Senate Resolution No. 3694

BY: Senator JACOBS

COMMENDING The Honorable Barbara Howe upon the
occasion of her designation as recipient of the 2018
Edwin F. Jaeckle Award by the University at Buffalo
School of Law

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that those who
enhance the quality of life in their community and have shown a long and
sustained commitment to the maintenance of high standards in their
profession, certainly have earned the recognition and applause of all
the citizens of this great Empire State; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commend The Honorable Barbara Howe upon the occasion of her designation
as recipient of the 2018 Edwin F. Jaeckle Award by the University at
Buffalo School of Law; this momentous occasion was celebrated at its
Annual New York City Alumni Luncheon on Friday, January 26, 2018, at the
Union League Club in Manhattan; and

WHEREAS, The highest honor the UB School of Law and the UB Law
Alumni Association can bestow, the Jaeckle Award is given annually to a
person who exemplifies the highest ideals of the law school and its
alumni association, and who has made significant contributions to the
school and the legal profession; Barbara Howe is one such individual;
and

WHEREAS, A 1980 graduate of the University at Buffalo School of Law,
The Honorable Barbara Howe is a retired New York State Surrogate Court
Judge for Erie County; she will officially join Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP
as senior counsel on February 5, 2018; and

WHEREAS, Barbara Howe joined the faculty of the University at
Buffalo's sociology department in 1974, and gave up her academic tenure
in 1988 to become a member of the judiciary; while on the bench, she
served as an adjunct clinical professor of law and as an adjunct
associate professor of sociology; and

WHEREAS, Having just completed her 30th year as a member of the
judiciary, Barbara Howe began her illustrious law career on the Buffalo
City Court bench in 1988, and served as a New York State Supreme Court
Justice from 1992 to 2003; and

WHEREAS, A judge in one of New York State's busiest courts from 2004
to 2017, Barbara Howe frequently assumed leadership roles on numerous
statewide committees; and

WHEREAS, As a member of the New York State Office of Court
Administration's Legislative Advisory Group, Barbara Howe helped to
initiate and implement legislation making Erie County Surrogate's Court
the first surrogate's court in New York State with an e-filing option;
and

WHEREAS, Furthermore, she played an active role in shaping
legislative proposals relating to estate and surrogate's court practice
while serving on the Office of Court Administration's Surrogate's Court
Advisory Committee; and

WHEREAS, This esteemed woman has authored numerous articles on
sociology and the law, and more than 50 of her judicial decisions have
been published by the New York State Reporter; and

WHEREAS, A former president of the UB Law Alumni Association and a
past recipient of the Association's Distinguished Alumni Award for the
Judiciary, Barbara Howe has maintained close ties with the law school
throughout her academic and judicial career, teaching several courses,
chairing a dean's search committee, and actively promoting and
participating in the law school's mentor program; and

WHEREAS, Barbara Howe is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate from the
University of Connecticut at Storrs, where she earned a bachelor's
degree with highest honors; she also holds master's and doctoral degrees
in sociology from Cornell University; and

WHEREAS, It has always been the objective of this Legislative Body
to honor and support those individuals who have displayed their
commitment to the betterment of their communities, and it is the intent
of this Legislative Body to inscribe upon its records, this tribute to
Barbara Howe, that future generations may know and appreciate her
admirable character, her many benevolent deeds, and the respect and
esteem in which she is held by her peers; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend The Honorable Barbara Howe upon the occasion of her designation
as recipient of the 2018 Edwin F. Jaeckle Award by the University at
Buffalo School of Law; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Barbara Howe.