John William FRANCIS

FRANCIS, John William January 27, 1926-April 7, 2011 John W. Francis, 85, attorney and renowned authority on nonprofit organizations, died on Thursday, April 7, 2011 at his home in San Dimas. John had a fascinating career that began in 1960 when he was hired to teach Business Law at Cal Poly Pomona. Shortly after arriving he was tapped by the President of the college to take on administration of the Foundation, an auxiliary organization that provided services that complemented the college. John was to spend the rest of his life learning everything possible about nonprofit auxiliaries as they related to educational institutions. He was encouraged by the President of Cal Poly Pomona to provide legal assistance to other colleges. John assisted in the creation of approximately half of the 90 plus 501(c)(3) auxiliary organizations in the Cal State University system, and often served as the legal counsel for the entity upon its creation. John was instrumental in achieving federal law that exempts college and university student employees from Social Security tax - a factor that saves both students and their employing institutions or auxiliaries millions of dollars each year. He was also actively involved in drafting IRS regulations that properly classify auxiliary organizations as supporting nonprofit entities.
John was grateful for the opportunities that came from his work at Cal Poly Pomona and San Luis Obispo. After retiring from Cal Poly Pomona in 1983, John continued to work full time. He gave lectures, wrote articles, helped write IRS regulations, and created more than two hundred 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporations during his career. Many were created for School Districts, Community College Districts, Colleges and Universities. John retired in August 2003 after suffering a severe stroke. John was born in Los Angeles on January 27, 1926 to Le Roy and Gertrude Louise (Kerber) Francis. He graduated from Manual Arts High School, served in the Air Force towards the end of WWII, and married his high school sweetheart, Jean Schneider, in September 1945 during basic training in Pratt, Kansas. John attended UCLA, graduated Phi Beta Kappa, and began teaching at Palms Junior High, then University High School. In 1958 he returned to UCLA to obtain his law degree. John and Jean separated in 1967, and eventually divorced. In 1969 John married Marjorie LaVars and took up residence in San Dimas. John was an avid reader and especially enjoyed histories. He loved music and had a record collection that included big band, swing, jazz, blues and country western. John and Marjorie enjoyed traveling all over the United States and visited China and many European countries. John returned to flying and owned three aircraft, each one bigger than the first. They flew extensively around Mexico and Central America. John especially enjoyed driving his Corvette to his office, always leaving early to miss the traffic. John is survived by his spouse, Marjorie, daughter Lynne (Clay) Singer of Cambria, son John (Janice) Francis of Maui, stepson Larry LaVars of Maui, and three grandchildren. John was predeceased by his son Robert. The family wishes to thank Dr. Roy of Kaiser, and caretakers JoJo and Cathy Godinez for the wonderful care they provided John in his last years. A memorial celebration is planned for June 19th at 1:30 p.m. at the small chapel at Forest Lawn, Covina Hills. Food, drink and stories will be shared after the service. For additional information please contact Lynne Singer at 805-927-2507.