 Susan B. Anderson |
 Thomas E. Campagne |
“But for San Joaquin College of Law, we wouldn’t have had an opportunity to go to Law School.” “I wouldn’t have gone to Law School if there hadn’t been a local Law School.” “A lot of us wouldn’t be here…”
The first two quotes came from the speeches of this year’s Inductees to the San Joaquin College of Law Hall of Fame, Thomas Campagne and Susan B. Anderson. The third comes from the Master of Ceremonies, Hall of Fame Member Warren Paboojian.
And so it was on a beautiful October night at the Robert E. Coyle United States Courthouse, SJCL celebrated the contributions of the latest Hall of Fame members, but the honors also reflected back on their Alma Mater. Even the Hon. Don Penner, another member of the SJCL Hall of Fame who freely admits he’s not a “rah-rah guy,” says he started thinking about all the people associated with SJCL and came to the conclusion it makes him “pretty damn proud.”
Along with Hall of Fame members Warren Paboojian and the Hon. Don Penner, other Hall of Fame members in attendance included the Hon. Gary S. Austin, Kathy Hart, and the Hon. Alan Simpson. Other members of the bench in attendance included the Hon. Anthony Ishii, the Hon. Sheila Oberto, and the Hon. Elizabeth Parker (retired).
Previous Hall of Fame winners not in attendance include the Hon. Nancy A. Cisneros, Tulare County District Attorney Phil Cline, Fresno County District Attorney Elizabeth Egan, Theodore Forrest Jr., Ima Jean Harvey, Ernest S. Kinney, and Michael G. Marderosian.
Dean Jan Pearson noted how hard it is each year to pick the inductees, adding there are “so many who could be honored,” not only due to their mastering of their craft and extensive community service, but because they became “the people we wanted to be when we came to Law School.” All were chosen based on their high standards of ethics, professional competency, and achievements.
Susan B. Anderson
Ms. Anderson has a long history of being of service to her community in various capacities. She was the Marketing Director for the Central Valley YMCA for more than a decade, continually growing its membership. Upon her graduation from SJCL in 1987, Ms. Anderson worked in private practice and as a Deputy District Attorney in the Fresno Juvenile Court. In 1990, she was elected as the Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters, becoming the first woman in Fresno County history to be elected to a County wide position. In 2000, Ms. Anderson was elected to the County Board of Supervisors, where she was known for her level-headed and ethical work for all of the people of Fresno County.
Ms. Anderson has served on numerous community non-profit Boards of Directors including Boy Scouts of America, Big Brothers & Big Sisters, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and the YMCA. She is a member of the Rotary Club of Fresno, National Women’s Political Caucus, and League of Women Voters. She led the effort to develop Focus Forward, a non-profit organization providing mentoring, tutoring and enrichment classes to children in the County system. Her commitment to improving the lives of children in Fresno County is best demonstrated by her work with the First 5 Commission, spearheading the construction of a new state-of-the-art juvenile hall in Fresno County and working to improve the foster-care system.
Thomas E. Campagne
A member of the SJCL Class of 1975, Mr. Campagne began his legal career as a Law Clerk to the Hon. M.D. Crocker, Presiding Federal Judge, U.S. District, Eastern District of California. In 1976, he joined Littler, Mendelson, Fastiff & Tichy in San Francisco as an Associate Attorney specializing in labor law. In 1978 he opened his own law practice in Fresno, which expanded in 2004 to become Campagne, Campagne & Lerner, PC.
During Mr. Campagne’s legal career he has 300 trials in either administrative or civil court, over 82 reported/published “litigation decisions” before various agencies and before various California Appellate and Federal Appellate Courts and conducted marketing order litigation before the USDA and Federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He had oral argument before the U.S. Supreme Court in a case over whether advertising assessments implicated the First Amendment and Administrative Procedures Act.
Mr. Campagne continues to give back to San Joaquin College of Law (SJCL), serving as a George A. Hopper Moot Court judge, teaching Contract Drafting as an adjunct faculty member, and hiring numerous alumni work in his firm.