Oregon State Bar Bulletin — AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2002
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Correction: In the April 2002 issue of the Bulletin, the date of death for Francis E. Harrington was misstated. Harrington, a longtime Portland lawyer and former legislator credited with creaton of Oregon’s no-fault divorce bill, died Feb. 19, 2002. He was 91.
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Long-retired Portland lawyer Beatrice Mary Paget died June 1, 2002 at age 105.
She was born Oct. 11, 1896 in Wells, Ore., a small farming community near Corvallis. In the 1920s, she attended law school, a time when it was rare for women to do so. She and her husband, Lowell Paget, practiced in Portland together until the birth of their first child. She reduced her work schedule, but continued her law practice, mostly in contracts, wills and estates. The Pagets were both active in politics. Her husband was elected to the Oregon Legislature in 1932 and was a national Republican party committee member from 1960 until his death in 1967. Mary Paget was president of the League of Women Voters in 1935 and was credited with successfully lobbying for the Aid to Dependent Children bill. She was a founding member of the Queen’s Bench and served as vice president and secretary-treasurer. She resigned from the bar in 1962, after 43 years of practice.
Survivors include two daughters and two sons.
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Longtime North Portland lawyer and civic booster Homer L. Allen died June 8, 2002. He was 80.
Allen was born March 27, 1922 on a farm near American Falls, Idaho. He attended his first eight grades of school in a two-room country school, and later high school in American Falls. He excelled as a cornet player in the school’s marching band, which was invited to the Rose Festival parade in Portland and the Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif.
He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1940 and during World War II served in Alaska and the Pacific. He received two presidential unit citations, the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism and a Purple Heart for injuries suffered when his plane was shot down near the Philippines.
After the war, he attended Vanport College and Willamette University, earning a law degree in 1951. He was a sole practitioner in North Portland his entire career, and in 2001 was honored as a 50-year member of the OSB.
Allen was active in community affairs. He ran as a candidate for state representative, promoted the 'Delta Dome' sports complex for North Portland’s Delta Park and advocated the four-year degree program for Portland State College (successor to Vanport College). He was the past president and longtime member of the Peninsula Optimist Club, a 42-year member of the Kiwanis and an active suupport of Lombard Boosters.
He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Lee, two sons and one daughter.
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Reno lawyer Lisa C. Vogt died in January of this year. She was 36.
Vogt was born Sept. 29, 1965 in Greenville, Calif., and lived most of her life in the Reno, Nev. area. She was a graduate of Reno High, obtained her bachelor’s degree from the University of Nevada, Reno, and went on to gain her law degree from Willamette College, passing the Oregon bar in 1994 and the Nevada bar in 1999. She was a board member of the Committee to Aid Abused Women and worked with the Nevada Diabetes Association. She was an accomplished linguist, speaking both French and Mandarin Chinese. She had many interests and many friends, who described her as 'Renaissance woman' full of humor and curiosity. In the mid 1990s, she was employed in Portland at Standard Insurance and Hoffman, Hart & Wagner. At the time of her death, she had a solo practice in Reno.
She is survived by her three brothers and their families.
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Longtime Medford attorney A.E. 'Gene' Piazza, known for his commitment to mentoring young lawyers and providing services pro bono for low-income clients, died June 28, 2002. He was 75.
Piazza was born in Portland on April 13, 1927. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II, serving one year in Japan, and moved to the Rogue Valley in 1954 from Eugene. He worked as an attorney with Harbison, Piazza, Kellington for a few years before going into private practice, handling business, real estate and probate cases. He served as Jackson County assistant district attorney from 1954 to 1956 and was past president of the Jackson County Bar Association. He was a longtime member of the OSB Estate Planning and Probate Committee and the Professionalism Commission, and was an author of a chapter on probate in a OSB CLE publication. He was also past president of the Southern Oregon Historical Society and a board member of the Britt Society.
Friends said Piazza’s generosity extended to fellow attorneys, with whom he would freely share knowledge. He mentored many young attorneys during his career. The family has established a memorial fund to support an annual Attorney Professionalism Award to recognize attorneys in southern Oregon for commitment to pro bono and mentoring.
When not practicing law, Piazza enjoyed getting together with fellow jazz musicians, fishing and bowling.
He is survived by his wife, Patricia, sons Gene Piazza (an OSB member) of Jacksonville and Stephen Piazza of Lake Oswego, and daughter Nancy Cobb of Lake Oswego.