Allen Minker

Allen Minker, 63, judge, writer, world traveler and philosopher died of lung cancer Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008, at his Los Osos home.

Allen was born in Reading, Pa., in September 1945, the middle of three sons born to Dorothy and William Minker. The family moved to Las Vegas, Nev., when Allen was eight. As a college freshman Allen thought of becoming a doctor, but the closest he came to that profession was later marrying Susan, a radiologist.

He graduated from Stanford University, served in the armed forces during the Vietnam Era, and briefly studied journalism before getting his law degree from the University of San Diego in 1973. He moved to Arizona, where he earned the highest score on the 1974 State Bar exam. As a lawyer he handled both civil and criminal litigation and told wonderful stories about some of his more unusual trials. For example, in his first case the burglary victim identified Allen as the perpetrator!

He worked as a public defender in Tucson, Ariz., for several years arguing in the federal court of appeals in San Francisco on behalf of 32 Arizona death row inmates.

In 1985 Allen was appointed superior court judge for Greenlee County by then-Governor Bruce Babbitt. This remote small copper-mining community in eastern Arizona was undergoing a painful miners' strike. The mine owners had hired replacement workers and the governor had to call in the National Guard to prevent bloodshed. Allen's orders were to keep the court neutral, which he did. During his election campaign the following year, both the union president and mine manager endorsed him over his challenger.

In addition to his duties as superior court judge, Allen served on the state Supreme Court and courts of appeals and wrote several published opinions. Among his other assignments, he presided over the Little Colorado River Adjudication, one of the landmark water use cases in the American Southwest, which lasted over a decade. He also served as tribal judge from time to time for the White Mountain Apache Tribe, whose council had requested his assistance.

While serving on the bench in Arizona, Allen continued to pursue his lifelong interest in state and national history. He provided leadership for the Greenlee County Historical Society, spearheading its successful campaign in 1997 to preserve and restore the historic county courthouse (c. 1911) in Clifton. He also served as a consultant for textbooks and other publications on California and Native American history.

Allen married Susan (Bloch) Wishnok in 1988, and became step-stepfather to Susan's two grown stepdaughters.

The Minkers moved to San Luis Obispo County in 1998, a move they repeatedly congratulated themselves for having made. Allen threw himself into life on the Central Coast and became active as a volunteer attorney at California Rural Legal Assistance, improving his Spanish by attending language school in Guatemala. He also served on the CRLA state board of trustees as the San Luis Obispo Bar Representative.

In 2005, the California Bar appointed him to serve on a commission that investigated and evaluated judicial candidates for the governor. In 2005, in recognition of his many contributions, the SLO County Bar Association named him the 16th recipient of the John L. Seitz Award for "outstanding service and work in poverty law."

Allen served two years as the chairman of the Los Osos Community Advisory Council. He also volunteered for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo and Creative Mediation. His many charitable contributions included sponsorship of the 2007-08 season of the San Luis Obispo County Youth Symphony and establishment of endowments at Cal Poly and at the Community Foundation.

In addition to his legal, judicial, and charitable work, Allen was a writer of considerable skill, penning novels, short stories, and stage plays. Among the latter was "Malpractice," a play which received a public reading at the Interact Theater at Cuesta College.

Allen traveled widely throughout the world, including some far outposts in places like Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Tibet, and Melanesia. His exploration of the world of the spirit was equally as vigorous, manifested most recently in a practice of meditation and membership in the White Heron Sangha in San Luis Obispo. It was there, in November 2006, he delivered a memorable talk on "Facing Illness and Death" (available online at www.whiteheronsangha.org/Feb07/AllenMinker.htm).

"Insight gained in meditation seems physical and self-affirming," he observed. "As my attempts at meditation have borne fruit, I continue to want to see what lies ahead."

Allen was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2005 (his younger brother, Chuck, died of the same disease in 1992). Despite all the treatments he endured, he was a positive force to the end, writing a blog about his illness (http://allenminker.livejournal.com/) which uplifted and inspired his family and friends.

His wife, Susan, guided and diligently cared for him over his three years confronting the disease. He received superb care from his oncologists, now-retired Gary Harkins, Tom Spillane, and Robert Dichmann. and from his hospice nurse, Miriam. He wanted to thank all of the kind and caring doctors, nurses, technicians, and support staff who helped him during this time.

In addition to his wife, Susan, Allen is survived by his mother, Dorothy, of Las Vegas; brother, Jeffrey, of Tucson; and stepdaughters Lisa Wishnok of Costa Rica and Nina Wishnok of Boston.

Allen was a man of strong character and deep wisdom. His mind was that of a philosopher - eagerly open to new ideas, cautiously critical of easy answers, and ever mindful of the need for careful reflection and review. His sense of humor was finely tuned and easily present. He was warm hearted and consistently loyal to those he loved; he maintained friendships that endured. Above all, he was a man of abiding compassion with a profound love of life.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008, at the South Bay Community Center, 2180 Palisades in Los Osos.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his honor to Hospice Partners of the Central Coast, Hospice of San Luis Obispo County, or the Lung Cancer Alliance (http:/www.lungcanceralliance.org/).

Coast Family Cremation

546-0984

San Luis Obispo