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Tributes
Manuel Cervantes ’80, who twice served as a Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Court of Appeals judge, died on March 31 at the age of 70 after a long battle with cancer.
After graduating from Minnesota Law, Cervantes worked as an attorney at the AFL-CIO. In 1986, he was appointed to be a judge on the Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Court of Appeals. From 1992 to 2002, he served as a referee in Ramsey County District Court, presiding over family, juvenile, and domestic abuse cases. He was later named St. Paul city attorney and served as a state administrative law judge.
In 2018, the Minnesota State Bar Association presented Cervantes with the Rosalie E. Wahl Judicial Award of Excellence for his outstanding work as a judge and for improving the state’s quality of justice.
KAO LY ILEAN HER ’94, U OF M REGENT
Kao Ly Ilean Her ’94, the first Hmong person elected by the Minnesota legislature to serve on the University of Minnesota Board of Regents, died on May 13 at the age of 52.
Her was elected by the legislature to a six-year term in 2019. She was also the first Hmong woman admitted to the Minnesota Bar Association and was a committed activist for Asian Americans and a beloved member of the state’s Hmong community.
Her cofounded a number of nonprofits, including Allies for Mentoring Asian Youth, Hnub Tshiab: Hmong Women Achieving Together, the Heritage Center for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and Dragon Festival on Lake Phalen. She also served as a committee member for Maiv PAC as well as the Heritage Center for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and as a trustee of the Minneapolis Foundation, the Asian Pacific Endowment of the St. Paul Foundation, and the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota.
Former U.S. District Court Judge Richard Kyle ’62 died on June 22 at the age of 84.
A lifelong resident of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, Kyle earned both his B.A. and LL.B. from the University of Minnesota. During law school, Kyle served as president of the Minnesota Law Review and was a member of the Order of the Coif.
After law school, Kyle served as law clerk to U.S. District Court Judge Edward J. Devitt. He then joined the law firm Briggs and Morgan where, with the exception of a two-year stint as Minnesota solicitor general, he practiced until 1992, when President George H.W. Bush nominated him to serve on the U.S. District Court.
In 2005, Kyle assumed senior status and continued to carry a full caseload until he retired from active service in 2017. He served as a member of the committee on model jury instructions for the Eighth Circuit and as a member of the judicial conference advisory committee on rules of civil procedure. He also oversaw the remodeling of the Warren E. Burger Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in St. Paul.
Charles Rubenstein ’55, a longtime friend and supporter of the Law School, passed away on July 9 at the age of 99. At the time of his death, he was one of the Law School’s oldest living alumni.
Born into a poor family of Russian Jewish immigrants, Rubenstein served in the U.S. Army during World War II. His route to law school was through hard work and dedication. After graduating from Minnesota Law, Rubenstein worked as a sole practitioner in many different areas of the law.
Through his estate, Rubenstein created a lecture series to highlight the impact of Jewish contributions to the U.S. legal system. His estate also makes provisions for supporting the Judge Harry H. MacLaughlin Memorial Scholarship Fund and the C. Blaine Harstad Scholarship Fund. Rubenstein became friends with both individuals during his time at the Law School and remained in close contact afterward.
KENNETH SCHOEN, FORMER DIRECTOR, INSTITUTE FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Kenneth Schoen, former director of the Law School’s Institute for Criminal Justice, passed away on September 1 at the age of 89.
Schoen had a long career devoted to criminal justice reform, helping to develop alternatives to incarceration and improve prison conditions nationwide. He also served as Minnesota commissioner of corrections and as director of criminal justice grantmaking for the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation in New York.
Schoen earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Minnesota and his master’s from the University of Colorado in Denver. He served in the Army during the Korean War.
Professor Michael Tonry, director of the Law School’s Institute on Crime and Public Policy, said Schoen was “a linchpin figure in efforts to change the U.S. justice system.”
Lawrence Zelle ’59, who founded the Minneapolis law firm now known as Zelle LLP, passed away on May 8 at the age of 86.
Born in 1934, Zelle grew up in the Jewish community on the north side of Minneapolis. He earned both his undergraduate and J.D. degrees from the University of Minnesota before launching his law career. His firm honored that career with this statement: “The attorneys and staff of Zelle LLP mourn the loss of our dear friend, mentor, founder, and namesake Larry Zelle. Without Larry, there would be no Zelle LLP. He was a pioneer and legend in the property insurance industry.”
Away from his law practice, Zelle was an avid sports fan, film aficionado, and supporter of the theater community, particularly the Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company. In addition to his personal gifts to the Law School, Zelle spearheaded generous donations from his firm as well, most notably to the Center for Legal Studies Fund and the Mondale Hall Capital Building Fund.
