John Joseph “Jack” Nolan, Sr., a 56-year resident of Winchester, passed away on Friday, December 14th, 2012 after a short illness. He is survived by his wife of 36 years Adrienne Constance (Graff) Nolan; five children, John Joseph Nolan, Jr. of South Bend, IN, Brian Vincent Nolan of Mason, OH, Scott Richard Nolan of Des Moines, IA, Evan Graff Nolan of Winchester, MA and Alysson Constance Nolan of Windham, NH; three siblings, Robert Nolan of Shelton, CT, Patricia (Nolan) Santelle of Leland, NC, and Jean (Nolan) Parisi of South Dartmouth, MA; as well as six nieces and nephews and five grandchildren.
Born in Derby, CT on November 1st, 1928, Jack earned his B.S. in Biology from the College of the Holy Cross in 1950, a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School in 1954, and was a Ford Fellow to Harvard University where he earned his L.L.M. Upon his graduation he became the first Suffolk Law School graduate to pass the Connecticut Bar Exam and went into private practice in both Connecticut and Massachusetts. He joined the faculty of Suffolk University Law School as a full time professor in 1956, a position he held until his retirement in 2001. Among the courses he taught were Workmen’s Compensation, Administrative Law, Property, Future Interests, Landlord and Tenant, Conveyancing, Mortgages, Legal Methods, Estate Planning, Employee Rights, and Legal Process. He also served on the Board of Tenure for Suffolk University, as advisor to Suffolk University’s Law Review, and was elected Professor of the Year.
From 1975-1978 he was a partner in the Boston Firm of Vinci and Nolan, specializing in the problems of disabled workers, and continued to represent his clients until his retirement in 2001. In 1996, he participated in the Regulations Roundtable, “which initiated the Governor’s effort to overhaul Massachusetts regulatory practice.” And in 1997, he co-drafted the proposed Standard Rules of Adjudicatory Practice and Procedure. He was also cast as a judge in Suffolk Law School’s 2000 re-enactment of the Boston Massacre Trial.
Jack was an avid skier and served as a Mountain Host for a decade at Bretton Woods Ski Resort in Bethlehem, NH. He was an active member of St. Mary’s Parish in Winchester. He was also very involved in politics. A family man, with the exception of one six month period from 1959 through 2009, he always had at least one child living in the house with him. He always said his greatest achievement and legacy was the success of his children.
A Celebration of Life to honor his memory will be held in the spring. In lieu of flowers, his family requests that donations be made in his name to the American Lung Association, 460 Totten Pond Road, Suite 400, Waltham, MA 02451.