In Memoriam

Jerome D. Bender ’51 Mario Tucciarone ‘53 Frank Ragonetti ‘52C, ‘54L Hon. Frank Torres ’55 Robert Ostertag ‘56 John Rafferty ’57 John K. Walsh ’57 John Dowd ’55C, ’58L Professor James Edward Starrs ‘58 Laurence Mullen ’59 Martin Timmins ‘56UC, ’59L John Jerome ’59CBA, ’61L Eugene K. O’Shea, ’61 William Mannion ‘62 Hon. Edward Kiley ‘54CBA, ‘63L John Bassano ‘65 Albert Pennisi ‘66 Richard C. Sherman ’66 Leonard Andrew ‘68 John Higgins ’70 Bertram Levine ‘70 Alan Berg ‘72 Henry Donald ’77 Phillip Tumbarello ‘79 Elisabeth Vreeburg ‘81 Erica B. Fine ’82 Dorothy McCabe ‘82 Nicholas Burke ‘78MBA, ‘83L, ‘92PD Brian Okane ‘83 Mark E. Gamber ’84 Raymond Scheer ‘86 Clifford Mulqueen ’89 Danielle Rigg ’94 Matthew Roth ‘95 Margaret Michaels ’97 Deven A. Smith ‘06 John Rickes ’12 Emmanuel Ulubiyo ‘12

We’re excited to announce that Class Notes has moved online to stjohnslawseeinfra.com. That’s where you’ll find all the news straight from our worldwide alumni community. We’re publishing quarterly— winter, spring, summer, and fall—and want to hear from you. Just email your update to Assistant Dean of Alumni Relations and CLE Claire C. McKeever ‘80SVC, ‘93L at mckeevec@stjohns.edu.

Our beloved alumna, colleague, and friend Erica Fine passed away suddenly in May. Professor Fine was a constant presence on campus during her long career at BarBri Bar Review. Just as she was generous with her time and talents at BarBri, she was a big-hearted alumna who gave back to alma mater in many ways, including as a member of the St. John’s Law Alumni Association Board of Directors, as a founder of the Law School’s annual Public Interest Auction, and as a tireless liaison to her adored Class of 1982. In 2013, she came home to teach Applied Legal Analysis at the Law School. For her unwavering commitment to St. John’s Law, Professor Fine received the Pietas Medal, one of the highest honors bestowed by St. John’s University, as well as the Law School’s Belson Medal.

Professor Robert E. Parella, an esteemed colleague and teacher, passed away in May. He served on the Law School’s full-time faculty for 50 years, teaching generations of students Property, Real Estate Drafting, Trusts and Estates, and other courses with warmth, wit, and compassion as the George F. Keenan Professor of Real Property Law. After his retirement in 2011, he stayed on as an adjunct professor and was a regular presence at Law School programs and events. Along with his achievements as an educator and a scholar, Professor Parella received BALLSA’s (now APALSA, BLSA, and LALSA) Man of the Year Award in 1988. St. John’s University conferred upon him both an honorary degree and the title of Professor Emeritus.

The Honorable Frank Torres passed away in August. Throughout his long career in public service, Justice Torres advocated tirelessly for greater Hispanic representation in the legal profession. The son of immigrants from Puerto Rico, he followed in his father’s footsteps by earning a law degree and launching a career in the public sector. He worked as a Bronx ADA and then, after a term in the New York State Assembly, ascended to a leadership position at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Justice Torres took the bench by appointment to the New York City Family Court before being elected to the New York State Supreme Court, where he served for 14 years.

*Many have asked how they can honor the lives and legacies of Professor Fine and Professor Parella. One way is to support the Erica B. Fine ‘82 Scholarship and the Professor Robert Parella Scholarship, which benefit St. John’s Law students. For more information about these giving opportunities, please contact Brian J. Woods at brian.woods@stjohns.edu