Fred Cozad Eulogy. Pat Goetzinger. August

Transcription

1 Fred Cozad Eulogy Pat Goetzinger August There is an old tradition that when lawyers rist to speak in court the lawyer starts by saying, May it please the Court and greets opposing counsel. I ve edited that introduction in a way I think Fred would approve for this event. May it please Fred. Luella, Catherine & Keith, the Cozad Family, citizens of Martin, residents of Bennett County, and to the people of the great state of South Dakota, it is a profound honor to be asked by the Cozad family to eulogize my mentor and our friend, Fred Cozad. The task of eulogizing Fred is both easy and difficult. It is easy because there are so many good things to say about Fred s life and it is difficult because I only have a few minutes to tell you about some of the countless good deeds Fred accomplished throughout his 90 years. Before returning to Fred s home of Martin for this celebration of Fred s life, I want you to know a stirring memorial service was held in RC on Monday morning, which concluded just prior to the beginning of the moon s eclipse of the sun. Isn t it appropriate that Fred s memorial service would coincide with the total eclipse of the sun. It was as if Fred was giving us a wink from heaven. Or, as Fred & Luella s good friend 1

2 Tom Harmon observed, even the Lord saw fit to dim the lights in honor of Fred s passing. [Sidebar: I was later informed by Fred s grandson that another of Fred s relatives (his mother?) was laid to rest on the very day of the full eclipse 38 years ago.] I want you to take note of Fred s obituary published in your programs. It is elegant. It is beautiful. It is succinct. And it is a reflection of the humility Fred practiced throughout his life. Note that the obituary only speaks of Fred s public service. It does not contain one word of the many accomplishments, accolades, and awards he received throughout his rich and rewarding life. Let me tell you about some of Fred s highest honors. Many of you know Fred as your lawyer. However, Fred was not just a country lawyer. He was a giant in the practice of law. In recognition of his legal accomplishments, Fred was presented with one of the highest honors a SD lawyer can receive, the McCusick Award, in And it was because of Fred and Luella s legal, civic and philanthropic accomplishments that Fred was inducted into the SD HOF in For Fred s introductory page on the HOF website, I wrote the following about Fred and Luella: [GO TO HOF PAGE]. Fred s accomplishments were the direct result of his profession as a country lawyer. This dedication to the country 2

3 lawyer precisely describes Fred: [GO TO COUNTRY LAWYER QUOTE.] To illustrate Fred s status as a preeminent country lawyer, I like to tell this story about one of Fred s long time clients, Zola Riggins from Wanblee. Zola is also the grandmother of my partner Quentin Riggins, who as an infant was crawling on Fred s office floor while Zola conducted her business with Fred and Luella. Zola had many children, siblings, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and friends. She kept track of them by using a large chalkboard posted next to the black rotary phone that hung on her wall. It was the later day equivalent to the contacts list we use on our smartphones. The conventional wisdom was the higher your listing on the chalkboard, the more important the more important that person was in the grand scheme of Zola s world. For decades, the person that enjoyed a listing near the very top of the chalkboard was her friend and lawyer, Fred Cozad. Fred s influence reached far beyond the borders of Bennett County and SD. Fred and Luella were the poster couple for the SD State Bar initiative, PRP, which has been very successful in restocking rural SD with Main Street lawyers. Fred and Luella became media darlings in the Bar s efforts to attract lawyers to rural SD. And many of you know that Fred s story landed him on the front page of the NY Times in But do 3

4 you know the story of how it came to be that Fred ended up on the front page of the NY Times? The national correspondent for the NY Times wanted to do a story about PRP. After teasing the reporter with Fred and Luella s story, he wanted to come to Martin to interview them in person. He arrived with a photographer in tow and quickly fell in love with Fred and Luella, which prompted him to recommend to his editors that their story should be a front page feature story. The Chief Justice of the SD SCT was also interviewed for the story. The reporter kept in touch with me and the Chief about when Fred s story would appear on the front page. Finally, we received word that Fred s story would appear in Monday s paper barring any unforeseen news developments that would cause a delay. The Chief and I were speculating about what might delay the story. North Korea was acting up. Afghanistan was in turmoil. The Middle East was simmering Alas, our speculation was ended when we were notified Sunday evening Fred s story would be delayed b/c of a major news event. Was it North Korea? Afghanistan? The Middle East? No. Instead, a NY socialite, Mrs. Pulitzer, had passed away and the front page would be dedicated to her given her family s connection to the NY Times. However, we were assured, Fred would appear the 4

5 next day barring any other major news development on Monday. Well, Monday dawns and word is received that Margaret Thatcher had passed away Monday. Well, if the NY Times saw fit to dedicate its front page to Mrs. Pulitzer, it would surely do the same for former PM of Great Britain Maggie Thatcher. So the Chief and I contacted the reporter about this new development. He responded that Maggie Thatcher s passing was not enough to knock Fred off the front page and in fact, Fred and Maggie s picture would share the same space below the fold on Tuesday s paper. You can imagine the roar of Fred s laugh when he found out he ranked below a NY socialite, Mrs. Pulitzer, but was the equal of Maggie Thatcher in the eyes of the NY Times. No man enjoys the success Fred has without the support of a loyal and intelligent spouse. And Luella was the perfect compliment and accomplice to Fred s life. Fred would often say, It keeps me humble every time a client sticks his nose in the door and asks me if Luella has time to help them. To validate Fred s quip, Fred s friend, Scott Heidipriem in SF, sent me this story told to him by his neighbor, Dr. Jerry Walton. [READ the Walton .] 5

6 Fred continues to teach, even with his passing. Among the many lessons I have learned as one of Fred s charges is the one reinforced by his passing and that is humility. Let me end with this toast to my mentor and our friend, your husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. May we be able to fulfill the duties of life as well as Fred. # # # 6