Gil Kujovich

With great sadness we announce the death of Gil Kujovich, Professor Emeritus of Vermont Law School. Professor Kujovich, 71, passed away after a long illness in the company of his loving wife, Joni Chenoweth, and family on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017, in Boston, Mass.
Professor Kujovich joined the Vermont Law School faculty in 1981 and made many lasting contributions to VLS during nearly 35 years of service before retiring in 2014. Deeply respected by former students, faculty, and staff members, Professor Kujovich was as admired for his warmth, generosity of spirit, and sense of humor as he was for his intellect, academic scholarship, and leadership on affirmative action and equality in education.
Professor Kujovich was born in 1946 in Chicago, Ill. A U.S. Army veteran, he graduated cum laude from Middlebury College and magna cum laude from Harvard Law School. He worked in the U. S. Court of Appeals in the Ninth Circuit for Judge Shirley Hufstedler and went on to clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justices Potter Stewart and Byron White. He also worked as special assistant to the general counsel in the U.S. Department of Defense, chief counsel to the White House Intelligence Oversight Board, and assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Education.
At VLS, he drew on his professional experience to teach Constitutional Law, Civil Rights Law, Administrative Law, Federal Courts, Race and the Law, and Civil Rights Seminar. He also served as vice dean for academic affairs and as the school's first associate dean for student affairs and diversity.
He published numerous articles on affirmative action, desegregation, and diversity, and his work in these areas contributed to bringing long-overdue diversity to legal education and the legal profession. He was also a leading advocate for civil unions, or same-sex marriage. He explained to our nation-through his informed, objective, and otherwise compelling testimony to the Vermont legislature, the first in the nation to allow civil unions-the constitutional requirements for legally recognizing these unions.
Professor Kujovich is survived by his beloved wife of 21 years, Joni Chenoweth, of Indianapolis, Ind.; loving family, including his sister, Jody Kujovich, and brother-in-law, Ken Strothkamp, of Portland, Ore.; his brother, Larry Kujovich, and sister-in-law, Susie Kujovich, of Chicago, Ill.; his brother, Ray Kujovich, and sister-in-law, Rose Kujovich; his sister, Elaine Haller, and her daughter, Heather; his brother-in-law, Michael Chenoweth, and sister-in-law, Pamela Pierce, of Coral Gables, Fla.; his sister-in-law, Maria Sinkford, and brother-in-law, Bill Sinkford, of Portland, Ore.; his sister-in-law, Sara Chenoweth, of Greensboro, N.C.; his brother-in-law, John Chenoweth, and sister-in-law, Claudia Chenoweth, of Portland, Ore.; his cousin, Donna Djujic, of Torrance, Calif.; beloved nieces and nephews; and many dear friends.
A memorial service for Professor Kujovich will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27, at Vermont Law School. His family asks that any gifts in Professor Kujovich's memory be sent to the World Wildlife Fund, 1250 24th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., 20037. Cards of condolence may be sent to Joni Chenoweth, P.O. Box 418, East Barre, VT, 05649.