Remington M. Low ’39 (BA ’34) of Atherton, Calif., died September 27, 2004, at the age of 92. A pioneer in insurance defense law, he started his own law firm in the 1950’s, known later as Low, Ball & Lynch. He served as president and CEO of B.M. Behrends Bank in Juneau, Alaska, until retiring at the age of 80. He is survived by his son, Remington, and three grandchildren.

Clyde E. Tritt ’49 of Glendale, Calif., died in December 2004 at the age of 84. A World War II veteran, he was a revising editor of the Stanford Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif. He retired as a partner from O’Melveny & Myers, where he specialized in tax law and was chairman of the firm’s tax department for 10 years. He also was director of a number of companies, including California Sports, Inc. and Maltby Company. He was also a trustee of the Joseph B. Gould Foundation and a board member of the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum. He is survived by his wife, Jane; daughter, Michel; and son, Scott.

William N. Willens ’51 of Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., died September 11, 2004, at the age of 78. The World War II veteran practiced law for over 40 years and taught arbitration at Northrop Law School. He is survived by his wife, Rita; daughters, Alisa and Veronica; son, Daniel; and six grandchildren.

Phillip E. Brown ’52 (BA ’49) of San Rafael, Calif., died November 9, 2004, at the age of 77. He served in the U.S. Marine Corp. from 1945 to 1947 and was a partner at Hoberg, Finger, Brown & Abramson for over 36 years. An active member of the legal community, his professional associations included serving as president of the San Francisco Bar Association and of the American Board of Trial Attorneys. He is survived by his brother, Rowland; daughters Deborah and Emily (AB ’83); sons Christopher, Michael, and Tim; and 12 grandchildren.

Robert E. Sanderson ’52 (BA ’49) of Stockton, Calif., died October 7, 2004, at the age of 79. A World War II veteran, he contracted poliomyelitis while stationed in the Philippines. He was an attorney for the Franchise Tax Board in San Francisco and served on the board of directors of the Mechanics Bank for over 25 years. He was also on the board of Cerebral Palsy Association and a member of the World Affairs Council, the Commonwealth Club, and the Bar Association of San Francisco. He was active in his community through his involvement with St. John’s Chamber Orchestra Festival, Children’s Home of Stockton, and St. John’s Episcopal Church. He is survived by his sister, Jean, and brother, George.

William P. Irwin ’53 of Fresno, Calif., died November 7, 2004, at the age of 77. He was an attorney for 50 years.

Douglas T. Foster ’56 of Sacramento, Calif., died October 30, 2004, at the age of 77. He served four years as a lieutenant in the Navy and was an attorney for Farrand, Fisher, and Farrand Law Firm in Los Angeles. He also served as legal counsel of what was formerly known as McClatchey Newspaper and Broadcasting Company until he left to pursue private practice in 1982. He was a member of Rio del Oro Tennis Club, the Arden Arcade Rotary in Sacramento, the Sutter Club of Sacramento, and the Seattle Yacht Club. He is survived by his daughters Jane and Stephanie, and four grandchildren.

James R. Moore ’56 of Santa Ana, Calif., died July 27, 2004, at the age of 77. He established his legal career at Rutan & Tucker LLP, where he specialized in real estate law.

Lester W. Blodgett ’59 of San Carlos, Calif., died November 11, 2004, at the age of 73. After graduating from law school, he worked for Ampex Corporation, a San Carlos technology company that paved the way for modern video recording. He retired after 35 years at Ampex. He is survived by his wife, Linda; daughter, Laura; son, Kevin; and three grandchildren.

Frederick S. Prince, Jr. ’62 (BA ’59) of Salt Lake City, Utah, died September 4,2004, at the  age of 67. A member of the Utah Bar Association and American Bar Association, he practiced law with Prince, Yeates & Geldzaher in Salt Lake City for 20 years, where he became senior partner. He entered the hotel business in 1981, building and operating the Stein Eriksen Lodge in Deer Valley, Utah, as well as many others, and he later founded a brokerage firm in South Laguna, Calif. He is survived by his daughters Krys, Kimberly, and Patricia; sons Seaton and Kenneth; and stepdaughter Christina.

Richard C. White ’62 (BA ’60) of Corona Del Mar, Calif., died August 2004, at the age of 70. A West Point graduate, he joined the Marine Corps in 1954 and served on both coasts and in Asia. He entered Stanford Law School in 1959 and returned to active Marine duty the next year, reaching the rank of captain. He helped open the Orange County office of O’Melveny & Myers in 1979 and led the office’s labor and employment law practice until he retired in 1992. An active community member, he served on the boards of a number of non- profit organizations, including the Equal Employment Advisory Council, Junior Achievement, and the Orange County Performing Arts Center. He is survived by his wife, Beverly; daughter, Anne; sons Richard, William, and Chris; and five grandchildren. 

Kenneth G. Griffin ’64 (BA ’63) of Glendale, Calif., died October 21, 2004, at the age of 64. A distinguished Los Angeles business attorney and commercial litigator for over 35 years, he specialized in the representation of Japanese companies and was fluent in both spoken and written Japanese. He also wrote a series of practical books aimed at helping Japanese businessmen better understand American legal culture. He lectured frequently in Japan, including at the Japanese International Commercial Law Association in Tokyo, the Japanese Institute of International Business Law, and the Kaigai Chuzai Executive Salon. He is survived by his wife, Shirley; sons, Glenn and Winston; mother, Evelyn; sister, Priscilla; and brother, George.

John L. Patterson ’66 of Seattle, died September 9, 2004, at the age of 63. He had lived and practiced law in Seattle since 1970, specializing in real estate and real estate lending. His professional associations included the American College of Real Estate Lawyers and the California Bar Association. Diagnosed with cancer in 1982, he was the longest-surviving recipient of a bone marrow transplant, then in the early stages of its development. He counseled new patients at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. He is survived by his mother, Margaret, and sister, Jane.

Daniel L. Hoffman ’84 of Berkeley, Calif., died in December 2004 at the age of 44. He worked as an associate at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld after law school graduation, before moving on to run his own legal placement business, Hoffman Legal Search. He recently founded an entertainment business, Full Circle Enterprises LLC. In his spare time, he worked with World Neighbors, a nonprofit organization supporting long-term sustainable development in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. He is survived by his son, Ian, and daughters Lauren and Ella.

FACULTY:

Mauro Cappelletti died November 1, 2004. See obituary page 9.

William C. Lazier died December 23, 2004. See obituary page 9.

FRIENDS:

Carl M. Franklin (MA ’35) of Los Angeles died on September 6, 2004, at the age of 93. Having received his master’s degree in economics at Stanford, he established the Carl Mason Franklin Prize in International Law and, with his wife, the Carolyn C. and Carl M. Franklin Scholarship Fund at the law school. He joined the University of Southern California Law School faculty in 1953 and served in a number of capacities during his five-decade career at the university, including vice president for financial affairs and chief legal officer. He also served as president of the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities, and was a trustee of a number of philanthropic foundations. He is survived by his brother, Glen; daughter, Priscilla; and sons Craig, Sterling, and Larry.

Leah L. Kaplan of Stanford, Calif., died August 24, 2004, at the age of 83. A graduate of the University of Minnesota and Smith School of Social Work in Massachusetts, she served in various staff positions at Stanford University for over three decades, including assistant dean of student affairs from 1974 to 1979 and ombudsperson for the university from 1984 to 1996. She was also the founding director of the Stanford Help Center. She was honored with the Lloyd W. Dinkelspiel Award in 1980 for her dedicated service to the students and staff of the university. She is survived by her sister, Shirley; daughter, Ann; son, Paul; and two grandchildren.