The following Legal Aid of Western Missouri “memory” first appeared in our 1989 Annual Report. We repost it here as part of our 50th Anniversary celebration.
By George D. Blackwood, Jr. - Board of Trustees President 1986-87
I had been a member of the Board of Trustees of Legal Aid for a number of years when I received a phone call from John Phillips in the fall of 1985 inquiring whether I would be willing to serve as the 1986-87 President. Recognizing that the organization was still under Jody Raphael’s leadership and having considerable respect for her abilities, I readily consented. Little did I know that she would tender her resignation mid-way through my term and that I would be forced to shepherd the potentially arduous process of selecting her replacement. Happily, Dick Halliburton was able to pick up where Jody left off and the transition occurred with hardly a ripple.
One of the significant events to me during my tenure was the physical move from totally inadequate facilities at 11th and Grand to relatively luxurious quarters in the Lathrop Building. For the record, the office is now cool in the summer, warm in the winter and the heating pipes do not clang.
The two years I served as President were not, however, without turmoil. The steadily eroding financial support from the Legal Services Corporation, coupled with the constant battle with local funding sources made economic stability akin to walking a very narrow tightrope. But Dick and his able staff did it with style. His administrative assistant Mary Beth Denzer was particularly helpful to me as I attempted to be as supportive as possible to the cadre of attorneys and support staff who fill a vital role in insuring that all citizens of our service area receive legal assistance regardless of their ability to pay.
While I was flattered to receive one of the Missouri Bar Pro Bono Awards for 1988 in recognition of my service to Legal Aid, I consider it more of a tribute to the selfless people in the Legal Aid organization about whom no one can say that “they are doing it for the money.”
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