Mark E. Wilson changed my life and view of what it means to be a lawyer. He was co-founder of the Clinical Law Program at Gonzaga University Law School in 1974, my second year. I signed up to join the program, was accepted, and spent much of my third year in Granger, Washington, working at a law clinic for indigent clients. Mark retired as Professor Emeritus in 2015 and was awarded the Gonzage Law Medal for his bold vision and leadership.
One thing leads to another; such was the case with graduate school at GWU. Congressman Mike McCormack was instrumental in my decision to apply to law school in 1974. I told him that being a federal civil servant was not a future I wanted for myself, and he understood. He knew the dean at Gonzaga Law School and said he would be glad to give a recommendation. Another door was opened.
The list of people I met at Gonzaga would include faculty, administrators, classmates, and lawyers at Spokane Legal Services, where I had my first internship in my second year. On the top of that list would be Professor Mark E. Wilson, founder of the clinical law program at Gonzaga.
I was elected VP of the Law Student Bar Association in my third year. If memory serves, this photo was taken at a meeting in a lecture hall where I was either speaking or presiding. It was an overflowing crowd, not because of what I was saying but because of the topic of ABA accreditation at the Law School.
Tony Hazapis (1946 – 2008) and I were roommates at East 23 Sharp Avenue in Spokane in my third year. Tony was a year ahead of me and was President of the Law Student Bar Association during my 2d year. Tony was from Wauna, Oregon, and had a heart as big as anybody I’ve ever met. He was active in the Greek Orthodox Church in Spokane and later in Seattle. He became Assistant Dean at Gonzaga Law School after graduation. The house was just blocks from the law school and was legendary among generations of students. My dog, Skye, was also a roommate.
