Former State Bar President George Steil – a leader who
inspired many to give back to the profession
March 30, 2009 - Former State Bar President George K. Steil Sr. of
Janesville passed away on March 29, 2009. He was 84. Steil was a senior
shareholder in Brennan, Steil Basting, S.C. Steil served as president of
the firm, which he joined in 1960.
“George and I practiced law together for over 40 years,”
says State Bar Past President Tom Basting. “He was a leader who
inspired me and many others to do what we could to give back to the
profession he so loved. His many accomplishments will always shine as a
beacon to those of us who loved and respected him. His was a life well
lived. I will miss him.”
Steil’s illustrious career has seen him as a member of many
statewide associations and committees. In 1974 he was named a Fellow of
the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, an international
organization dedicated to modernizing and improving probate procedures.
Steil was elected president of the State Bar of Wisconsin in 1976. He
was appointed by the Wisconsin Supreme Court and subsequently became the
chair of the Supreme Court of Wisconsin Board of Attorneys Professional
Responsibility (now the Office of Lawyer Regulation).
“George Steil Sr. was truly a great man,” says Wisconsin
Supreme Court Justice N. Patrick Crooks. “He was a giant in the
State Bar and in the Wisconsin Law Foundation. George was always a
gentleman in the truest sense of that word.
“In many ways, I owe my seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court to
the encouragement and support of George Steil,” says Crooks.
“Many people, including myself, will miss his quiet, but strong
leadership.”
Steil was a lecturer in law at the University of Wisconsin Law
School. He also taught probate law in the Wisconsin General Practice
Course. In 1991, he received the Distinguished Service Award of the
University of Wisconsin Law School – the highest award given by
the School to an alumnus or faculty member.
Steil received the Charles L. Goldberg Award for Outstanding Public
Service as a distinguished citizen, attorney, and humanitarian from the
Wisconsin Law Foundation in 1990.
“There is no one who has influenced my career as a lawyer more
than George Steil,” says David J. MacDougall. “When I began
the practice of law in Janesville in 1964, I was assigned as an
associate working under George’s guidance. When I met him, George
was a young man from Darlington who had survived the War in the Pacific,
went through law school on the GI bill, and was a 39-year-old general
practitioner with a heavy case load that needed the help of an
associate. He became my ‘boss,’ my mentor, my friend. We
worked together, laughed together, fished and hunted together. George
had an impact on our profession and on many other people and
organizations through his professional and charitable efforts. He will
be missed … but he will never be forgotten. The result of his
efforts for the legal profession, his community, and the state will live
on forever.”
Steil was appointed by former Gov. Tommy Thompson as the first chair
of the Wisconsin Lottery Board; as chair of the Governor's Advisory
Council on Judicial Selection, which recommends applicants for judicial
positions; and in 1990 as a member of the Board of Regents of the
University of Wisconsin. He served as president of the Board of Regents
from 1992 - 1994.
Born in Darlington, Steil was a sergeant in the U.S. Army Amphibious
Forces from 1943 to 1945, serving in New Guinea and the Philippines in
the Automatic Weapons Section. He received his J.D. from the U.W. in
1950.
George leaves his wife of 62 years, Mavis, four children and ten
grandchildren.
A visitation will be held on Wednesday, April 1, from 3 p.m. until 7
p.m. at Schneider Apfel Schneider and Schneider Funeral Home, 1800
East Racine Street, Janesville, and again on Thursday from 10:30 a.m.
until 11 a.m. at St. John Vianney Catholic Church, 1250 E. Racine St.,
Janesville. The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, April 2, at
St. John Vianney Catholic Church.
Memorials may be made to HospiceCare, Inc., St. John Vianney
Foundation, or the Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin.
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