Honor Barbara Howe Award

Senate Resolution No. 3694 BY: Senator JACOBS COMMENDING The Honorable Barbara Howe upon the occasion of her designation as recipient of the 2018 Edwin F. Jaeckle Award by the University at Buffalo School of Law WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that those who enhance the quality of life in their community and have shown a long and sustained commitment to the maintenance of high standards in their profession, certainly have earned the recognition and applause of all the citizens of this great Empire State; and WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commend The Honorable Barbara Howe upon the occasion of her designation as recipient of the 2018 Edwin F. Jaeckle Award by the University at Buffalo School of Law; this momentous occasion was celebrated at its Annual New York City Alumni Luncheon on Friday, January 26, 2018, at the Union League Club in Manhattan; and WHEREAS, The highest honor the UB School of Law and the UB Law Alumni Association can bestow, the Jaeckle Award is given annually to a person who exemplifies the highest ideals of the law school and its alumni association, and who has made significant contributions to the school and the legal profession; Barbara Howe is one such individual; and WHEREAS, A 1980 graduate of the University at Buffalo School of Law, The Honorable Barbara Howe is a retired New York State Surrogate Court Judge for Erie County; she will officially join Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP as senior counsel on February 5, 2018; and WHEREAS, Barbara Howe joined the faculty of the University at Buffalo's sociology department in 1974, and gave up her academic tenure in 1988 to become a member of the judiciary; while on the bench, she served as an adjunct clinical professor of law and as an adjunct associate professor of sociology; and WHEREAS, Having just completed her 30th year as a member of the judiciary, Barbara Howe began her illustrious law career on the Buffalo City Court bench in 1988, and served as a New York State Supreme Court Justice from 1992 to 2003; and WHEREAS, A judge in one of New York State's busiest courts from 2004 to 2017, Barbara Howe frequently assumed leadership roles on numerous statewide committees; and WHEREAS, As a member of the New York State Office of Court Administration's Legislative Advisory Group, Barbara Howe helped to initiate and implement legislation making Erie County Surrogate's Court the first surrogate's court in New York State with an e-filing option; and WHEREAS, Furthermore, she played an active role in shaping legislative proposals relating to estate and surrogate's court practice while serving on the Office of Court Administration's Surrogate's Court Advisory Committee; and WHEREAS, This esteemed woman has authored numerous articles on sociology and the law, and more than 50 of her judicial decisions have been published by the New York State Reporter; and WHEREAS, A former president of the UB Law Alumni Association and a past recipient of the Association's Distinguished Alumni Award for the Judiciary, Barbara Howe has maintained close ties with the law school throughout her academic and judicial career, teaching several courses, chairing a dean's search committee, and actively promoting and participating in the law school's mentor program; and WHEREAS, Barbara Howe is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate from the University of Connecticut at Storrs, where she earned a bachelor's degree with highest honors; she also holds master's and doctoral degrees in sociology from Cornell University; and WHEREAS, It has always been the objective of this Legislative Body to honor and support those individuals who have displayed their commitment to the betterment of their communities, and it is the intent of this Legislative Body to inscribe upon its records, this tribute to Barbara Howe, that future generations may know and appreciate her admirable character, her many benevolent deeds, and the respect and esteem in which she is held by her peers; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to commend The Honorable Barbara Howe upon the occasion of her designation as recipient of the 2018 Edwin F. Jaeckle Award by the University at Buffalo School of Law; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to The Honorable Barbara Howe.