In Memoriam

In Memoriam: Albert Elías

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Longtime Tucson businessman and labor union leader Albert Elías died Friday after a short battle with cancer at the age of 86 (h/t Arizona Daily Star).

Screenshot from 2015-10-17 14:02:12Albert Elías, a fourth-generation Tucsonan whose family’s history stretches back to the presidio when Tucson was a Spanish colony, was the father of Pima County Supervisor Richard Elías.

“My dad taught me compassion for people who have less, and that all should love the community that they live in. He also taught that we should be forgiving to all people,” Richard said, recalling teachings from his father that will remain with him.

“I know Richard was as proud of his father as his father was of him,” said Board Chairwoman Sharon Bronson.

“This is a sad day for the Elías family and for all of Tucson,” Bronson said in a news release.

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In Memoriam: Civil Rights Icon Julian Bond

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Civil Rights Movement icon Julian Bond passed away this weekend. The New York Times reports, Julian Bond, Former N.A.A.C.P. Chairman and Civil Rights Leader, Dies at 75:

Bond_JulianJulian Bond, a charismatic figure of the 1960s civil rights movement, a lightning rod of the anti-Vietnam War campaign and a lifelong champion of equal rights, notably as chairman of the N.A.A.C.P., died on Saturday night in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. He was 75.

The Southern Poverty Law Center announced Mr. Bond’s death on Sunday. His wife, Pamela Sue Horowitz, said the cause was complications of vascular disease.

Mr. Bond was one of the original leaders of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee while he was a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta. He was the committee’s communications director for five years and deftly guided the national news media toward stories of violence and discrimination as the committee challenged legal segregation in the South’s public facilities.

He gradually moved from the militancy of the student group to the leadership of the establishmentarian N.A.A.C.P. Along the way, Mr. Bond was a writer, poet, television commentator, lecturer and college teacher, and persistent opponent of the stubborn remnants of white supremacy.

He also served for 20 years in the Georgia General Assembly, mostly in conspicuous isolation from white colleagues who saw him as an interloper and a rabble-rouser.

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In Memoriam: Judge Lillian Fisher

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Retired Judge Lillian Fisher passed away on June 7th, 2015 at the age of 93.

I practiced in Judge Fisher’s courtroom at the very end of her career.  I knew her longer during her retirement years, as an active Democrat.

Judge Fisher is the mother of Marjorie Cunningham, the wife of former state senator George Cunningham, and is grandmother to Tucson City Councilman Paul Cunningham. Her daughter Anne Segal served as a Justice of the Peace in Pima County.

Judge Fischer was a graduate of the University of Arizona law school. the James E. Rogers College of Law posted this In Memoriam: Judge Lillian S. Fisher (’63) | UA Law:

SittingThe Arizona Law community mourns the passing of our accomplished alumna, Retired Pima County Superior Court Judge Lillian S. Fisher, on June 7, 2015. A member of the Class of 1963, Judge Fisher advocated for women in the law, co-founding the Arizona Women Lawyers Association and the National Association of Women Judges. She provided the initial endowment for the Udall Center’s Lillian S. Fisher Prize in Environmental Law and Public Policy, presented annually to an Arizona Law or UA graduate student studying law and public policy. Judge Fisher was also a very active member of the community, helping to establish organizations such as the Southern Arizona Hiking Club and the Invisible Theater. The UA College of Social & Behaviorial Sciences presented her with its first Lifetime Achievement Award on April 15, 2015. Judge Fisher was preceded in death by her spouse Bernard. She is survived by her daughters Marjorie Cunningham and Anne Segal, both attorneys in Tucson; her son Michael Fisher, a high school science teacher, of West Palm Springs, Florida; eight grandchildren;, and five great-grandchildren. Her grandson Paul Cunningham is a member of the Tucson City Council. Learn more about Judge Fisher’s legacy in her interview last month with Arizona Jewish Post or the Arizona Daily Star’s photo gallery.

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In Memoriam: Gov. Raul H. Castro

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It is hard to imagine in the Arizona in which we live today, but at one time Arizonans elected a Democratic Latino governor. Those were better days.

I have had the pleasure of speaking with Governor Castro and listening to him tell his life stories many times over the years. He was a good and decent man who will be missed.

Former governor Raul Castro, Arizona’s only Latino governor, died at the age of 98 today:

castroRaul Hector Castro, who became Arizona’s only Latino governor and a well-traveled U.S. diplomat after lifting himself out of a hardscrabble, impoverished childhood, has died at the age of 98.

Castro followed an improbable journey to the state’s highest office and a series of presidential appointments to diplomatic posts. Born in Mexico, he spent some of his childhood scouring the desert for food to feed his family. He spent some of his young-adult years as a hobo, boxing for money at carnivals or picking sugar beets in fields.

Castro was a Tucson lawyer when he decided to enter politics. He saw rampant discrimination against Latinos and figured the best way to change the system was to become part of it. Castro was elected Pima County attorney in 1954 and was subsequently elected a Superior Court judge. He spent time as a U.S. ambassador in Latin America before returning to Arizona and running for governor.

Castro served two years as governor before being asked again by another U.S. president to serve as a diplomat.

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey announced Castro’s passing in a statement, saying Arizonans will not forget the 14th governor.

“He was an honorable public servant, a history-maker, a beloved family man and a strong friend and fighter for Arizona,” Ducey’s statement said. “Whether as a county attorney, a superior court judge, a United States ambassador or – as we will best remember him – our 14th governor, his life and legacy of service is forever ingrained in our history. The thoughts and prayers of all Arizonans are with Governor Castro’s family and loved ones during this difficult time.”

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