Tarlton’s longtime colleague and evening circulation supervisor passed away on January 22. He had worked at the library since June 1982. A generation of law students (and faculty and staff) loved and respected John, the self-described evening ambassador of the library.
Tom, dearly loved husband, father and friend, went to his heavenly home on March 27. He was a devoted father to his sons, James Robert and Ryan Thomas, by his first wife; and David Christopher and Justin Daniel Joyce, the sons of his beloved wife LeAnn. Tom was the cataloging assistant at Tarlton from January 1975 - May 1977 while he completed his JD at UT Law. At the time of his death, he was a professor of law at Wake Forest University, where he also previously served as director of the law library. Tom was a lawyer librarian with a passion for teaching. He also served as the executive director of Scribes and was a wonderful colleague.
Don Dunn, a friend of the library and Professor Mersky’s longtime co-author, passed away on January 2. Don worked at Tarlton as a work study student and after receiving his MLS from the University of Texas in June 1972, Don was promoted to supervising librarian of our Criminal Justice Reference Library, a position he held until 1973. He remained a close friend of Tarlton and went on to a wonderful career as a scholar, law school administrator and influential librarian. When Don died, he was the Dean at the University of LaVerne College of Law in California. He is survived by his beloved family, wife Cheryl Dunn, son Kevin, daughter-in-law Wendy, and two grandchildren, Camden and Tobin, as well as a host of friends and admirers.
The beloved Eddie L. Sanchez age 78, a lifelong resident of Austin, passed away peacefully on January 22, 2008. He is survived by his wife and Tarlton alumna Manuela Sanchez. Born March 20, 1929, Eddie served in the U.S. Army for 31 years and was ex-commander of the catholic war Veterans post 1805.
Under Professor Mersky’s more than forty years of stewardship, Tarlton’s collections and services expanded, and the Library became recognized as one of the most distinguished law libraries in the nation.
Online tributes to Professor Mersky include the Tarlton memorial announcement of his passing and the UT Law memorial page, with reflections of his colleagues and friends and a photo gallery.