The Honorable Oliver Wanger delivered the commencement address.
A Golden Graduation
As it celebrates its 50th year, the 46th Graduating Class of San Joaquin College of Law was treated to a commencement address by one of the Law School Founders. Dean Janice Pearson introduced the Hon. Oliver Wanger.
Dean Pearson spoke about the formation of the Law School as Wanger and John Loomis gathered in Judge Eymann’s living room. Wanger was just two years out of law school at the time, and became not only a founder, but also a Dean of SJCL, Chairman of the Board, and an adjunct professor. In addition, between his early years as a Deputy District Attorney, 20 years as a U.S. District Court Judge, and current status as Senior Partner at Wanger, Jones, Helsley, he has either pleaded or presided over more than 600 jury trials. Perhaps most memorable to many alumni was his presiding over a course review when he taught Civil Procedure. The review consisted of two three-hour sessions, with Wanger simply scanning the book’s table of contents and lecturing about each area without any other prompts.
Wanger took the podium and returned the praise. “Your Dean, Janice Pearson, is single-handedly responsible for the success of San Joaquin College of Law.” He then took the audience on a tour of the past, explaining when he joined the Fresno County Bar in 1966, there were only 300 attorneys, including just five women. Typewriters and carbon paper were the rule when submitting court documents.
He turned his attention to the Law School’s earliest years. While 34 students graduated from SJCL this year, the first two classes combined only held 25 students, five of which went on to become judges. Those 25 all passed the Bar on their first try.
Looking to the future, Wanger advised new attorneys to “Read the Rules of Professional Conduct yearly,” adding honesty, integrity, respect, courtesy, and listening skills all build reputations. “Don’t resort to Rambo tactics,” he added.
In closing, Wanger said “My association with the Law School has been a labor of love for 51 years.” He felt it was important to mention his wife, Lorrie Anthony-Wanger, a 1994 SJCL alumna. “I lost my wife last year to cancer. She was a wonderful lawyer, a totally committed animal rights activist, a feminist. She was a liberal Democrat married to a Republican and somehow, we made it.”
The 34 members of the graduating class arrived at SJCL with degrees from 12 universities, including 20 from Fresno State, four from U.C campuses, four from Fresno Pacific University, and others from universities in Minnesota, Washington State, Utah, and Texas.
Congratulations to the SJCL Class of 2019!
Emilio Avellaneda
Cecilia Dee Barnes
Rachel Baskin
Amanda Danielle Busick
Morgan D. Day
Courtney Rochelle DiPinto
Gladdey Donsanouphit
Adriana Susana Gomez Santiago
Ivan Gomez
Mario Alberto Gonzalez Silvestre
Joseph Dominic Good
Rena Marie Harrison
Whitney Loren Hendricks
Jodie Pierce Howard
Ali M. Huda
Arman Kyurinyan
Cory Massey
Jeremy Kellie Matthews
Timothy Andrew Miller
Jason Terrance Oleson
Jordan John Erich Ott
Fabian Perez
Vaughan F. Rios
Miriam Yosselim Sanchez
Sebastian Santana
Andres Eduardo Santiago Benitez
Cassandra Kaur Sheanh
Bethany Jade Silsby
John Philip Soares
Sara Ellen Tarasevic
Annemarie Monique Taylor
Maritza Uribe
Maria E. Valencia
Shannon Wentworth