Ron Walro of Eugene died Jan. 25, 2004 of sepsis. He was 54. Walro was born in Chicago on Aug. 3, 1949. He married Patty O’Brien on Jan. 2, 1976. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame, attended graduate school at the University of Michigan and graduated from the University of Oregon Law School. Walro practiced in Eugene his entire legal career. He was active in the Debtor/Creditor and Alternative Dispute Resolution sections of the Oregon State Bar.
Walro enjoyed fishing, sailing and reading. He was also an avid Notre Dame football fan. (His memorial service included a spirited rendition of the Notre Dame Fight Song.) He is survived by his wife, daughter Katie and son Patrick.
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Gottlieb "Gop" Baer died in Sacramento, Calif., on March 8, 2004. A native of Bend, Baer graduated from the University of Portland in 1952 and then served for two years in the U.S. Army. In 1958 he graduated from Willamette University College of Law and was admitted to the Oregon bar. He practiced law in Bend from 1958-62, where he also worked as a part-time deputy district attorney.
Gottlieb later earned a masters degree from the University of Oregon and began a 37-year career in education. He was a professor at American River College teaching in the Social Science department. During his tenure he received two National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships at the University of Minnesota and Vanderbilt University.
Gottlieb is survived by his wife of 43 years, Mary Ann, a daughter and four sons.
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Longtime Medford lawyer Samuel B. Harbison died at his home on April 2, 2004, at the age of 89. He is survived by his wife, Mary Anne Harbison, and children.
Harbison served in the U.S. Army during World War II, receiving two silver stars. He graduated from Willamette University School of Law in 1939 and was admitted to the Oregon bar in 1940.
Harbison worked in private practice from 1952 to 1986. He also served as house counsel for Jackson County Federal Savings & Loan Association. His bar activities include service on the OSB Lawyer Referral Committee; community activities include more than 3,000 hours of volunteer work for senior services programs.
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Donald R. Duncan of Athena, Ore., died April 30, 2004, at the age of 87. Duncan graduated from George Washington University School of Law in Washington, D.C., and was admitted to the Oregon bar in 1953. Duncan chose to practice law in Athena at the urging of his wife’s relatives, who convinced him that the city needed a lawyer. He set up a practice on Main Street, and later served as the city attorney for 30 years.
Duncan was active in his local community, earning a First Citizen award in 1982. He was proud of his Scottish heritage and his role in reviving Athena’s Caledonian Games in the mid-1970s.
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Salem lawyer William "Bill" Hilton Peterson died May 3, 2004, following a courageous battle with lung cancer and emphysema. Peterson moved to Oregon as a child, and was inducted into the U.S. Army before graduation from Benson High School. He became a fighter pilot before he learned to drive a car. Once grounded for flying his P-39 under the Golden Gate Bridge, Peterson later earned the rank of captain.
Following World War II he earned a bachelor’s degree at Oregon State University, and then worked as an engineer while attending Northwestern School of Law at night. He was admitted to the bar in 1957.
Peterson worked in private practice and later with the state Workers’ Compensation Board, where he drafted Oregon’s first OSHA laws. He was active in the Oregon Administrative Judges Association until retiring in 1986.
Peterson is survived by his wife, Dona Klinger of Salem, a daughter and son and two stepchildren.
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Portland lawyer William F. Bernard died June 1, 2004. He was 83. Bernard was born Feb. 22, 1921, in Portland. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Oregon in 1942 and a J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law in 1947. In his seventies, he also earned a master’s degree in arts and literature from Reed College.
Bernard began practicing in Portland in 1947 with the firm of Collier & Bernard, initially engaging in a general practice. Bernard later concentrated his practice in the areas of general business, estate planning, probate and trust administration and real estate. He was senior member of the firm of Bernard, Kneeland & Brophy prior to his joining Duffy Kekel in 1989. He retired in 2000.
Bernard became a prominent lawyer and leader in local and state bar activities during his years of practice. He served as chairman of the Oregon State Bar’s Probate Committee, as an officer and president of the Multnomah Bar Association and as a fellow of the American Bar Foundation. Bernard also served as a part-time instructor in wills at the Northwestern College of Law. He was a member of the Estate Planning Council of Portland. Survivors include his wife, Julie, two sons and two daughters.