Senate Resolution No. 35

BY: Senator KAPLAN

MOURNING the death of The Honorable Elaine Jackson
Stack, dedicated public servant and devoted member
of her community

WHEREAS, There are certain outstanding members of our community who,
through their selfless commitment and dedication, served to better the
quality of life in their community and had a measurable positive impact
on the lives of its residents; Elaine Jackson Stack was one such
individual; and

WHEREAS, The Honorable Elaine Jackson Stack of Mineola and Shelter
Island, New York, died on Saturday, December 19, 2020, at the age of 89,
due to complications related to the coronavirus; and

WHEREAS, Elaine Jackson Stack was a proud mother of four children
who did not begin her illustrious career as a prosecutor, defense
lawyer, village deputy mayor, and judge until the age of 48; and

WHEREAS, Until her death, she was part of a panel that adjudicated
allegations of lawyer misconduct; she was also of-counsel and head of
family and divorce mediation for the Garden City law firm Barket Epstein
Kearon Aldea & LoTurco, capping a four-decade-long career in Long
Island's legal system on the bench and at the bar; and

WHEREAS, At the Nassau County district attorney's office, Elaine
Jackson Stack rose to the position of Deputy Chief of the Rackets Bureau
before becoming a defense lawyer where she specialized in appeals; and

WHEREAS, Elaine Jackson Stack, who grew up during a time when women
could not take professional opportunities for granted, was truly an
inspiration to all the women she met while she was serving as a lawyer,
educator and judge; and

WHEREAS, In 1996, Elaine Jackson Stack was elected to Nassau's
District Court; four years later, she won election to the State Supreme
Court and was assigned to the matrimonial part, where she heard divorce,
property and custody cases; and

WHEREAS, Several years before becoming a judge, Elaine Jackson Stack
was Long Island's representative to a statewide committee screening
lawyers for defendants facing the death penalty before the state ended
capital punishment; and

WHEREAS, Furthermore, in 2005, she served on the Commission on the
Future of Indigent Defense Services, and the Special Commission on the
Future of New York State Courts; she left the bench in 2007 after
reaching 76, the state's mandatory retirement age for judges; and

WHEREAS, Elaine Jackson, who went by Jackie, was born October 27,
1931, in the South Bronx, the last of three children of the former Elsa
Kamioner, a bookkeeper for New York City, and Bernard Jackson, who
worked in hotel catering; and

WHEREAS, Raised in the South Bronx, Elaine Jackson graduated early,
at the age of 16, in 1947 from Manhattan's Hunter High School, which was
then a girls school for the intellectually gifted; she started college
at Hunter, but left before graduating when her Mom had a stroke, and she
went to work to support her family; and

WHEREAS, In 1951, Elaine Jackson met her future husband, Norman
Stack, on the sands of Long Beach, New York; and

WHEREAS, The couple married two years later, and soon after, Norman
was drafted into the United States Army; they lived in Bamberg, Germany,
for two years where he was stationed, then returned to the United
States, residing with his parents in Jamaica Estates, Queens; and

WHEREAS, The young couple later bought a house in Roslyn Heights and
later moved to East Hills, where, in the late 1980s into the mid-1990s,
Elaine Jackson Stack would be the Trustee, Deputy Mayor, and a member of
the Zoning Board of Appeals; and

WHEREAS, While raising her family, Elaine Jackson Stack spoke a lot
about the idea of returning to college; subsequently, in 1971, she
completed her studies from what was then C.W. Post College of Long
Island University; and

WHEREAS, Elaine Jackson Stack then studied library science at the
campus, and graduated in 1973, before she finished St. John's University
law school in 1979, a year before her youngest child graduated from high
school; that same year, she joined the district attorney's office and
was there until leaving in 1986; and

WHEREAS, Over a long and preeminent career, Elaine Jackson Stack
distinguished herself and her profession, serving tirelessly in the
administration of the law, while diligently guarding over the rights of
the citizens it serves; and

WHEREAS, Predeceased by her husband, Norman Stack in 1992, and her
partner, Sanford L. Goldsmith in 2015, Elaine Jackson Stack is survived
by her four children, Ron Stack, Brenda Stack Freed, Dede Stack Unger,
and Claudia Stack Strobing; as well as 15 grandchildren and seven
great-grandchildren; and

WHEREAS, Elaine Jackson Stack will be remembered as a revered
lawyer, educator and judge, but more importantly as a courteous,
thoughtful, and compassionate woman who treated people with respect and
dignity; she will be truly missed by all those who had the privilege and
honor of knowing her; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
mourn the death of The Honorable Elaine Jackson Stack, and to express
its deepest condolences to her family; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the family of The Honorable Elaine Jackson Stack.