officer of the Utah Symphony, and a member and director of the George S. and Dolores Dore‘ Eccles, Nora Eccles Treadwell, and Emma Eccles Jones foundations. He developed, funded, and served on the boards of the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney and the Ray, Quinney & Nebeker foundations.

Together with eight other men, he formed the Salt Lake Winter Sports Association in 1938, which later became the Alta Ski Lifts Company. In 1967, he received the Winter Sports Award from the Salt Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, and, in 1975, he was inducted into the National Ski Hall of Fame.

In addition to his interests in Alta and in skiing, Quinney had a lifelong regard for natural resources and the environment. In middle age, he ran the Snake, Yampa, Green, and Colorado rivers. The Grand Canyon and the red rock country of southern Utah inspired him. His attachment to northern Utah—especially Logan Canyon and his summer home at Bear Lake—was a constant throughout his life. Before his death, Quinney contributed to the College of Natural Resources at Utah State University, and his foundation supported construction of the college’s classroom building and library, in addition to other USU programs. He was a friend of the writer, Wallace Stegner, and, in 1996, a foundation contribution of 82.5 million was donated to support the College of Law’s Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment; the law library; and student scholarships. It was the college’s largest up to that time, and the library was named for Quinney in 1997.

He was a member of the President’s Club at the U of U and of the Old Main Society at Utah State University, which awarded him an honorary doctorate of Law in 1976. Both Quinney and his wife were named alumni of the year in 1980 for their contributions to USU’s growth.

About the naming of the college:

It looks the same. The college’s brick and glass building still reflects the low, horizontal aesthetic of the 1960s, when architects and planners must have believed that there would always be enough space to build outward. It feels the same. 1Ls still wonder what universe they’ve landed in. Previous classes, judges, and former deans still peer down from portraits that line the halls, including Judge Tillman Johnson, whose plain, just wisdom still radiates. The wooden phone booth, a touch-tone reminder of the pre-chip era, is still there, waiting for Clark Kent’s emergence as Superman. But perhaps Superman has arrived. The College of Law at the University of Utah may seem the same, but it is a place transformed.

On Nov. 2, 2001, Frederick Q Lawson, grandson of prominent Utah lawyer S.J. Quinney, stood at a podium flanked by multicolored flags in the college’s Rosenblatt Foyer, reflecting on the fact that this naming, like many others, was taking place after the person being honored had passed away. “I want to avoid the impression that the College of Law is being named for a lawyer who died nearly 20 years ago,” he said to the audience of more than 500 students, University officials, and leaders from Utah’s judicial, political, religious, and business communities. “Grandfather’s influence and legacy are alive and well today. The goals, the vision, the ideals he strove to achieve and the aspiration he instilled in all of us are enshrined within his memory. This school will carry on work which he started … and be part and parcel of it.” Lawson was talking about the college’s newly minted name, the S.J. Quinney College of Law, a designation unanimously approved at the beginning of the noon-hour ceremony by the University of Utah board of trustees in recognition of a $26 million gift from the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney Foundation.

Previous gifts from the philanthropic organization bring their total contribution to the law school to more than $30 million—the largest endowment gift in the University’s history “This is one of the most joyous and momentous days in the history of this law school,” said Scott M. Matheson, Jr., dean, following the trustees’ brief, formal meeting (which included a conference call to a traveling trustee who was jokingly advised to “watch his language” within earshot of the crowd). “During these challenging times for our nation and our world, occasions like this one reaffirm our basic values and commitments, and take us forward with confidence and hope. Shakespeare wrote, ‘What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.’ But … a name, cultivated through many seasons, can be the sweetest rose of all, or, as Shakespeare also wrote, ‘the immediate jewel of the soul.'”

Bernard Machen, president of the university, added that “today, we enter a new era. I have long recognized what a jewel this college is [and] that [it] excels in spite of significant shortfalls in resources. The Quinney family and the members of the foundation board fully understand the enormous contribution a first-rate law school can make to the state and the nation, and are providing the resources to do just that.”

“Today we have … a chance to move forward in a way we never possibly could have without the generosity of [the Quinney] family,” said David W. Pershing, senior vice president for academic affairs. He recalled last spring’s debriefing by the American Bar Association’s national accreditation panel, which had just spent a week evaluating the college (a process that occurs every seven years). The panel singled out the law school’s faculty—their commitment to teaching and to excellence in scholarship; the student body, which they described as smart, energetic, wonderful; and the library, which they characterized as service-oriented and skillfully developed. Pershing dedicated himself “to working with Dean Matheson and the faculty to build the truly great law school that this is going to give us the ability to create.” He also explained the gift’s impact on the University as a whole, saying that many of the U’s 22,000 undergraduates think of law school as their graduate study trajectory, and that the Quinney resources will enhance the U’s reputation because a first-rate university must have strong professional schools.

Students are the ultimate beneficiaries. “Scholarships will directly aid [them], enrichment programs will enhance their law school experience, professorships will attract the highest caliber faculty, and library and technological developments will allow us to keep pace with the latest in computer technology,” said Barbara J. Dickey, associate dean for student affairs. “We hope that … there will now be even better ways of reaching for and attaining new heights,” Lawson observed. Added Cara Conrad, president of the Student Bar Association, “This is a school that has been underrated, and this will give us the opportunity to be recognized for what we are.”

The gift will support student scholarships, the law library, professorships, and new and existing academic programs. It will invigorate student and faculty recruitment, enhance the curriculum, and secure national recognition for the school’s tradition of ingenuity and excellence in teaching and scholarship. It is planned that the $26 million endowment gift will be paid out over 10 years.

Seizing the momentum sparked by the Quinney gift, Machen announced that the university itself was “stepping up”: the entire southwest corner of the campus, including the college’s current facilities, adjacent Carlson Hall, and the surrounding land would become the site of a new law college campus, a commitment that drew surprised, enthusiastic applause. With the academic opportunities the Quinney endowment provides, said Machen, the next step is to begin “addressing our facility needs.” So much for the college still looking the same!

The $26 million gift represents extraordinary generosity in extraordinary times. In light of economic uncertainty, a war on terrorism unlike anything the United States has ever undertaken, and the ongoing emotional and physical recovery from the terrorist attack of September 11, it is also a statement of courage. The foundation’s board of directors has made a powerful declara-tion about moving forward, and about making commitments to the things that truly matter to us as individuals and as a free society. It is an act meant to inspire. Though the stock market has shown fitful signs of recovery in recent months, there are huge shortfalls in state revenues and huge losses in the endowments of private universities. “Isn’t it only prudent to pull back, hunker down, and wait for a better day …?” challenged Stanley Fish, a dean at the University of Illinois at Chicago, in a recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Fish didn’t think so. The Quinney foundation was there before him.

Herbert C. Livsey, a member of the foundation’s board of directors, a 1969 graduate of the College of Law, and a partner at the Utah law firm of Ray, Quinney & Nebeker, co-founded by Quinney, sketched a lively profile of Joe for the students in attendance as “a first-rate legal scholar and very ethical individual and practitioner. His word was his bond. … On a daily basis, he handled some of the most difficult, complicated, and sensitive legal problems and issues that arose in this state. … His legal analysis was always dear, penetrating, and on point. If you were a young lawyer assisting Joe on a case, you had to be fully prepared. … Joe reviewed your work with his challenging analysis of your development of the facts, your analysis of the law, and your conclusions.” Quinney had a sense of duty to his clients, said Livsey, and, as a bonus, he thoroughly enjoyed his work.

“The twinkle in his eye that you see in his portrait (which hangs in the S.J. Quinney Law Library) is very true-to-life,” Livsey continued. “Joe was a very dynamic individual and had many, varied interests. On Saturday during the winter, Joe could be found in his office listening to the broadcast of the Metropolitan Opera from Lincoln Center. When Joe traveled to Europe, he always took his skis and a tuxedo.” Quinney would be deeply honored, said Livsey, to know that the College of Law at the University of Utah has been named for him. “I trust that each of you, as you learn more about Joe Quinney, will be equally honored to attend and graduate from the SJ. Quinney College of Law.”

At a joyful event where acknowledgments, thanks, challenges, and opportunities were endorsed with unqualified enthusiasm, perhaps the most emotional reaction of the day came when Pershing paused to recognize “one of the unsung heroes here today—my dean, Scott. His unfailing commitment made this grand idea a reality.” The foyer reverberated with applause, whistles, and cheers.

“‘We stay only a moment, and then we’re gone,”‘ Matheson responded, closing the program with a quote from the 1977 Utah gubernatorial inaugural address given by his father. “‘While we’re here, we should do what we can to protect the past and secure the future.’ That is exactly what has happened today. The generosity of the Quinney foundation will take this school to the highest levels of quality and accomplishment in legal education.” He pledged to the foundation and to all students past, present, and future, that “we will work harder than ever to live up to the responsibility that has been placed upon us.”

“This day truly is a day of thanksgiving. First and foremost, thank you, again, to the family and the board of directors of the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney Foundation. Thank you to the U board of trustees for your support of this University and this law school. Thank you to the students who are with us today who chose to enroll here and make this such a vibrant place to learn. Thank you to the faculty for the exceptional talent and energy you bring to the classroom and to your scholarship.”

Matheson was brought by his parents to visit the school in 1963. They walked through the foyer, climbed the stairs to the second floor, and entered a room. “And in that room was a beautiful table … that my father had donated to the school shortly after his father’s death. There was a plaque [affixed to the table] honoring [my grandfather] as a distinguished lawyer in this community. We still have that table here, and every time I sit at it, I remember him with great honor and pride. I learned early on the significance of a name memorialized in honor. Today, we share with S.J. Quinney the pride and the honor, the sweetness of the rose, the jewel of the soul—the new name of the law school, the S.J. Quinney College of Law.”

Ancestry

Seymour Joseph Quinney was born on May 12, 1893, in Logan, Utah, to Joseph Quinney, Jr. and Ida Bertha (Theurer). Joe’s paternal grandparents, Joseph Quinney and Sarah Ann (Bradshaw), emigrated from the Midlands region of England on the same ship bound for the United States. Joe’s maternal grandparents, John Thuerer and Anna Barbara (Wehrli), came from Aargan and Thurgau, Switzerland.

Joe was the eldest of six children, impressed upon from a young age to have a strong work ethic. His father came from very humble beginnings, born in a “dugout” in Weber Canyon where his newlywed parents had settled after making the trek west. After 13 years of school, his father became a salesman at ZCMI, performed an LDS mission to Samoa, moved on to be a district manager at the Amalgamated Sugar Company, and also served as the mission president of Canada. Joe, with his father often away, nurtured his curiosity exploring Cache Valley and spending time with his extended family. He was a prolific writer and kept detailed diaries throughout his life. In one of these, he wrote about his grandmother Theurer and the active role she played in his early years, gardening, cooking and sharing traditions from her homeland. This special time with her gave him the space to experience nature, work the land, and form deep connections with his extended family—all things he held dear throughout his entire life.

Mission

Joe was called to serve his mission in Germany, Vienna, Austria and then finally in Budapest, Hungary, from 1912-1914. He kept diaries during this time away in which he explored many of the complexities of society and politics and his role in them. Joe wrote about wage inequality and his growing belief that one person who is educated and “works with his head” and another person who is “undereducated and works with his muscles and sweat” should both be paid the same amount.

In 1914, Joe wrote and reflected on the time he and his companion, while serving in Hungary, were arrested for being Serbian spies and were led downstairs into the jail. He recalled, “The jail was a dark, dark place that stunk. There was one high, narrow bench and a barred window. We were found innocent and released by nightfall.”

While he was there he challenged the notion that reform could be achieved through coercion, and determined that in his view, reform could only be made through education and reason. This experience was impactful, and ultimately informed and influenced his career later in life.

Towards the end of his time in Europe, and as war was descending upon him, Joe wrote, “I believe the mere fact that man is here on earth would seem to indicate that there is a purpose in life. On careful consideration I am at a loss to know what the purpose of life is unless it is that man may have joy. But what is joy? Before I shall be happy, I shall have to find out what I want to do, and then lose myself in the performance of it.”

Joe left his mission post in Budapest in September 1914 under the cloud of war.

Education

After returning to Utah, Joe enrolled in the Utah Agricultural College in Logan, now Utah State University. It was his intent, even at that time, to become a lawyer. While there he was very busy with many campus activities, including serving as captain of the debate team and winning matches against both BYU and the U of U his senior year.  He was the associate editor of Student Life, the Commercial Club president, and a member of the Quill Club, Cosmos, and Sigma Alpha Academy. He also won the Sons of the American Revolution Medal and the Hendricks Medal for extemporaneous speaking. Joe graduated from Utah Agricultural College in 1917 and went on to study law and receive his degree from Harvard Law School.

World War I

On July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia and so began World War I. The United States joined the war in 1917, and Joe was drafted into the United States Army on Aug. 26, 1918. He left Harvard to fulfill his duty and was assigned to Fort Lewis, Washington. World War I ended Nov. 11, 1918, and Joe was discharged Jan. 29, 1919.

In Joe’s diary during this time, he shared, “War, senseless, insane, crazy war, which through murder breaks up families and ruins civilization. War that hurts another man is immoral even if the other man is bad. Rather than kill him or punish him with force, it would be better to improve his condition and help him with reason. But the worst of all is the common people, who don’t want war, have to lay down their lives, break up families and murder in order to satisfy the rich, governing, ignorant parasites. When will the people awaken to the fact that the land is theirs and not the government's? When will they learn that one man or group of men who are the scum of society have no right to dictate to the workers, the producers, and the men and women of the earth?”

Joe’s early life was filled with a diversity of experiences that fostered his inquisitive nature. He was an astute observer, an active participant, an activist, and a meticulous reporter. He was thoughtful, and introspective and sought meaning and justice in these early years and throughout his life. But it was the impact of these well-documented experiences that ultimately led to his career and lifelong love of the law.

After Joe’s first year at Harvard, Joe returned to Logan to marry Jessie Eccles. They were married on Aug. 17, 1917, in the Logan Temple. After their wedding and Jess’ graduation from UAC (now USU), they returned to Boston. Joe resumed his studies and Jess enrolled at Radcliffe, where she studied both Russian and English Literature. They both wrote very fondly of this time together and although they spent much time studying, they always found time for the Boston Symphony and the city’s many art museums. They grew to have a strong love of the arts and took advantage of all that the East Coast had to offer.

Joe’s studies were interrupted for a time when he was drafted into the army in the autumn of 1918. After serving his country, he was discharged in January of 1919 and returned to Boston where Jess gave birth to their first child. Their son David Eccles Quinney was born on March 29, 1919. Later that autumn, Joe graduated from Harvard, and he and Jess decided that they would move back to Utah and settle down in Salt Lake City.

Joe passed the Utah Bar Exam in late 1919. He set up his first office in the Judge Building and began to build his practice. His first clients included First National and First Savings Banks in Ogden, predecessors to First Security Bank. In 1920, Joe joined the law firm of Clark & Richards and began working with J. Reuben Clark, Preston R. Richards and Albert E. Bowen. They were later joined by Hugh B. Brown. On Feb. 1, 1922, Jess and Joe were delighted by the birth of their daughter, Janet Eccles Quinney.

During this time, Joe became sought-out for his expertise and sat on many company boards, advising them in general corporate and business law. By 1930, the firm had grown to become Clark, Richards, Bowen, Brown & Quinney. Subsequently, Preston Richards moved to California. In October 1932,  J. Reuben Clark was called to serve The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and in 1937,  Albert E. Bowen was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This seemed to be time for a new legal affiliation, and Joe began to work on a different plan.

In late 1940, the firms of Clark, Richards, Bowen and Quinney merged with Bagley, Judd & Ray and the resulting firm became Judd, Ray, Quinney & Nebeker. Attorneys in the firm at that time included Robert L. Judd, Paul H. Ray, A.H. Nebeker, S. Joseph Quinney, Albert E. Bowen, and Thornley K. Swan. In 1945, after Robert Judd’s death, the firm’s name was shortened to Ray, Quinney & Nebeker. It is among the largest and most reputable firms in Utah.

by Rick Q. Lawson

Joe Quinney was my grandfather. My earliest memories of his office are when the law firm was located in the Kearns Building on Main Street. That building is still there today. But what I remember is not so much the office, but that we would go to that office and from the window watch the parade that happened at Thanksgiving.

My next memory is when the law firm moved into the annex just north of the Deseret Building. I think that the offices of Ray, Quinney & Nebeker were located on the third floor at that time. As the firm grew and expanded the law firm needed more space and so everything moved up to the fourth floor. It is there that I have the most vivid memories.

Joe Quinney had an office that was at the end of the corridor and was spacious. It was a corner office, but with windows just facing onto Main Street as the building was attached to the Deseret Building on one side and to another building on the north side. The corner office only had windows looking to the West and onto Main Street.

As you entered the office you turned and saw Joe’s large desk and a console under the window that he could swivel in his chair and use. On the floor was a beautiful oriental rug which had been in the dining room of his mother-in-law, Ellen Eccles’s home both in Salt Lake and Logan. Several lovely pictures were on the wall. One of them was a watercolor of a rural landscape with water and flowers along the bank.

There were two chairs that visitors could use in front of the desk, and towards the other end of the office was a small round table and three modern Scandinavian design chairs covered in a maroon leather.

Joe Quinney’s desk was large. It had drawers on either side, and if you were sitting across from Joe at that desk, on the side which faced you there were two hidden doors that when pushed, opened and gave access to shelves for storage. Joe’s office chair was a red/maroon leather swivel chair on legs with casters. It had six buttons on the back of the chair and must have been very comfortable, as Joe had it for many years. I think I can just remember it at the Kearns Building office.

Joe always had on his desk three items I remember. First was an appointment book. Second was a piece of pottery that his sister-in-law, Nora Eccles Treadwell, made and gave to him. It held paper clips and rubber bands. The third piece was a pewter vase that held pens and pencils. These items are in the display case. Please also see the picture of Joe Quinney at his desk in the office. You can see the pottery piece and also the pewter vase.

The console behind the desk was where the various papers and items that Joe was working on were to be found. His wonderful secretary of many years, Mrs. Nola Graham, always arranged these papers so he would know what was in each pile.

In earlier days, Joe Quinney had his admission to the Bar and his law degree from Harvard hanging on the wall.

The last item in the case is a copy of the Utah Law on winter sports what he authored—and, of course, his Ray, Quinney & Nebeker card showing he was a member of the firm.

Joe’s pioneering spirit led him to see the potential of skiing well in advance, and he used his legal skills to establish Salt Lake as a premier ski destination.

As Joe was working hard to build his law practice, he also took time to enjoy the beautiful nature in Utah. He loved to hunt ducks and fish, run rivers in southern Utah, and sail at Bear Lake. In the mid 1920s, Joe found himself often driving his son, David, and his friends to the nearby mountains to hike up and ski down. As legend goes, he didn’t want to sit on the sidelines and bought himself a pair of skis and quickly fell in love with the sport. From then on, he and his family spent their winters exploring the Wasatch Mountains.

Joe committed himself to furthering the sport of skiing. In addition to chairing the Utah Ski Club from 1935 to 1938, Joe served as the club’s long-term secretary-treasurer and Board of Trustees member for many years. He judged and promoted both jump and alpine events throughout the state, including the U.S. National Ski Jumping Championship held at Ecker Hill during his tenure. He saw skiing grow significantly in popularity when alpine events were officially added at the 1936 games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.

In 1938, along with several other local businessmen, he founded the Salt Lake Winter Sports Association, which later became the Alta Ski Lifts Company. After securing the surface rights to land in the Albion Basin, and with the sum total of $10,000 raised from these investors, the first chairlift in Utah was built going up the Collins Gulch in 1939. It cost 25 cents a ride and $1.50 for a full-day ticket. Joe did all the legal work for what became Alta Ski Lifts Company and served as treasurer/secretary from 1939-1958. He then became the president and served the company in this role for the next 25 years.

As the company grew, Joe worked tirelessly with the Forest Service to resolve such matters as avalanche control, placements of ski lifts, parking facilities, permits for new lifts and building construction, and issues of water, roads, trees and even rocks. And in 1939, seeing a gap in the law, he co-authored the Passenger Tramway Inspection Act. He also authored the liability waiver, which was printed on the back of every pass and adopted by ski areas nationwide.  According to famed ski jumper and first director of the Alta Ski School Alf Engen, Joe was the nation’s leading authority on everything connected with snow and skiing.

In 1967, Joe received the Winter Sports Award from the Salt Lake Area Chamber of Commerce in recognition for his efforts to further the development of winter sports in Utah. He was elected to the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame in 1975 and is regarded as the Father of Utah Skiing.

by Frederick Q. Lawson, grandson

My grandfather Joe Quinney enjoyed travel throughout his life. His father, Joseph Quinney Jr., was a man who also traveled. He served an LDS mission in Samoa and also twice in Canada. So perhaps the desire to travel was early instilled in Joe Quinney after hearing tales of faraway places from his father.

Joe Quinney started his travels early in life. He served an LDS mission in what today is Germany, Austria and Hungary. He had many good memories from his time in Europe, but it was not until much later in life that he was able to return.

As a young lawyer there was not much time for travel, and so Joe and his wife, Jess, and their two children, Dave and Janet, did local travel. They visited the wonderful parks of Utah and their summer home at Bear Lake. Both children were skiers and so, during the ski season, the family traveled to ski areas to compete in racing and other events. Sometime around 1950, they took a vacation to Hawaii and enjoyed the peace and tranquility of the island that was still not highly developed at that time.

In 1955, Joe and Jess flew to Europe for an extended vacation. There were among the first to fly over the pole with SAS airlines. Joe wore his ski boots in order to avoid paying excess baggage fees. Part of the European trip was to include skiing in Switzerland. For transportation around Europe, they bought a Mercedes and, at the end of the trip, shipped it back to Utah. It was the first Mercedes in Utah, and Ken Garff needed to get special training to service the car.

Europe was a wonderful time for them, but they also visited Guatemala with their daughter, Janet, and enjoyed the many sights and vistas that are to be found there.

In about 1958, Jess and Joe joined Jess’s brothers-in-law, Marriner (with his wife, Sallie) and George (with wife, Lolie) Eccles for a trip to Japan. Utah Construction Company, as it was known at that time, had had a ship built and they were there for the launching. It was a fascinating visit and their first to Asia.

I had moved to England in 1965, and Jess and Joe visited me there twice. In 1965 we did an extended visit to Europe and revisited some of the places that they first discovered back in 1955. The second visit was to England alone, and we were joined by my sister and her husband. It was a delightful trip as we traveled around England and Wales.

Following that trip, Joe Quinney did not travel out of the U.S. again—but that does not mean that he did not travel. He and his wife spent time in Palm Desert, Carmel, California, and also attended various banking and law meetings around the country.

I know that Joe Quinney made sure his children and grandchildren all visited Europe as well as the national parks in Utah and surrounding states. He certainly believed that his experiences from traveling were helpful in his practice and his understanding of the law. As he quoted many times: "Travel broadens the mind."

Joe’s experiences in the Utah outdoors led to his lifelong passion—and advocacy—for natural spaces.

From his earliest days, Joe held a true love and regard for natural resources and the environment. In his early diaries, he wrote of fishing and finding peace on the banks of the Logan River. When he traveled to Europe for his LDS mission, he often wrote of the landscapes in which he immersed himself and the struggles he witnessed playing out over management of their own natural resources. When he came home, he loved to explore the Wasatch mountains and did so by foot, hoof, and ski. And when he diligently worked to create Alta as a skiing destination, he also saw the potential to convert land once ravaged by industry, be it mining, timber, or sheep, and restore it to its natural state to be enjoyed by another industry entirely.

Once he and Jess returned to Utah from Boston, Joe found a new passion in duck hunting along the shores of the Great Salt Lake. Many farmers, including Perry Burnham, began flooding their fields to create marshes to attract the duck. Joe, with his hunting partner Ward McAllister, hunted often on Perry’s land and before too long they decided to create a private club. Joe wrote the bylaws, and he and Ward each had a share. The club remains today, and they continue to steward the landscape to maintain healthy habitat for waterfowl.

Later in life, Joe was introduced to river rafting. Among some of his favorites were the Snake, Yampa, Green, and Colorado Rivers, including Cataract Canyon. He loved the solitude of these adventures and being deep in the quiet of nature. He ran these rivers in the days before many of the dams were built and braved the rapids in wooden dories fashioned after Major John Wesley Powell’s designs.

But Joe always had a soft spot for Northern Utah, particularly Logan Canyon and the breathtaking Bear Lake. Both he and Jess treasured their time there and so, in the early 1930s, they purchased a home in Ideal Beach near Garden City, Utah. Not long after that, Joe was able to buy a lot about a mile up the road, and they moved the house to its permanent location. There, Jess and Joe spent as much time as summer would allow, entertaining friends and family at the pristine water’s edge. They cooked over a coal stove, listened to a lively collection of records, enjoyed the ever-changing and particularly vibrant color of the water, witnessed gorgeous sunsets while nestled in the cottonwoods, sailed their wooden spray sailboat, and spent time with family and friends who left their memories in the pages of many house journals.

It was here that Joe’s friendship with Wally Stegner was able to blossom and grow. They bonded over their love of the land and had lively discussions about the future of water and the diverse challenges facing the desert Southwest. This friendship was strong and enduring. Joe shared his love of the outdoors with future generations of his family, and this commitment lives on in his and Jess’ namesake foundation.

Wallace said it best in his Dec. 3, 1960 letter to David E. Pesonen of the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission:

“We simply need that wild country available to us, even if we never do more than drive to its edge and look in. For it can be a means of reassuring ourselves of our sanity as creatures, a part of the geography of hope.”

Joe was passionate about his family, the law, his natural environment, and the arts. He and his wife, Jess, were regulars at the theatre, symphony, and ballet while they were students in Boston, and this tradition continued throughout their lives. Whenever they traveled, they always sought out a great performance. On a European trip in 1955, Jess and Joe drove from Switzerland to Italy, stopping in Milan. There they went to the opera house, La Scala, and saw a performance of "Norma." The next day they were having lunch and the lead soprano, Maria Callas, came in and was seated at the table next to them. What a thrill! "Norma" became Joe’s favorite opera, and he loved to play it in the evenings at Bear Lake and at their family home in Salt Lake.

Jess and Joe loved being in the audience, but they also felt passionate about ensuring that the arts were available and accessible to the people of Utah. They were generous with their time and resources to support many organizations as they came to life in the state. When the Salt Lake Civic Music Association was formed in 1930, Joe was recruited to serve on their board. He served in many capacities, including as first vice president, as counsel, and helping them in rewriting their articles of incorporation.

In 1940, the Utah Symphony was formed, and Joe also served on their board of directors, provided counsel and writing their articles of incorporation. He and Jess were season ticket holders from the beginning and became close friends with Conductor Maurice Abravanel, who led the orchestra from 1947-1979. In 1963, Willam (Bill) Christensen returned to Utah from the San Francisco Ballet and formed the Utah Civic Ballet, which in 1968 became Ballet West. Joe and Jess were regulars at the ballet and enjoyed bringing family and friends to performances. Their friendship with Bill and his wife, Mignon, a prima ballerina herself, only helped them grow in their love and appreciation for the art form and deepen their commitment to making it accessible throughout the Mountain West. That commitment continues today, as the ballet centre adjacent to the Capitol Theatre now bears Jess’ name.

Joe’s datebooks were full of performances that he and Jess would regularly attend. They shared their love of the arts with their children and grandchildren, who grew up recognizing the value and the importance of experiencing and supporting art for future generations to enjoy. Their legacy lives on through the work of their namesake foundation by their family, who learned from their extraordinary example.