“We are devastated to announce we lost one of the 'Giants' yesterday. San Joaquin College of Law Founder and Chevalier John Loomis was 96. His integrity, generosity of spirit, service, gentleness, and extreme humility will never be extinguished or forgotten. He left everyone and everything just a little bit better than he found it. In many ways, he was the heart of SJCL. And he’s taken a piece of ours as he leaves."
SJCL Dean Jan Pearson's post on Facebook the day after his death on May 27th brought immediate response and grief.
Another SJCL Founder, the Hon. Oliver Wanger says “John was totally committed to the concept of creating a law school and served it loyally from 1969 to his death. I never saw John raise his voice or get angry. That helped SJCL students to see how to be an excellent attorney. Everyone benefited from that.”
Similar statements came from both from those who worked with him and alumni who benefited from his gifts:
Hon. Houry Sanderson (Law '87): “He was such a pillar for our community and especially for SJCL! A sad day indeed. May he rest in peace!”
Joan Lassley (Former SJCL staff): “So very sad to hear this news. He indeed was a gentle giant. It was my honor to work on the many events to celebrate his legacy. He will be missed by so many but now joins his sweet wife.”
Mark King (Law '05): “I met Mr. Loomis, but never got to know him. I know well that those who DID know him loved him and respected him greatly.”
Hon. Efren Iglesia (Law '76): “I am saddened to hear of his passing: a stalwart of SJCL. He was not only an excellent teacher of the law but a decent human being. A tremendous loss to SJCL and to the legal community.”Sabrina Johnson Prindiville (Law '14): “This is heartbreaking.”
Michael Dias (Law '93): “An amazing man, he will be missed.”
Jeannie Lewis (Former SJCL staff): “So sorry to hear this. What a wonderful legacy he left, though, and touched so many hearts and minds.”
Daniel Martin (Law '‘'16): “The way you speak of him, I wish I could have known him. I’m honored to be a part of his legacy.”
Courtney Caron Peters (Law '07): “Thank you to a very special person who certainly impacted my life in ways he never knew.”
Bobbie Lee (Former Executive Director Fresno County Bar Association)” “I am so sorry to hear this. He was a pillar of our community and will be missed dearly.”
(L-R): Dean Jan Pearson, John Loomis, and his wife, Sue, headline the front row at the 2011 Lifetime Giving Society Reception.
Sally Perring (Former SJCL Academic Dean): “What a loss for SJCL. He was a gentle man.”
Jim Miller (Law '07): “I did not know him, but I know because of him I attended law school.”
Kathy McKenna (Law '99): “I’m so sorry to learn of John Loomis’ passing. All of us who are SJCL alum owe him a debt of gratitude.”
Phil Cline (Law '78): “Sad news. He had greatness in him. . . and a consistent kindness.”
Dede Agrava (Law '07)” “A major loss to our SJCL family and the community at large.”
Kathy Hart (Law '77): “He was a wonderful teacher. He taught with wit, wry irony, and a sparkle. I’ll never forget my Fall 1973 contracts class where I was introduced to Whiteacre, Blackacre, and widgets. He was the best!”
John Elmer Loomis was born on April 25, 1924 in Mauston, Wisconsin. He writes in his memoir that he was introduced to politics at the age of four. “Dad took me down to the depot to see Herbert Hoover who was making a whistle stop in his presidential bid that fall. It was evening. Dad hoisted me up on his shoulders so I could see over the heads of the crowd in front of us. I wondered why everyone was so excited. He looked like most any other man.” John’s dad was eventually elected Governor of Wisconsin but died before he could take office in 1943.
There was a certain level of politics involved in the creation of San Joaquin College of Law. As Mr. Loomis recounts in his memoirs, it began when a friend reached out to him.
“In the spring of 1969 I received a telephone call from my friend and colleague, Judge Dan Eymann, who said that he had been giving a review program for people who were about to take the State Bar Exam and he found they were miserably unprepared. He remarked that our community was badly in need of a quality law school and that he wanted me to help him to create one. My response was that I was too busy to get involved. He said he was having a gathering for dinner at his house with about a dozen people to discuss the idea with John Gorfinkle, the consultant from the State Bar. I, being aware of his wife, Barbara’s talent in the kitchen, agreed to come and listen. The upshot of it all was that after a delicious meal, Oliver Wanger, a new young lawyer and I were the only ones interested in joining with Dan to create a law school. Wow! To what had I committed myself?
Mr. Loomis is named a Chevalier for his World War II service in France.
“Now it was down to the nitty gritty of making it work. We decided that starting with Dan, we’d each contribute $200.00 to provide working capital. Dan made his contribution, but no more was needed as applications (with application fees) rolled in. Where to hold classes? We arranged a ten-year lease with Pacific College for classrooms. Faculty and pay? We agreed we would each teach a major class the first year, without recompense, if sufficient income did not come in. We applied for a state license and had to demonstrate we had $50,000.00 in assets. What assets? Not just money in the bank, if it was offset by an obligation of a similar amount. How about our lease? We convinced the State Inheritance Appraiser, that it had a value of at least $50,000. So, early autumn we filed articles of incorporation, and set September 1970 for the initial class. Dan was Dean and I was Assistant Dean. Ollie managed the necessary legal steps.
“We enrolled some 100 students in the first year ... We had good results on the first Baby Bar and were nicely on course. In the second or third year Dan developed health problems and I found myself to be de facto Dean and with Dan’s death a couple years later, officially, the Dean.
“During the first ten years I was deeply engaged not only in administration but also in teaching. I taught Contracts, took care of some half dozen Commencement ceremonies, and, with Sue’s (his wife) help, held faculty and trustee gatherings. With a busy practice also calling for my time, I was putting in 60 to 80 hours a week in these activities. I loved it. I was carrying too big a load, and in 1980, it finally caught up with me with a very painful and debilitating bad back. I dropped teaching and came to the conclusion that the position of Dean required more time than I was able to give, and, after some experimentation, we hired a full time Dean. I continued to serve on the Board of Trustees until 2015.”
In 2011, a plaque was unveiled in the Great Hall at SJCL, honoring Mr. Loomis for his service on the Board of Trustees. He would serve for another five.
Aside from serving as Dean and Professor for more than a decade, along with 45 years on the Board of Trustees, Mr. Loomis was always available to lend a hand, lend advice, and was a major donor to the Law School.
His humility is legendary. His service in France during World War II led to his becoming a Chevalier, the French equivalent of knighthood.
He writes “In 2010 I received a letter from the French Ambassador congratulating me on my being named a Chevalier in the French Legion of Honor. My first reaction was skepticism, but (it) was true.”
At an ensuing ceremony in the Veterans Memorial Hall in Clovis, the French Counsel came from San Francisco to present the medal in honor of his services in the liberation of France. He was a Private First Class mortar gunner with the 379th Infantry Regiment, 95th Infantry Division. Of the approximately 150 men from his company who were directed to attack enemy defenses flanked by enemy-occupied Fort Jean d’Arc and Fort de Guise, less than 30 arrived, including Mr. Loomis.
The Honorable Gary Austin was at the ceremony and was surprised to learn of John’s heroic past because, despite the many years that they had known each other, Mr. Loomis never mentioned it. Austin believes “It shows how humble he is, and what a great man he is.”
Mr. Loomis was shipped back to England after suffering from trench foot on the front lines in France. He was greatly relieved when it only cost him the tip of a toe, instead of both feet.
Following V.J. Day, Mr. Loomis enrolled at Stanford University, where he soon met Sue, the love of his life. They were married three days after Mr. Loomis earned his bachelor’s degree. They returned to the Bay Area where he completed his J.D., but then moved back to Fresno in 1950 where he landed a job as a Deputy D.A., in his words, “at the magnificent salary of $360 per month.” Sue preceded him in death, but not before they enjoyed many wonderous trips and a Golden Anniversary celebration.
His daughter, Laurie, writes of her father “Middle child of three: Older Brother, Robert Morgan Loomis. Younger Sister, Laura Jean Loomis Ormson. Loving father to John and Laurie (Dunn), husband to Sue Isaacson Loomis, uncle, grandfather to Cadence, Andrew, and Duke, friend to many, many others. He gave to us all a deep sense of justice and peace, honesty and an ever-present grin.”
“We will carry you in our hearts always, Dad.”
She is not alone.
Mr. Loomis' family requests, in lieu of flowers, that any gifts of remembrance be donated to San Joaquin College of Law, in his memory.