Reflections on Donald E. Ruff: Illinois lawyers have lost a good friend

While I have difficulty remembering much about my first meeting with Don Ruff--I believe it took place at an annual meeting in Lake Geneva--I vividly remember the second. It was 1989 and the two of us were asked to travel to Springfield to meet with a group of government lawyers who were interested in discussing a more formal role for their constituency in the ISBA. I was a fledgling member of the ISBA's Standing Committee on Membership & Bar Activities (MBA) of which Don was a veteran. I am not certain why we were paired together (other than what I now believe to be serendipity), but it was the beginning of a friendship that would continue until Don's passing on July 11, 2003.

It is interesting to me that one of Don's legacies within the bar dates from that very first meeting in Springfield 14 years ago and came to pass only during the last years of his life. The ISBA now has a thriving Standing Committee on Government Lawyers, but the seed was planted on that fall day in 1989. It germinated during Don's years on MBA (which he chaired during 1993-1994) and it bloomed when Don joined this new committee as a member (even though he was a small firm general practitioner and not technically a "government" lawyer). While there are a number of individuals who were instrumental in advancing the ISBA's commitment to this important membership group, each will tell you that Don was the most solid of supporters.

Don also left other legacies within the bar. He worked tirelessly for years on MBA. Aside from chairing the committee, he also led its recruitment and retention efforts for a time and worked on projects too numerous to mention. Don was also committed to the process of evaluating judges and served on the Standing Committee on Judicial Advisory Polls (chairing the committee during 2001-2002). This last committee is not an easy assignment. However, perhaps because he was the son of a former Edgar County judge, Don deftly navigated the sometimes treacherous waters of judicial evaluation. Don did all of this while maintaining a very active practice in what we used to call "Greater" Paris.

For these and other accomplishments, Don was presented an ISBA Presidential Commendation in 2002. We were all so proud when he received it. Don accepted it with such humility, and I know that he greatly valued what it represented--a lifetime of distinguished service to Illinois lawyers. The last time I visited Don in Paris, I noticed the award next to the recliner where he spent so many of his final days.

From my visits with Don over the years, I learned that he was also strongly committed to his church and community. I know that one of his favorite civic activities was his service as chair of the Paris library board. You only had to walk into a Paris coffee shop or the circuit clerk's office with Don to know how respected he was. It makes me wonder what this community will do without him.

Any tribute to Don would be woefully inadequate without a discussion of his sense of humor and gift of gab. He tried to make me laugh in virtually every conversation I ever had with him but one--our last, when it was clear that he was in his last days. Don loved to tell jokes and could talk for hours. He was always a gentleman, never took himself too seriously, and was such a good-natured fellow. In my experience, Don was only "defensive" when it came to protecting his friends and family, or his beloved "down-state." He was such a loyal friend to me and so many others around the State.

Lastly, something should be said about that grace with which Don faced his terminal illness. Don was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December of 2001 (and given three to six months to live). Defying the odds, Don continued to practice beyond that time period and spent much of his time visiting with friends and maintaining his correspondence. He even took a trip to an ancestral home in Pennsylvania. Throughout this time--a period of 19 months--I know that Don was greatly aided by his family and many friends.

On a sad note, the extra time Don was given allowed him to watch two of the dear friends he met through the bar--John Sheats and Joe Schneider--predecease him. I know that this was hard for Don as he watched from afar. Although--and I told Don this on several occasions--perhaps there was a reason for this, as I know that John and Joe saw Don's conviction and attitude as an inspiration to them (as theirs was to Don). After John and Joe died, Don always expressed great concern for their surviving spouses (respectively, Tish and Lina). I know that this was very meaningful to them. My view of what the ISBA is and has to offer was greatly influenced by having the good fortune of knowing these three fine men.

Don died the way that he lived--with great dignity. While he will be missed by so many, I am comforted by my memories of Don's smile, his laugh, and the example he set for selfless service to the members of the bar.

Editors' note: The Committee on Government Lawyers celebrates Don's legacy and treasures its memories of him as a colleague and friend.