CROWN POINT | Members of the Lake County Bar Association gathered Wednesday morning in Lake County Circuit Judge George C. Paras’ courtroom to remember their associates who died in 2012.
Porter County held a similar service in October.
Lake County Bar Association member Attorney Dan Gilia said the countywide commemoration program began in 1990.
Among the Lake and Porter County attorneys who died in 2012 were a former Hammond mayor, Indiana University trustee, Lake County commissioner, Indiana Court of Appeals judge and a lifelong East Chicago educator:
- William G. Conover, 86, of Valparaiso, was a retired Court of Appeals judge, who also served as Valparaiso City Court Judge and as Porter County Prosecutor for eight years.
- Former Hammond Mayor Edward J. Raskosky, 89, served as a Lake County deputy prosecutor, state representative and Hammond City Court Judge before becoming mayor.
- Frank A. J. Stodola, 89, of Highland, was a former Lake County Judge and commissioner, Stodola’s career ended with a federal conviction for filing false tax returns and racketeering.
- Thomas M. Zubeck, 59, of Whiting, had a private practice in the city. Zubeck also served as a public defender for both the Whiting and Hammond City Courts.
- Dr. Victor L. Leal Jr., 71, of Griffith, was a lifelong educator with the School City of East Chicago and a former Gary City Court deputy prosecutor.
- William A. O’Rourke, 66, of Munster, was a former Hammond Director of Planning and Redevelopment and City Court Judge. O’Rourke served as school board attorney for the Munster, Lake Station and East Chicago school districts.
- Richard W. Hall, 89, of Park Forest, Ill., combined his knowledge of chemistry and law, becoming a breathalyzer expert and pioneered the concept of treatment in lieu of punishment for DWI offenders.
- Rodney B. Dyerly, 81, of Dune Acres, specialized in estate planning, trust and probate law in Gary. A volunteer fireman, Dyerly also served as chief of the Dunes Acres Fire Department and authored three books.
- Sheldon H. Cohan, 78, of Gary, served in the U.S. Judge Advocates Corps and practiced law for 50 years.
- James S. Bozik, 77, of Valparaiso, focused on estate planning and probate administration.
- Robert B. Selund Jr., 72, of Ogden Dunes, was a teacher in the Highland School system/ Selund also wrote the town’s zoning ordinance.
- Frederick F. Eichhorn Jr., 82, of Bloomington, born and raised in Gary, was an Indiana University trustee from 1990 to 2005, serving as president for six years. In addition to private practice, Eichhorn was general counsel for NIPSCO, president of the Indiana Bar Association and a member of the Gary Police Commission.
- Steve Lustina, 66, of Crown Point, a published author of a crime novel, practiced criminal law for 30 years.
- Rudolph M. Zajac, 84, of Schererville, had a law practice in Whiting for 57 years and was a former Lake County deputy prosecutor.
Please Wait…