KATHERINE DARMER Chapman University School of Law Professor Katherine Darmer, a legal scholar who was often at the forefront of marriage equality issues and a founding board member and chair of the legal team of the Orange County Equality Coalition, passed away Feb. 17. She was 47. In the days following her death, a candlelight vigil in her memory was held on the steps of the law school, and The Orange County Register created a page within its online site for reflections and comments that poured in from the legal community and friends throughout the country. Professor Darmer will be remembered for both her passion in the classroom and her leadership in the community, said Chapman colleague Timothy A. Canova, the Betty Hutton Williams Professor of International Economic Law. “Katherine was a fearless colleague, a fighter for justice and champion of civil liberties. As a teacher, scholar, public voice and activist, Katherine gave her time and talents to the cause of helping others. She was strong, determined, effective, brilliant. When she saw oppression and injustice,
whether in society or in her own workplace, she worked for justice. She was a friend, mentor, and inspiration to so many. We miss her already and will remember her always,” Professor Canova said.
In 2004, Professor Darmer was co-editor of the book Civil Liberties vs. National Security in a Post-9/11 World. In addition, she co-edited the book Morality and the Law, published in 2007. Professor Darmer’s other scholarship focused primarily on Fifth
Amendment and national security issues as well as marriage equality, Proposition 8 and equal protection. She was a frequent speaker and media commentator on Proposition 8 and marriage equality and the war on terror. Before joining Chapman’s full-time faculty in 2000, she served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York, where she prosecuted public corruption, violent gang and narcotics cases. In 1998, she served as lead counsel in a three-month criminal RICO trial that resulted in numerous convictions. To honor the professor, Chapman’s Student Bar Association has renamed its Professor of the Year Award the M. Katherine Baird Darmer Outstanding Professor of the Year Award. The award is traditionally presented in April. “Katherine was beloved by the students and was an excellent classroom teacher,” said Jayne Taylor Kacer, associate dean for student affairs and administration. Professor Darmer is survived by her husband of 12 years, Roman Ernest Darmer, and their two children, Lia and Locke.
Chapman people,” said David Moore, director of planned giving. “When I hear a name or historical reference, her book, with its meticulous index, is the first place I look.” A graduate of Indiana State University, Louise Booth completed her postgraduate work at the University of Southern California. After teaching English, speech, drama and history for 35 years, she retired to devote her time to historical research and writing. As chair of the Centennial Committee of the Orange County Historical Society, she worked for four years planning an array of public events and was managing editor of The Centennial Bibliography of Orange County, California. In addition, she published six historical
monographs, three of them on the Civil War. In 2001, she published her Chapman history book, which won the 61st annual Western Book Exhibition award.
LOUISE BOOTH Louise Booth, a devoted friend of Chapman University and author of the award-winning history book Fulfilling A Dream — The History of Chapman University, passed away Jan. 24. Booth, the wife of 54-year Chapman Professor Don Booth and mother of alumnus David Booth ’82, was famously hospitable to foreign students, new faculty and campus visitors. “Louise was a remarkable woman in so many ways. I will always have warm memories of her spirit, intellect and sense of humor. Her candor was refreshing.” said Chapman President Jim Doti. “Sharp of mind with a passion for local history, Louise was among my favorite
SPRING 2012
39