AN ONLINE BROADCAST MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2020

ALBANY COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION’S

Annual Memorial Service

The 2020 Memorial Service Booklet was made possible by the generosity of

the Members of the Albany County Bar Association Board of Directors.

ProgramBartley J. Costello III, Esq

Memorial Service Committee Chair

Honorable Justin O. Corcoran JSC, Presiding Justice

Michael P. McDermott, Esq. Albany County Bar Association President

F. Matthew Jackson, Esq. March 23, 2019

Eulogized by Michael P. McDermott, Esq.

Ruth Ellen Leistensnider, Esq. December 23, 2019

Eulogized by Richard Cogen, Esq.

John Hanna, Jr., Esq. December 25, 2019

Eulogized by Michael Whiteman, Esq.

Edward J. Grogan, III, Esq. Past President of ACBA | 1971

February 5, 2020 Eulogized by Edward P. Grogan, Esq.

John B. Kinum, Esq. Past President of ACBA | 2005

May 10, 2020 Eulogized by Michael Kinum, Esq.

Thomas J. Forrest, Esq. June 4, 2020

Eulogized by James Napoli, Esq.

Geoffrey T. Hoderath, Esq. June 8, 2020

Eulogized by Amy Zamenick, Esq.

Rex Shiels Ruthman, Esq. August 12, 2020

Eulogized by Morgan S. Ruthman, Esq.

John R. Dunne, Esq. November 1, 2020

Eulogized by Hon. Howard A. Levine

In Memoriam

F. MATTHEW JACKSON, ESQ. March 23, 2019

Matthew Jackson was born in Syracuse, N.Y. on October 16, 1969 to Frederic and Suzanne (VanSwall) Jackson. He graduated from Nottingham High School in 1987, the University of Rochester in 1991 and the Syracuse University College of Law in 1995. Matthew Jackson was a Partner with the law firm O’Connell & Aronowitz, where he practiced Commercial Litigation, Creditors’ Rights and Bankruptcy, Corporate and Business law and Real Estate Law. He was president of the Upstate New York Chapter of the Turnaround Management Association, served a six-year term on the Board of the Colonie Youth Center, Inc., including a two-year term as president. He also served as director, treasurer and

vice president of the Capital Region Bankruptcy Bar Association, and director and president of Creditors Association of Upstate New York.

Matthew enjoyed playing lacrosse, was inducted as a member of the University of Rochester Sports Hall of Fame in 2012 for his achievements as a lacrosse player and coached youth lacrosse. An avid golfer, he was a “go-to” golfer anytime a foursome was needed. He was also member of the Shaker Ridge Country Club, a devoted fan of Syracuse University football and basketball, and the Dave Matthews band. Matthew was passionate about his family, about his work, about his community and about his life. His smile, charm, humor and enthusiasm were contagious.

RUTH ELLEN LEISTENSNIDER, ESQ. December 23, 2019

Ruth Ellen Leistensnider was a founding member of Nixon Peabody’s Albany office. She was a valued member of Nixon Peabody’s energy and environment practice for many years, starting as a summer associate in our Rochester office. She later became a first-year associate and, eventually, a firm partner. Her areas of focus included permitting and regulation of complex infrastructure facilities, such as fossil fuel and renewable power plants, landfills, and electric and gas transmission lines. She was also the “go to” lawyer for State Environmental Quality Review Act issues. For more than a decade, she played a key management role as steward of the energy and environment

practice’s budget (a.k.a. the “budget czarina”).

She was also one of the firm’s most knowledgeable practitioners on administrative and court challenges to governmental and agency decision-making. Ruth demonstrated an insatiable appetite for information relevant to her practice and had a unique ability to put that knowledge to work for her clients and the firm. Ruth’s colleagues always regarded her as a critical resource—able to cite any fact from the record when needed to support a legal argument. Her notable appellate victories include the successful defense of a state power plant siting certification for a large generating facility, and a recent decision requiring the issuance of a major air quality permit for a power plant.

Ruth had a collegial, generous personality to match her exceptional legal skills. She was a key part of the Albany team, always contributing to office celebrations and sharing her delicious baked goods with her colleagues.

JOHN HANNA, JR., ESQ. December 25, 2019

John Hanna co-founded Whiteman Osterman & Hanna in 1975 with Michael Whiteman, Melvin Osterman, and Joel Hodes. The Firm has grown to be the largest Albany law firm with 78 attorneys. Mr. Hanna focused his practice on environmental and commercial law.

John inspired everyone, the more seasoned lawyers as well as the younger attorneys, to strive for and maintain the highest standards that one could achieve in the quality of our legal work and in our ethics and professionalism. He successfully tutored countless lawyers in the law and lore of environmental conservation.

After graduating from Harvard Law School, John joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York, serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney under Robert Morgenthau. He then moved to Boston, where he joined Ropes & Gray as an associate practicing labor law. The Rockefeller administration then brought him to Albany to be counsel to the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations. He was then appointed counsel to the Department of Environmental Conservation and was later named Deputy Commissioner. John was very active with the New York State Bar Association, where he held numerous positions in the International and Environmental Sections. He also taught international environmental law in the LLM program at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago. He was a former Chair of the New York State Archives Partnership Trust, and a former Trustee of the Olana Partnership.

EDWARD J. GROGAN, III , ESQ. PAST PRESIDENT OF ACBA February 5, 2020

Edward J. Grogan, III, was born in Albany on April 5, 1930 and was the son of the late Edward J. Grogan Jr., and Margaret Ray Grogan. He was a graduate of CBA in Albany, attended Siena College and Albany Law School. He retired from the private practice of law after more than 60 years. He was an active member of the Republican party, having served as the former Chairman of the Clifton Park Republican Committee. He was a former member of the Albany County Legislature representing Bethlehem and also was a 1962 candidate for the NYS Senate. Ed

and his family enjoyed summering in their home at Taconic Lake.

He was active in the CBA Alumni Association and was a past president of the Albany County Bar Association. Ed was a long time member of the Albany and Saratoga County Bar Associations. He loved the horses at Saratoga, the Boston Red Sox and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Ed was an avid golfer who also enjoyed downhill and cross country skiing. He enjoyed the outdoors. He was a communicant of Corpus Christi Church in Ushers. Ed was a past president of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Saratoga.

JOHN B. KINUM, ESQ. PAST PRESIDENT OF ACBA May 10, 2020

John B. Kinum was born in Albany on January 15, 1933 to Alida and Frank Kinum. He was raised in Albany and attended Milne High School, graduating in 1951. He later attended Tufts University in Medford, Mass., graduating in 1955. John loved spending time with his family at their summer home in Cape Cod and later on his boat on Lake George. Favorite activities included going to the Craigville Beach with his children, fishing at his favorite spot off of the tip of Long Island on Lake George, skiing and playing golf. More than anything, John loved spending

time having fun with his grandchildren, attending their baseball and football games and music recitals and later taking them skiing and to play golf. He loved that while his grandchildren were in elementary school, they had breakfast with him and Rosemarie each morning before picking up the bus. John instilled his love for the Yankees into both of his grandchildren, much to the chagrin of Rosemarie, a lifelong Red Sox fan. John had a unique and diverse legal career. He was inducted into the United States Army in September of 1958 and, after graduating from the Judge Advocate General’s School in Charlottesville, Va., he served as a trial judge advocate in both the United States and in Germany. Rising to the rank of Captain, John finished his military career on the faculty at West Point as an instructor of military law, constitutional law and international law. Upon returning to Albany in the late 1960s, he and the late Walter B. Langley formed their own law firm, Langley and Kinum.

After Mr. Langley’s death in 1974, John joined McNamee, Lochner, Titus & Williams, P.C., where he remained for nearly four decades and served as the firm’s president. John was a former member of the New York State Bar Association, where he served as chairman of the Banking Law Committee, an officer of the Business Law Section, a member of the House of Delegates, and a member of the N.Y.S. Bar Foundation. He was both a director and president of the Albany County Bar Association, plus the treasurer of the Albany County Bar Foundation. He was also active in civic affairs, having served as a director of the Salvation Army, a member of the Realty Service Board of the Center for the Disabled, a director of the Albany Symphony Orchestra, and numerous other civic organizations. He was an active member of the Westminster Presbyterian Church for over 65 years, having served on the Church Board and as president of the Board of Trustees on several occasions.

THOMAS J. FORREST, ESQ. June 4, 2020

Thomas “Tom” Joseph Forrest was born in Albany. He was the son of John A. Forrest and Agnes Nolan who died when he was four years old. He graduated from The Cranwell School, Colgate University and Albany Law School. He served for three years in the United States Navy, with tours of duty in South East Asia and in Cuba during the 1962 Missile Crisis.

Tom was a partner in the law firm Rowley, Forrest, O’Donnell, and Beaumont located in Albany. After retirement, he worked with his son-in-law’s New York City firm, bringing diligence and success to several liability cases. One of Tom’s greatest passions was playing

and watching sports. He played hockey at Colgate University. He was one of the founding members of the Mohawk Lacrosse Club in Albany. He played both lacrosse and ice hockey on local teams well into his forties. He enjoyed hiking, scuba diving, downhill and cross skiing and, and most of all tennis and golf. Sadly, he was a luckless fisherman. Tom was president of the Albany YMCA in the 1980’s, believing that all kids and families would benefit from physical exercise. He also served on several local boards in the North Country as well as in Moss Creek, South Carolina. He will be remembered as a resolute, caring, loyal man with a subtle Irish sense of humor who is greatly loved by his family and many friends.

GEOFFREY T. HODERATH, ESQ. June 8, 2020

Geoffrey T. Hoderath was the son of the late Walter and Ann Hoderath. As a young boy he was a member of a private boy choir on Long Island. He attended SUNY Albany and Albany Law School. He worked as an attorney with the N.Y.S. Division of Housing & Community Renewal for 29 and a half years. He was a longtime member of both St. Peter’s Episcopal Church and its church choir, where he regularly performed as a soloist. He was a past president and life member of the Catskill 3500 Club and a member of the Adirondack Mountain Club. Geoffrey was a Freemason and member of several Lodges located in Albany, Saugerties, and New York City, in particular Wadsworth Lodge

#417 F & A.M., Rondout Lodge #343, F & A.M. and Independent Royal Arch #2, F & A.M. He was an honorary member of Ancient Temple Lodge #14 F & A.M. and in his Masonic career he served as a master mason, assistant grand lecturer, grand representative to the Lodge of Arizona, and district deputy grand master. He was also an active member on the Board of the University Club of Albany for six years.

REX SHIELS RUTHMAN, ESQ. August 12, 2020

Rex Shiels Ruthman was born on May 11, 1942, in Highland Park, Ill., and was raised in Spooner, Wis. and San Francisco before arriving in Delmar in 1958. A graduate of Bethlehem Central High School (1960), SUNY Albany (1964), and Albany Law School (1967), Rex’s legal career as a standout attorney spanned four decades at prominent Albany firms. These included Carter & Conboy (1967-1969), Tate & Tate (1969-1974), Tate, Tate, Bishko & Ruthman (1974-1984), and Ruthman, Feinberg & Dumas in (1984-1994), which he founded at 1707 Central Avenue with Edward Feinberg, Esq. and Charles Dumas, Esq.

Throughout the course of his successful legal career, Rex was civically engaged as a member of the Board of Directors of the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York (1969-1979), acted as village attorney for the Village of Colonie (1969-1979), and was affiliated with numerous professional associations. He was fiercely proud of his alma maters and served on his high school reunion committee, was a member of the University at Albany Foundation (1989), was chairman of the Dean’s Advisory Council (2005), and could be found judging myriad Albany Law School moot court competitions over the years. Following a successful career in construction and contract litigation, Rex transitioned into real estate finance, development, and property management with his steadfast business partner of over three decades, Edward Feinberg. Together, they financed and developed several multifamily projects throughout the Capital Region including Adams Station Apartments in Delmar, where Rex worked seamlessly alongside his beloved wife Elisabeth, who managed the community with passion and empathy for over two decades. With his unique vision, Rex understood that longer lifespans required creation of innovative “active-adult” middle-market communities for the “young old” to age in place with dignity and autonomy, culminating in development of The Spinney at Pond View in Castleton-on- Hudson and The Spinney at Van Dyke in Delmar.

Rex took enormous pride in his work, and even greater satisfaction knowing that The Spinney Group would remain a family enterprise stewarded by a second generation of leadership. A polymath and autodidact of Renaissance man proportions, Rex immersed himself in his interests with heartfelt passion and intensity, cherishing high and low-brow culture alike. A notorious night-owl, Rex had a voracious appetite for literature, classical music and film, and could always be found at local theaters catching the latest movie. He was a man of great sensibility whose deepest expressions endure in the many poems he wrote throughout his life. A devoted fan of the N.Y. Giants, he worshipped the ground walked upon by Bill Parcells and was a founding member of the Albany Giants Club, basking in the glory of their 1986 and 1990 Superbowl runs from the stands. Most importantly, he explored the world with his beloved wife, spending magical summers in Menton, France and intimate winters in Saint Augustine, Fla., where they shared their love of each other with family and friends. An anti-fashion icon, his trademarked socks and sandal look carried him on his epic walks along the sunny promenades of the French Riviera and will now carry him on his long walk into eternity.

JOHN R. DUNNE, ESQ. November 1, 2020

John R. Dunne was Senior Counsel at Whiteman Osterman and Hanna for more than 25 years serving as a colleague, a mentor and a friend – someone who added to the integrity and the culture of the Firm.

Throughout his legal and political career, John was the consummate professional, filled with both a love of the law and compassion for those who were most affected by its application. He brought the best out in all of us and humbly served as an inspiration for any woman or man lucky enough to find themself in his orbit.

Prior to joining Whitemand Osterman and Hanna, John had a long and distinguished career in a variety of federal, State, and local government positions. For 23 years, John was a member of the New York State Senate (1966 to 1989), where he served as Deputy Majority Leader (1987-1988), Chair of the Judiciary Committee, Chair of the Insurance Committee, and Chair of the Joint Legislative Committee on Crime and Corrections. During his tenure he was an advocate for the merit selection of judges and court restructuring, and he sponsored legislation that resulted in amending the State Constitution to create an appointive system for Court of Appeals judges and establish the Commission on Judicial Conduct. From 1990 until 1993, John was the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights under President George H. W. Bush, where he was in charge of the enforcement of all federal civil rights laws. As a private citizen, John served as Chair of the New York State Capital Defender Office, Chair of the Task Force on the Future of Probation; a member of the Commission on the Future of Indigent Defense Services; a director of Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York; and a director of the State Office of Indigent Legal Services. John was instrumental in addressing prisoner reform issues, particularly after his involvement in the Attica prison riots in 1971.

Throughout his long career, John received numerous awards, most notably, in 2006, he received the New York State Bar Association’s Gold Medal Award, the Association’s highest recognition for service to the Bar and the community. In 2010, he was awarded the Fund for Modern Courts’ Career Public Service Award and the U.S. Department of Justice created the John R. Dunne Award, recognizing professionals who have furthered the cause of civil rights through non-litigation activities.

A recording of today’s service will be available on the Albany County

Bar Association’s website:

albanycountybar.com

112 STATE STREET | SUITE 545ALBANY, NY 12207

P: (518) 445-7691 | F: (518) 445-7511acba@albanycountybar.com

albanycountybar.com

PRESIDENT MICHAEL P. MCDERMOTT

PRESIDENT-ELECT ELIZABETH J. GROGAN

VICE PRESIDENT MATHEW P. BARRY

TREASURER HON. RYAN T. DONOVAN

SECRETARY WILLIAM T. LITTLE, JR.

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT DANIEL J. HURTEAU

BOARD OF DIRECTORS KATHLEEN A. BARCLAY

LORRAINE R. SILVERMAN EILEEN M. STIGLMEIER

CAITLIN J. MONJEAU BENJAMIN S. CLARK

AMANDA KURYLUK BENJAMIN HILL

MISHKA A. WOODLEY JON CRAIN

JOHN F. HARWICK HON. KIMBERLY A. O’CONNOR

ALICIA OUELLETTE ex officio HON. EUGENE DEVINE ex officio

CHAIR OF ADMISSIONS RYAN E. MANLEY

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MARQUITA JO RHODES