William J. Lockhart ’61
William J. Lockhart ’61, passed away on April 16, at age 90. Lockhart was born in Los Altos, Calif., and later moved to Minneapolis. His father was William B. Lockhart, who was dean of the Law School from 1958 to 1972. He graduated from the University of Minnesota before serving three years in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, with two of those years as supply officer on a destroyer in Asia. He earned his J.D. in 1961 from Minnesota Law, where he served as president and editor-in-chief of the Minnesota Law Review. Beginning his career in private practice, Lockhart subsequently joined the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law faculty in 1964, teaching administrative, constitutional, and environmental law.
Active with the ACLU and NAACP in the ’60s and ’70s, he focused on representing those experiencing racism and inequity. He served as acting U.S. Attorney for Utah in 1974-75 and later focused on protecting national parks and public lands, especially within Utah. He earned two Fulbright grants to study national park and wildlife refuge protection in India, where he and his family lived in the 2000s. He retired from Utah Law in 2011 but remained active, continuing to promote environmental legal reform in India.
Joy Mankoff
Joy Mankoff passed away on June 1, at age 89. She and her husband, the late Ronald M. Mankoff ’54, were donors to the University of Minnesota Law School that helped create the Ronald M. Mankoff Tax Clinic. She grew up in West Hartford, Connecticut, and met her future husband while on spring break in college. They married in 1959 and settled in Dallas, Texas, where they started a family and Ronald began his career as a tax attorney.
Joy Mankoff was very active in the Dallas community taking on many leadership roles in civic groups, including the Dallas affiliate of Planned Parenthood, the National Council of Jewish Women, the Women’s Issues Network, and the Dallas Women’s Foundation. She was active on numerous boards including the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dallas, the Dallas Symphony, the Mankoff Center for Jewish Learning at the JCC, and the Joy Schechtman Mankoff Center for Teaching & Learning at Connecticut College.
Hon. Robert A. “Jim” Randall ’67
The Honorable Robert A. “Jim” Randall ’67, retired judge of the Minnesota Court of Appeals, passed away on August 9, at age 83. Raised in Little Falls, Minnesota, he attended St. John’s Preparatory School and St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, eventually receiving his undergraduate degree from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, in 1962. While in college, he enlisted in the Marine Corps where he earned the rank of Second Lieutenant.
In 1967, he graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School and moved to Hibbing, Minnesota, with his family where he practiced criminal defense law in private practice and as a public defender for 17 years. During his time as a public defender, he connected with Native Americans across the Iron Range and defended them against the power of the state.
Judge Randall was appointed to the Minnesota Court of Appeals by Governor Rudy Perpich in 1984. He was one of the original 12 judges appointed to the court, and was one of four who joined the bench without any prior judicial experience. Judge Randall was re-elected to his seat in 1986, 1992, 1998, and 2004.
Hon. Robert G. Schiefelbein ’56
The Honorable Robert G. Schiefelbein ’56, retired District Court judge, passed away on August 15, at age 92. He was an Edina, Minnesota, native and was a graduate of St. Thomas Academy and the University of Minnesota. He received his J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1956. After law school, he served two years in the Army Center Intelligence Headquarters in Germany. He then practiced law for 22 years.
In 1982, Schiefelbein was appointed judge for Hennepin County District Court and served in the Fourth Judicial District for 15 years where he earned a reputation for his honesty, integrity, diligence, fairness, and intelligence. He led a successful career as an arbitrator and mediator for over 20 years after leaving the bench. He was highly regarded by the legal community and was chosen to mitigate a variety of legal matters and earned a “Best Lawyers in Minnesota” designation in 2013 in Alternative Dispute Resolution.
Michael P. Sullivan ’62
Michael P. Sullivan ’62, passed away on November 20, at age 89. He was a 1962 graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School and practiced law for 25 years at the Minneapolis- based firm Gray Plant Mooty. Sullivan served as Hennepin County Bar Association president from 1976 to 1980. During his time at the law firm, Sullivan did legal work in the franchise practice area, including with International Dairy Queen. He subsequently held the position of vice chairman of the Dairy Queen board of directors, and then went on to become CEO of Dairy Queen, a position he held from 1987 to 2001. During his tenure, the company was acquired and became a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway.
In the nonprofit sector, Sullivan was known for serving on the boards of the St. Paul Seminary, the Greater Minneapolis YMCA, and the Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis. He also belonged to the National Conference of Commissioners of Uniform State Laws and served on the board of the American Arbitration Association. In 2005, he joined the University of St. Thomas College of Business to head its Center for Family Enterprise as an Opus distinguished chair. He was an active Minnesota Law alumnus, attended many Law School events, and was a member of the Lockhart Club. A seminar classroom in Mondale Hall is named after him and his wife due to their level of engagement and generosity.
Hon. John J. (Jack) Todd ’50
The Honorable John J. (Jack) Todd ’50, retired Minnesota Supreme Court justice, passed away on September 18, at age 97. He was born in South St. Paul, Minnesota, and attended Cretin High School. He started college, but soon after joined the Navy where he served for nearly two years. He returned to Minnesota after World War II and enrolled at the College of St. Thomas where he planned to study medicine but opted for pre-law. After two years, he transferred to the University of Minnesota Law School, where he graduated in 1950, passing the bar two weeks after his graduation.
Todd practiced law in Minnesota for seven decades, notably as a partner in the firm of Thuet and Todd, his own private practice, and the firm Orme and Associates. He was a general practice attorney, covering criminal law, family, and personal injury cases. Early in his career, he also served as a part time municipal judge and on the Minnesota Tax Court. He practiced law alongside future governor Wendell Anderson, who in 1972 appointed Todd as an Associate Justice to the Minnesota Supreme Court, where he served 13 years.
There he was an early proponent of adopting technology such as computerized records. In addition to being a member of the American Trial Lawyers Association, he was past president of District One of the Minnesota State Bar Association.