Jerry J. Burgdoerfer 1958-2014
Jerry J. Burgdoerfer, 56, of Chicago, Illinois, passed away September 17, 2014, following a five year battle with multiple myeloma, with his spouse and partner in life, Sam Tek Tang, at his bedside. In addition to Sam, Jerry is survived by his parents, Barbara and Jerry Burgdoerfer; his brothers Steven (Jennifer) Burgdoerfer, Jeffrey Burgdoerfer, and Stuart (Laney) Burgdoerfer; his nieces Jennifer, Heather, Prentice and Abigail; and his nephews Greg, Erik, John and Jack. Jerry and Sam were married on February 10, 2014, in one of the first same-sex marriages performed under the new Illinois law, after eleven years as life partners.
Jerry was born May 3, 1958 in Jeffersonville, Indiana. During Jerry's early years the family lived in New York, New Jersey and Wisconsin, as his father climbed the corporate ladder, before setting down roots in Brookfield, Connecticut, where Jerry graduated from high school in 1976. As a young man, Jerry enjoyed working with cars and electronics, and developed a love of music which he carried throughout his life.
Jerry loved spending time with his brother Steve on their DuraNautic boat on Candlewood Lake. Jerry earned three degrees at Indiana University - Bloomington: B.S., 1980, from the School of Business; M.B.A. and J.D., cum laude, 1983. Jerry was a member, and a generous supporter, of the social fraternity Phi Delta Theta - Indiana Alpha chapter at IU Bloomington.
At the time of his passing, Jerry was a senior partner at the law firm of Jenner and Block. He was co-chair of the firm's Securities Practice and its Transactional Cross-Border Practice, chair of the firm's Auditor Letter Review Committee and had previously served on the firm's Management Committee. During his career Jerry delivered thirty speeches and authored or co-authored over eighty articles, client advisories and books.
A transformative event in Jerry's life was the two years he spent in Tokyo in the early 90's as Jenner's representative in East Asia. He worked with one of the largest law firms in Japan on complicated international transactions. He continued to represent several large multinational Japanese corporations for the remainder of his career. Jerry also grew to love all things Asian and over the years he and Sam spent some of their happiest times in Japan and Hong Kong.
Jerry was generous and unsparing in his support of charities, business and social service organizations. He volunteered his time and service to, among others, United Cerebral Palsy Association of Greater Chicago, Howard Brown Health Center, Lambda Legal, American Bar Association, Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, Chicago Bar Association, Illinois Secretary of State Business Laws Advisory Committee; Northwestern University School of Law, and serving as President of the IU Maurer School of Law LGBT Alumni Advisory Board.
In 2013, Jerry was presented with the Indiana University GLBTAA Distinguished Alumni Award. Jerry was similarly generous with his commitment to mentoring young lawyers. This was recognized in 2010, when the Jenner & Block Associate Committee awarded its inaugural Mentorship Award to Jerry.
Details of a memorial service will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to The Jerry J. Burgdoerfer Memorial Scholarship Fund at the Indiana University School of Law. Checks should be made payable to the Indiana University Maurer School of Law and mailed to the following address - Office of Development, 211 S. Indiana Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47405. If individuals would like to make their gift by credit card they can contact Lisa Hosey at lhosey@indiana.edu.