Bruce W. Sumner

1924 - 2018

July 1, 1924 - March 25, 2018 Bruce W. Sumner of Newport Beach, California, passed away peacefully on March 25, 2018. His loving wife Susan Sumner was with him, as always. Bruce engaged the world with his ever-present smile and laughing eyes, but made sense of it with his profound intellect. He leveraged that intellect and a deep compassion for all people to dedicate his life to seeking justice for others. Bruce's strength of character and integrity also made him a source of wise counsel for all who knew him. But it was Bruce's joy and laughter that made friends and family cherish him most. It was impossible not to smile when Bruce was around. A few of his many interests include politics, biking, swimming, and playing guitar. His intellectual curiosity, coupled with his compassionate nature made him an excellent judge, a patient teacher and a kind and loving friend and family member. Bruce was the second-born son to Harlan and Mildred (Stewart) Sumner in Bozeman, Montana. He was brought up in a time when an emphasis was placed on putting something back in the system from which they found themselves woven. Bruce has been quoted: "I do feel that people have given me a lot, and that I have an obligation to give something back. I've always felt that way. I really do believe in the concept of noblesse oblige." His tutoring in that doctrine began in Bozeman, where, as a ten-year old, he was involved in the re-election campaign of his great-uncle, a former Montana governor, for a state Supreme Court position. He did a large part of his growing up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he said many people seemed to feel that "everyone in society should be given the opportunity to go as far as they can. That is why I'm so strong in my feelings about equal opportunity for minorities, people with developmental disabilities and the disenfranchised." Summers were spent in Montana, with his maternal grandmother meeting the train with his fishing pole! Bruce attended Washburn High in Minneapolis ('42) where he excelled and was the captain of the swim team. He won meets throughout the state and found swimming to be a lifelong passion. He was accepted at the University of Minnesota and enlisted in the Marine Corps. As a recruit he worked his way through two years at the U of M, and then, as a member of the V-12 program, he was transferred by the Corps to Notre Dame for a one-year course of study. He returned to U of M, received his degree ('46) and went on to receive his L.L.B. from the University of Minnesota School of Law ('49). Bruce was an overseas Marine Corps veteran of both World War II and Korea. As an infantry platoon leader he saw service in Guam and China. He was recalled to service by the Marine Corps in 1950. In Korea he served as VMF-214 Black Sheep's Intelligence Officer on the USS Sicily. It was while on that carrier that he was informed he had been admitted to the Minnesota Bar. He was sworn in by the Captain, on the bridge of the Sicily, off the coast of Korea. He served with the First Marine Aircraft Wing and was at Wonsan and in Yonpo when the Chinese attacked. The USS Sicily continued attacks in support of the evacuation of the Marine Division from the Chosin Reservoir at Hagaru. He then went to Bofu, Japan, and later to K-1 (Korea). All the while, he provided Intelligence briefings for the Black Sheep Squadron. Returning from Korea he passed the California Bar and was assigned to legal work at El Toro Marine Base, and there served as Chief Prosecutor of General Courts-Martial. He rose to rank of Lt. Colonel and his valor earned him six Battle Stars, three Presidential Unit Citations and Letter of Commendation with a Combat "V". Bruce began private legal practice as a senior member of the law firm Sumner, Murray, Elliot and Aune in Santa Ana. Later he joined the firm of Kindel and Anderson; then O'Melveny and Meyers for a time after his many years on the bench. In 1956, at the age of 32, Bruce made his first try for election to public office, and was elected as Assemblyman to represent the 74th District in Orange County, CA. He won by better than a two to one margin in a district with a population of more than 225,000. Although this was the first office to which he was elected, he was no stranger to party politics, having served as the Chairman of the Young Republicans of Orange County and the National Committee for the Young Republicans of California. Prior to his election to the State Legislature he served as Deputy Public Defender for Orange County (1953-1956). He received the statewide recognition for his work by being elected Secretary-Treasurer of the Public Defender and Legal Aid Society of California. During his work in the Legislature he served as Chairman of the Assembly Judiciary Committee and carried the enabling legislation for UC Irvine, Cal State Fullerton University and Dana Point Harbor. He was Chairman of the California Constitution Revision Commission (1965-1973) that redrafted the entire State Constitution. In his days as a Republican Assemblyman from Newport Beach, Bruce co-authored fair housing legislation, standing up for the rights of minorities at a time when such a stance earned him no glory. Disenchanted by the rise of ideologues on the Republican right after his 1964 state primary loss to a little-known college professor, John Schmitz, Bruce drifted left and registered as a Democrat in 1971. He chaired the county's party chapter (1984-1986). In 1965 Bruce Sumner was appointed to the Orange County Superior Court by Governor Edmund G. "Pat" Brown. In 1968 he became presiding Judge of Orange County's Juvenile Court. He was bestowed the Franklin West Award by the Orange County Bar Association in 1971 and in 1972 became presiding judge over the Orange County Superior Court. He was presiding judge for the Probate Dept. from 1977 to 1979. He was named "California's Superior Court Judge of the Year" by the California Trial Lawyers Association ('72) and that same year was Chairman of the California Association of Presiding Judges. He also did a temporary assignment on the California Supreme Court to hear five cases in 1977. He was a former faculty member of the California Judges College and served on the Executive Committee of the Judicial Council of California. As Special Counsel to the Department of Defense, Bruce edited the Manual for Courts-Martial, which was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan. He attended the Naval War College, Rhode Island (1979), Naval Justice School, Rhode Island (1975) and Army Judge Advocate School, University of Virginia (1975). Bruce was sent as a representative for Amnesty International to Chile (1973) to gather information regarding torture of political detainees held by General Pinochet's military government security forces. Amnesty International also sent Bruce to Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1976 to observe the trial of Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Catholic Bishop Donal Lamont, who had pled guilty for allowing nuns to provide medical attention to rebels opposing Rhodesia's racial policies. Bruce retired from the Bench after 18 years of service. He was a Founding Director of Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services (JAMS). He settled a wide range of disputes from 1984 to 2000, including construction, business, employment, securities, professional liability and trust probate cases. He was a designated bankruptcy trustee and served as receiver in several large cases. Attorneys for both plaintiff and defense have described "Judge Sumner as fair and realistic." He served as Vice-Chairman of America's second largest political organization devoted to senior issues, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, headquartered in Washington, DC, in the early 1990s. In 1984 Bruce was named Chairman of the 1984 Olympics Swimming, Modern Pentathlon. He was inducted as a Fellow to the International Academy of Trial Judges in 1990. He also served as a Trustee of the Marine Corps University Foundation until the year 2000. He was elected Chairman of the Board of Advisors of Whittier Law School and served from 1997-2000 and was awarded an honorary degree from Whittier Law in May 2002. He also served on the Ethics Committee of Hoag Hospital. As a Master Swimmer, Bruce participated in the Senior Olympics and the World Senior Games and has medaled in swimming events, receiving Gold for the backstroke, I.M. In 2003 Bruce Sumner was recognized by the Supreme Court of California and the California State Bar for 50 years of service as a member of the State Bar of California. He is survived by his wife of nearly 30 years, Susan, his son Scott, daughter Ann (Bob) Mosier, stepchildren, Randy Wallen and Michelle (Patrick) Hart. He leaves behind granddaughters, Elyssa (Caleb) Freeman, Emma Duhrssen, and Lauren Sumner, grandsons, Jack & Noah Hart and two great-granddaughters. He is also survived by his niece Marjie (Joel) Fields and his nephew, Dr. John (Linda) Sumner. Private funeral services were held on March 30, 2018. Those wishing to honor Bruce's memory might consider a donation to Hoag Hospital Foundation, Newport Beach, CA, or the Newport Beach Library Foundation.