Below is the initial posting which I shared with Central California Legal Services staff and board members as well as some other friends of Jack.
Chris Schneider
Jack Daniel Passes
I just received news that Jack Daniel died on Saturday. He went into a coma on New Year’s Eve and remained comatose for thirty six-hours. His wife Mary and family members were with Jack during his final hours. Home hospice workers helped make the final hours as comfortable as possible for him.
Mary informs me that memorial services have not yet been planned. She will inform me when plans are finalized.
Jack’s first association with legal aid was that of client in the early 1970’s. Later he collaborated with legal aid as a community organizer. Eventually Jack worked with several legal aid organizations. He held numerous positions including: paralegal; attorney; trainer; managing attorney; director of litigation; regional counsel and any other position where he could be of service to the client community.
Jack worked with Legal Aid of Western Michigan, East Texas Legal Services, Benchmark Institute, and had three “tours of duty” at CCLS. He also squeezed in stints as deputy public defender, general counsel of the United Farm Workers of America Education and Legal Defense Fund and as a civil rights specialist at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
In each of his positions Jack has brought a zeal for the work that inspired those around him.
Jack was never been a nine-to-five person. Almost anyone who worked with Jack has been the recipient of 2:00 AM emails in which Jack sought to share a litigation strategy or novel legal argument that he had just thought up. Many times on a Monday morning one would find their email in-box crammed with messages from Jack sent throughout the weekend.
No matter where he is worked, he always found time to do pro-bono work. Jack believed that legal aid attorneys who ask private attorneys to work pro-bono should lead by example. When congress placed restrictions on the work that legal aid attorneys could do, Jack voluntarily reduced his hours of work. No longer employed full time as a legal aid attorney he used his freed up time to work pro bono on cases that he could not work on at an LSC funded legal aid organization.
In 1999 Jack received the State Bar President’s Pro Bono award for work on cases he did outside of his already heavy load at Central California Legal Services.
In his career with legal services Jack was been involved in almost every area of poverty law. He worked on service cases and impact cases. He forged alliances with numerous organizations and agencies. He took special pride in his work with youth.
Jack worked collaboratively with other legal aid organizations and private attorneys. He recognized the strength in bringing together differing views and perspectives to get the best result possible.
Jack believed that legal aid work best when we work with community based organizations. Client participation and leadership was paramount to Jack. He effectively worked with CBOs to identify impact issues. Once the issues were identified Jack sought solutions that promoted community involvement and empowerment.
Jack was a tireless advocate for justice for disenfranchised individuals and communities. His commitment to justice was infused with a singular sense of humor that kept him, co-workers and often his clients, going through the most difficult of challenges.
Jack was never been a nine-to-five person. Almost anyone who worked with Jack has been the recipient of 2:00 AM emails in which Jack sought to share a litigation strategy or novel legal argument that he had just thought up. Many times on a Monday morning one would find their email in-box crammed with messages from Jack sent throughout the weekend.
No matter where he is worked, he always found time to do pro-bono work. Jack believed that legal aid attorneys who ask private attorneys to work pro-bono should lead by example. When congress placed restrictions on the work that legal aid attorneys could do, Jack voluntarily reduced his hours of work. No longer employed full time as a legal aid attorney he used his freed up time to work pro bono on cases that he could not work on at an LSC funded legal aid organization.
In 1999 Jack received the State Bar President’s Pro Bono award for work on cases he did outside of his already heavy load at Central California Legal Services.
In his career with legal services Jack was been involved in almost every area of poverty law. He worked on service cases and impact cases. He forged alliances with numerous organizations and agencies. He took special pride in his work with youth.
Jack worked collaboratively with other legal aid organizations and private attorneys. He recognized the strength in bringing together differing views and perspectives to get the best result possible.
Jack believed that legal aid work best when we work with community based organizations. Client participation and leadership was paramount to Jack. He effectively worked with CBOs to identify impact issues. Once the issues were identified Jack sought solutions that promoted community involvement and empowerment.
Jack was a tireless advocate for justice for disenfranchised individuals and communities. His commitment to justice was infused with a singular sense of humor that kept him, co-workers and often his clients, going through the most difficult of challenges.
Rest in peace, Jack.
Chris is right to note that Jack favored working with clients, community groups and legal services advocates, and he was an inspiration in all of those areas. But this description only begins to get at how open his heart was to everyone and to any effort that might help improve the lives of those he advocated for so passionately and with such genuine understanding and affection. In fact, he was even willing to mix it up with the likes of morally-challenged legislative types like me, patiently answering my stupid questions, enduring lengthy conference calls that he couldn't possibly have time for, traveling to Sacramento to lend his thoughtful voice to public policy advocacy at the Capitol, and in many other ways put his authentic and authorative stamp on important bills that promised to aid the people to whom he dedicated his life. More than that, Jack treated me as a friend. I was honored to know him and humbled by his example. He lives on because he touched so many people so profoundly. I am proud to be one of them. Kevin Baker
ReplyDeleteMinnesota clients did not have a chance to benefit directly from Jack's vigorous work, but those of us who knew him, even a little, have been able to pick up some of his greatness and bring it to our work.
ReplyDeleteI grew up with Jack in Dallas Texas. He and I attended the same grade school, St. Thomas Aquinas; the same high school, Jesuit High School, where he graduated as the Valedictorian; and we even took one college course together at the University of Dallas. That college course was an Honors English class, taught by Sister St John, during our senior year at Jesuit. Eventually Jack was to graduate from U of D in 1982.
ReplyDeleteIt is wonderful to read the comments on this blog and to get to know the man that Jack became. He sounds so much like the Jack that I knew from so long ago. Then he was witty, sarcastic, rebellious, loyal, and so very smart. Reading about him here, I see that those traits stayed with him throughout his life.
In many ways we were very different people. That was true back then in our youth and, from what I have learned in this blog, was also in our 'mature' years. However, as I read about Jack, I find those descriptions of him so eerily reminiscent of the young man that I knew. He never worried about fitting into the proper mold. Instead he resolutely went his own way with confidence, intelligence, good humor, and passion. He would not compromise his principles, though I now suspect that, in his early years, this uncompromising stand caused him much pain.
We were superficially very different, but fortunately for me, we shared a common sense of life. He believed, as I did (do) that goodness, kindness, integrity and justice were possible in this world. Unfortunately, he did not find those virtues in others very often in his youth. I am so proud and happy that he eventually found a way to fight for those values. It is wonderful to see that he was able to use his considerable wit and wisdom and unique charm, to show so many people his vision of the way that the world can and should be.
Jack, I have never forgotten you. Thanks for the time that we shared so long ago. Thanks for your insights, your courage, your intelligence, your wit, your passion, and especially, for your friendship. I knew Jack the boy well, I have just learned so much about Jack the Man and I do so miss them both.
Your Friend,
Joe