The S.J. Quinney College of Law held its second annual Golden Gavel Society event, recognizing alumni who graduated 50 or more years ago, on April 12 at the Utah Law building.
Dean Elizabeth Kronk Warner welcomed guests to a brunch at 10 a.m. After alumni had a chance to greet each other and catch up, Judge Michael Zimmerman (JD ’69) delivered the first keynote address.
“The law school, my professors, and the people I met here functionally became my hometown. They are the base upon which my entire adult life has been built. Law school gave definition to my deep preoccupation with questions of how society should be ordered and what was fair,” Zimmerman recalled. “My law school success gave me a sense of being a capable person.”
Judge Royal Hansen (JD ’75) delivered the second keynote address, sharing memories from his time in law school 50 years earlier.
“My class was the first to be populated by double-digit female students. I thought we were accomplished in that regard,” Hansen said. “The class of ’75 was also responsible for the appointment of 12 judges. We’ve lost some of those judges and feel that loss keenly, but we acknowledge their great service.”
Following Zimmerman and Hansen’s remarks, alumni spoke about their experiences over the decades and recalled favorite professors, deans and classes.
“There is not on this planet a better bunch of people dedicated to the wellbeing of their fellow humans than the products of this law school,” said Judge James Shumate (JD ’75). “The people and the ideas here have grown to make change happen. We should be proud of ourselves and eternally grateful.”
Mary Sloan (JD ’75) recalled being one of 14 women graduates—the largest class of women to graduate from Utah Law—and taking (and passing) two bar exams before going to South Dakota to practice law on the Rosebud Indian Reservation.
“The most significant thing in my law practice was to represent the Paiutes in the restoration of federal recognition that had been wrongfully taken from them in the 1950s,” she said. “I’m proud of that and being able to contribute to the law in many areas. I feel the contributions I’ve made could not have happened but for the law school classmates who worked together to get ourselves through.”
See more photos of the Golden Gavel Society in this Flickr album.