When I was in Boy Scouts, at the end of every camping trip the scoutmaster would line us up, and we would walk across our site picking up any trash we might have left. He would continually instruct us to “leave camp better than you found it.” Only many years later did I realize that Mr. Pierangeli’s mantra also was a life lesson.
Since boyhood, I have belonged to many clubs, professional organizations, and charitable groups and served on countless committees and boards. Volunteering often depends on the time we have available when not raising our families and building careers. It’s not unusual to come in and out of service.
Along the way I have met several remarkable people who have made community and public service a lifetime commitment that often seems woven into the fabric of their lives. While other volunteers come and go, they are constants. Giving of themselves year after year, they are the glue that often hold our communities together.
Two such individuals are the Hon. Jon Wilcox and the Hon. Louis Butler, both former Wisconsin Supreme Court justices. They have quietly but effectively helped to lead and expand the Wisconsin Law Foundation, the State Bar of Wisconsin’s charitable arm.
In almost 30 years, Justice Wilcox has served on nearly every committee and in nearly every leadership position with the Foundation. He has been instrumental in guiding the Foundation’s growth and development. His particular passion has been promoting the Foundation’s work to connect young adults to the law through programs such as mock trial.
Join Us! Please join us at receptions honoring Justice Butler and Justice Wilcox . Help us raise funds to support the work of the Wisconsin Law Foundation:
Madison: Tuesday, May 19, 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Graze – 1 S. Pinckney St. (on the Capitol Square)
Milwaukee: Thursday, May 28, 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., Doc’s Smokehouse – 754 Vel R. Phillips Ave.
Justice Butler’s tenure of leadership with the Foundation goes back “only” a decade, but he too has had a profound effect in advancing the Foundation’s mission and work. As president of the Fellows, he has made the program of honoring lawyers who have given back to their profession and communities more inclusive. He has expanded the reach of the Fellows to better recognize the contributions of women lawyers, as well as younger lawyers and those from diverse backgrounds and practice areas and from rural and out-of-state communities.
These are two incredible individuals who have given unselfishly of themselves in service to others. Both have been giving back to their profession and communities since early in their legal careers. They are role models of civic leadership.
Justice Butler and Justice Wilcox, each in his own way, have made the Wisconsin Law Foundation, the profession, and our communities better than when they found them. Please join us at a celebration to honor their contributions.
