Law Alumni Receive Lifetime Achievement Awards

Nancy Stanley
Oct. 1, 2012

Three distinguished graduates of the UA James E. Rogers College of Law will be honored for their contributions to the profession.

The three will be honored during the college's Lifetime Achievement Awards Luncheon, to be held Oct. 5, noon-1:30 p.m. The event will be held at the law school's Lewis and Roca Lobby, 1201 W. Speedway Blvd.

“Throughout their careers, these three alumni worked assiduously to serve their communities and their professions. We are proud to honor those who in their words and their deeds so thoroughly exemplified the ideals that we hope all of our students will aspire to achieve," said Lawrence Ponoroff, the College of Law dean.

The recipients are:

Attorney Hester Turner earned her law degree from the UA in 1946. She then moved to Oregon where she joined the faculty at Lewis and Clark University, earned her Ph. D. in Education in 1956 from Oregon State University. She then served as director of professional services with the Oregon Education Association. Thereafter, she became dean of women and then dean of students at Lewis and Clark University. Turner moved to New York City to assume the post of National Executive Director of the Campfire Girls (now the Campfire Boys and Girls) more than 40 years ago, and she has lived there since. Her exemplary life has been a model of how keen intelligence, a formidable work ethic, and natural leadership skills can be used to promote the common good.

Former Judge Hayzel B. Daniels will be honored posthumously. Daniels earned a bachelor of science in social sciences in 1939 and a masters of art in education in 1941, both from the University of Arizona. He served overseas in the U.S. Army during World War II and, in 1948, became the first African American to graduate from the UA College of Law and the first to be admitted to the State Bar of Arizona. After opening a law practice in Phoenix, in 1950 Daniels won election to the Arizona legislature, along with his friend Carl Sims, the first African Americans to do so. As a lawmaker and attorney, Daniels fought racism by successfully sponsoring legislation and litigating cases that significantly reduced segregation in Arizona public schools. Daniels then coordinated peaceful sit-ins, prosecuted civil rights cases, and served the public as an Assistant Arizona State Attorney General. His appointment as the first African-American judge in Arizona in 1965, a position he held for more than a decade, garnered national attention. In 1993 the Arizona Black Lawyers Association honored him by changing its name to the Hayzel B. Daniels Bar Association.

Former U.S. Representative James F. McNulty, Jr., of the class of 1951, will also be honored posthumously. McNulty, Jr. was drafted by the Army in 1944 and served as a drill sergeant at Ft. McClellan, Alabama. After World War II, he enrolled at the UA on the G.I. Bill and continued on to law school. After graduating in 1951, he joined the Bisbee law firm of Gentry & Gentry and remained with the firm for 31 years. McNulty’s remarkable public service included membership in the Arizona Board of Regents, the State Board of Education and the State Hospital Board. He was elected to the Arizona State Senate in 1968 and served until 1973. McNulty was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982 in the newly-created Congressional District 5 and served in Congress for one term. He returned to law practice and was a partner in the Tucson firm of Bilby, Thompson, Shoenhair & Warnock, and later Snell & Wilmer. At the age of 68, he joined the Peace Corps and worked in the eastern highlands of Guatemala. McNulty is remembered for his integrity and sense of fairness, his Irish sense of humor, and his unflagging commitment to the ideals of democracy. 

The College of Law faculty established the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998 to recognize outstanding graduates of the College.

Recipients are nominated and selected by a committee of law faculty members. Only 20 alumni have been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award in the 97-year history of the College. To be eligible, candidates must have graduated more than 25 years prior to receiving the award, and must have had a distinguished and exemplary career in law, public service, or public education. Awards may be given posthumously, and a permanent plaque for each recipient is displayed prominently at the college. 

Photo credit: Beatriz Verdugo/UANews

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