QU to Induct the 2021 Legal Hall of Fame Class
Quincy University will induct three individuals and the Adams Bar Association into the Legal Hall of Fame at the 2021 induction ceremony on Saturday, October 23, 2021, in the Hall of Fame Room, located in the Health and Fitness Center (20th & Oak). The evening will begin with a cocktail hour at 5:30 p.m. with dinner and the ceremony to follow. The cost of the event is $30 per person and reservations are required. Reservations can be made online at www.quincy.edu/alumni/events.
2021 Inductees are:
Mary Jo White ’63, JD, served as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 21st Senatorial District from 1997 to 2012. She worked as a public defender for Venango County from 1974-1976, before joining the Quaker State Corporation, where she worked until 1996 in various capacities including, vice president for environmental and government affairs. She chaired the Senate Environmental Committee for 12 years and was the first woman elected to the Republican leadership in the state of Pennsylvania. White has served on numerous boards including, the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Venango County Association for the Blind and Venango Community Foundation. She earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from QU and earned her law degree from the University of Pittsburg.
Judge Robert G. Dowd Jr.’73, JD, Missouri’s longest-serving sitting judge, retired from the Missouri Court of Appeals-Eastern District in 2020, after 41 years on the bench. Judge Dowd was appointed to the Court of Appeals in 1994 and served as chief judge from July 1998 through June 1999. His career began in 1978 when he was elected as a magistrate judge at the age of 27, a few months after earning his law license. He later served as an associate circuit judge and a circuit judge in the City of St. Louis. His community interests include serving on the board of directors of the Mental Health Association, the Catholic Youth Council, and Dismas House. He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from QU and his law degree from St. Mary’s University School of Law.
Clairice Hetzler ’09, MSW, LCSW, served as the Executive Director of Advocacy Network for Children from 1998-2016. During her 18 years at the Advocacy Network, Hetzler worked with the States Attorney, DCFS and law enforcement in Adams County, teaming with their counterparts in eight adjoining counties to establish Children’s Advocacy Centers. After her retirement in 2016, she started a Children’s Advocacy program serving five counties south of the Advocacy Network service area. Hetzler opened Hetzler & Associates in 2017, which provides behavioral health therapy, the Child 1st Parenting Time Program, which provides supervised visits for non-custodial parents in a safe place, and the Partner Abuse Intervention Program for women. Hetzler earned her bachelor’s in human services from QU and her master’s in social work from the University of Illinois Champaign Urbana.
The Adams County Bar Association educates and provides information to the public about the judiciary and the legal profession. As a private, nonprofit corporation, the Adams County Bar Association and its voluntary members strive to improve the profession and expand access to justice.
Founded in 1860 by Franciscan friars, Quincy University is a small Catholic university emphasizing the sciences, liberal arts and the professions. Quincy University offers undergraduate, graduate and adult education programs integrating practical experience and Franciscan values. Faculty and advisors work with students to design customized success plans to help them graduate on time, find their passion and prepare them for life. QU is a member of NCAA Division II for intercollegiate athletics. For more information, please visit www.quincy.edu or contact the Office of Community Relations at (217) 228-5275 or communityrelations@quincy.edu. Quincy University. Success by Design.