16
Special Feature
LSCNY Legacy Magazine Continuing our alumni interview series which started in our last issue’s interview with Langston McKinney.
Interview: Susan Horn former President/CEO of Hiscock Legal Aid Society As part of a continuing series of conversations with distinguished alumni of LSCNY, Sam Young recently sat down with Susan Horn, the long-time President and CEO of the Hiscock Legal Aid Society. Their conversation is below.
By Sam Young, Director of Development
of people would go to Florida for winter vacation, I would come up here and help Rosemary run campaigns that she SY: I’m sitting with Susan Horn, the distinguished, was involved with. So I applied to law school here. I could long-time director of the Hiscock Legal Aid Society. Most have gone to law school here or to Temple in Philadelphia. of our readers know Susan as the long-time President/ And I said to myself, I come from a big city, I’ll try someCEO of that historic legal services agency, but what many thing different for three years, and then I’ll go home to people don’t realize is that Susan got her start in the law New York City. But as my mother said, I forgot to go at LSCNY’s predecessor agency, Onondaga Neighborhood home. I came up here in 1971, and graduated law school Legal Services. Is that right? in 1974. SH: I did indeed! SY: Was Onondaga Neighborhood Legal Services your first job out of law school? SY: Can you tell me what was your inspiration for becoming a lawyer? SH: It was, yes. SH: Thinking back to the 1960’s, when I was in high school and college, first of all, I had a couple of relatives that went to law school, so that made me think about it. Then in college, I got involved in the anti-Vietnam War movement, demonstrations. At that time, in the anti-war movement, and in the civil rights movement, lawyers were heroes. Lawyers were making positive change for social justice. So that’s what made me finally decide to go to law school. SY: Do you remember who some of the lawyers were in the day who inspired you to work for social change through the law? SH: William Kunstler, Ramsey Clark, (they both were involved with the Attica defense, which I got involved with in law school), Bella Abzug, and my cousin [now U.S. Circuit Court Judge] Rosemary Pooler. SY: You grew up in Brooklyn, right? Undergrad in New York City? SH:
I went to Brooklyn College, graduated in 1971.
SY:
What made you come to Syracuse?
SH: I got into law school here. I actually applied to law school here in Syracuse, because Rosemary was here. I had been frequently coming up to Syracuse. When a lot
Susan Horn
