May 2, 1996-Vol27n28: Distinguished law alumni to be honored at annual dinner

Distinguished law alumni to be honored at annual dinner

By SUE WUETCHER
News Services Staff

FIVE GRADUATES of the UB School of Law will receive Distinguished Alumni Awards at the Law Alumni Association's 34th annual meeting and awards dinner, to be held at 5:30 p.m. on May 15, in the Hyatt Regency Buffalo.
The awards, established by the associa-tion's board of directors in 1963, recognize the valuable contributions that law school alumni have made to their profession and community.
In addition, John B. Sheffer II, acting vice president for public service and urban affairs at UB, will receive an award "for his distinguished service to the community and effective advocacy for the UB law school."
Awards will be presented to:

Honorable Jacqueline M. Koshian '59, Supreme Court justice for the Eighth Judicial District, "for her conscientious and diligent performance in the judiciary." A former city court judge in Niagara Falls, Koshian was the first woman appointed as deputy corporation counsel in Niagara Falls in 1964 and the first woman appointed as New York State estate tax attorney for Niagara County by Gov. Hugh Carey in 1975. She has served on the board of directors of the Salvation Army, the United Givers' Fund, the YMCA and the Boys' Club of America. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center.

H. Kenneth Schroeder Jr. '61, a partner in the Buffalo law firm of Hodgson, Russ, Andrews, Woods & Goodyear, "for his leadership by example as a private practitioner." A senior trial attorney and chairman of the Litigation Department at Hodgson Russ, his practice includes general civil and criminal litigation, as well as appellate practice in state and federal courts. He also has served as U.S. attorney for the Western District of New York, a special assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia and a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice.

Honorable Kevin M. Dillon '76, Erie County district attorney, "for his commitment to public service." A lecturer in criminal procedure in the UB law school, Dillon was first appointed as Erie County district attorney in June 1988 and re-elected in November 1988 and 1992. He also has practiced as a sole practitioner and with the firms Dillon & Cataldi and Condon, LaTona, Pieri & Dillon. He served as a panelist for the Governor's Law Enforcement Forum that addressed major issues involving criminal justice and also as a member of the state Commission on Juvenile Justice.

Brian D. Baird '83, an attorney with Kavinoky & Cook, "for his many contributions to the betterment of our community." Baird is a member of the Development Committee and co-chair of the Annual Fund Drive Foundations Division of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, a trustee of the Nichols School, a director of the Greater Buffalo Opera Company, a trustee of The Cameron Baird Foundation and a director and treasurer of the Western New York Grantmakers Association. He also has served as a director, Executive Committee member and chair of the Endowment Campaign for the Philharmonic.

Gordon R. Gross '55, senior partner in the Buffalo law firm of Gross, Shuman, Brizdle & Gilfillan, "for his exemplary performance in business." A specialist in corporate, real estate and securities law, Gross was a founder, trustee and officer of Dominion Mortgage & Realty Trust, formerly of Buffalo. He has been involved in numerous community activities, and currently serves as vice chair and a member of the Governing Committee of the Buffalo Foundation, board member of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, president of the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies, a director of the Jewish Center of Greater Buffalo and chair and president of Kleinhans Music Hall Management, Inc.

John B. Sheffer II, former New York State senator, "for his distinguished service to the community and effective advocacy for UB law school." After his retirement in 1993 from the Senate, where he served as chair of the Higher Education Subcommittee on SUNY Access, Sheffer took a position as a senior fellow in the UB schools of Law and Architecture and Planning. He assumed the position of acting vice president for public service and urban affairs in January. He is co-director and co-author of the UB Governance Project on Erie County, a multidisciplinary study of the structure and functions of governance in Erie County.
Reservations for the dinner must be made by May 1. Checks should be made payable to the UB Law Alumni Association and mailed to 309 O'Brian Hall, Buffalo, N.Y. 14260. The cost is $35 per person for graduates of 1991 or later and $50 per person for non-alumni or graduates of 1990 or prior. The cost is $75 for dinner patrons. Firm and corporate reservations cost $500 for a table of 10 and $750 for a firm/corporate patron table of 10.
For further information, contact Ilene Fleischmann at 645-2107.