WILLIAM PINCUS

PINCUS--William, Passed away May 15, 2014 at age 94 and in the 74th year of his marriage to Elsa. William was the loving husband of Elsa, devoted father of Susan Rachel and Jillian Pincus and the late Lanni Tama, loving grandfather of Jordan Tama, and adoring great-grandfather of Amos and Jesse Tama and their mother Julia Tama, dedicated brother of the late Beatrice Levine, and admired uncle to his nieces and nephews. As a dedicated family man in good and bad times, he never missed a family rite of passage. He always "took care of everything" whenever needed. William had a big presence in life matched only by his love of life. He enjoyed traveling the world, investigating new cultures, and collecting art and cultural objects. Before any travel, he would read about the culture and area to be visited, often serving as his own travel guide. Fine food and wine were something to be savored. He loved theater, art, dancing, swimming (especially in the ocean), and knowledge in general. These loves were passed on to his appreciative family. William had the wonderful experience of seeing the natural beauty of the United States in the early 1950s as part of his work in the National Park Service; he wanted to share this experience with his family. Especially remembered are the two resulting cross-USA driving trips in 1953 and 1959 with his wife and three daughters to visit the National Parks -- quite a challenge back then. William was born on April 29, 1920 in Philadelphia and received a B.A. in Government from Brooklyn College (1940), an M.A. in Public Administration from American University (1948), and a J.D. from George Washington University (1953). William worked for the Federal Government from 1941 to 1957. His appointments there included advisory and managerial positions in the War Department (Lend Lease Depot), Bureau of the Budget, Bureau of Land Management, First and Second Hoover Commissions, and the U.S. Congress. Some of his government work resulted in major reorganization of government agencies. From 1957 to 1968, William worked in the government and law division of the Ford Foundation, responsible for making grants for new directions in legal education and for research to improve the administration of justice. His most lasting work as President of the Council on Legal Education for Professional Responsibility (CLEPR) started in 1968, CLEPR was responsible for reforms in the system of legal education by starting the clinical movement in law school curriculums and providing law students with real-life professional responsibilities and exposure to the people-oriented aspect of the legal profession. Creative and pioneering CLEPR projects resulted in clinical programs existing in almost every U.S. law school and internationally. In his lifetime, William worked tirelessly to establish clinical legal education as an Important part of legal studies and as an especially effective means for teaching professional responsibility. Administration of clinical justice and the attainment of the ideal of equal justice under the law were of paramount importance to him. William's dedication to Justice and clinical education were recognized by many legal organizations. He was the recipient of the President's Medal from The Catholic University of America for his pioneering work in clinical legal education and he received an honorary doctorate of laws from Georgetown in Washington, DC. The Association of American Law Schools (AALS) clinical section yearly bestows The William Pincus Award in his honor to one or more Individuals or institutions that have effected outstanding contributions to the cause of clinical legal education. William is missed by his loving family. Services: Sunday, May 18, 2014 at 1pm at Riverside Nassau North Chapels, 55 North Station Plaza, (opposite LIRR), Great Neck, NY.