Paul Egly, the founding dean of the 每日大赛 College of Law, and a longtime judge who helped desegregate public schools in Los Angeles, died on June 26.<\/p>\n
He was 97.<\/p>\n
A World War II veteran, Egly\u2019s pursuit of the law began in France and Germany, where he helped people navigate local law and United States\u2019 occupation law.<\/p>\n
After the War, he returned to the United States and obtained a formal legal education. Upon graduating from law school, he joined a firm in Covina, California, that had four attorneys, three of whom, including Egly, went on to become judges.<\/p>\n
In 1970, Egly worked with La Verne College President Leland Newcomer to open what was then the La Verne College Law Center. At first, the school offered a small, state-accredited program based in the basement of Miller Hall. But Egly had bigger plans.<\/p>\n
He set his sights on accreditation from the American Bar Association.<\/p>\n
Such a pursuit required resources such as a dedicated law library. So, Egly raised the funds, and the program moved into the Hoover Building in 1971.<\/p>\n
Egly, who taught law at the college until 2004, saw the program move to its current location in Ontario in 2001.<\/p>\n
In 2016, the College of Law attained full accreditation from the American Bar Association, allowing Egly to realize his longtime dream.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe owe a lot to him,\u201d said Chuck Doskow, professor at the College of Law.<\/p>\n
While Egly worked tirelessly to found the law school, it was a school integration case in the late 1970s, Crawford v. Board of Education, that brought him national attention.<\/p>\n
The California Supreme Court ruled that the Los Angeles Unified School District must act to desegregate public schools.<\/p>\n
Other judges were afraid to take on the case, but Egly, then a Los Angeles County Judge, stepped forward to ensure the higher court\u2019s ruling was carried out locally.<\/p>\n
Some parents, particularly those in white communities, objected to having their children bused into schools within communities of color to achieve integration, raising the challenge for Egly, Doskow said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had threats on his life,\u201d Doskow said.<\/p>\n
As tense and difficult as the situation was, Egly moved ahead, committed to trying to bring educational equity to Los Angeles schools and to give African-American and Latino students access to educational opportunities that were not available in their neighborhoods.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was devoted to equality and to democratic principles,\u201d Doskow said<\/p>\n
In addition to his work as a judge, Egly was a past president of the Pomona Valley Bar Association and was named Judge of the Year twice by the California Trial Lawyers Association, now known as the Consumer Attorneys of California.<\/p>\n