Anthony Vollack

Anthony Francis Vollack (August 7, 1929 – September 28, 2015) was a Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court from 1986 to 2000, serving as Chief Justice from 1995 to 1998.

Anthony Vollack
Chief Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court
In office 1995–1998
Preceded by	Luis Rovira
Succeeded by	Mary Mullarkey
Associate Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court
In office 1986–2000
Appointed by	Governor Richard Lamm
Preceded by	William D. Neighbors
Succeeded by	Nancy E. Rice
Senator from the 13th and 16th districts, Colorado State Senate
In office 1964–1972
Appointed by	Direct election
Personal details
Born	August 7, 1929 Cheyenne, Wyoming, U.S.
Died	September 28, 2015 (aged 86) Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Spouse(s)	Imojean Shelton
Children	2
Residence	Arvada, Colorado
Alma mater	Colorado State University (B.S.) Sturm College of Law (LL.B.)

Biography

Vollack was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and his family moved to Fort Collins, Colorado when he was in high school.[1] He studied at the Colorado Agricultural & Mining College (now Colorado State University), receiving a B.S. degree in 1951.[1] Following service as an officer in the United States Air Force, he attended the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, graduating with a LL.B. in 1956.[2][3][4]

Following law school, from 1956 to 1977, Vollack was in solo practice in Denver.[1] In 1964, he successfully ran as a Democrat for State Senator from the 13th District, composed of Jefferson County.[5] In 1968 he was re-elected for a second term representing the 16th District, including both Jefferson and Adams Counties.[6][7][8] He was noted for his interest in issues of child welfare and good government.[9][10][11]

In 1972, Vollack decided to challenge three-term Republican incumbent Gordon L. Allott for a seat in the U.S. Senate. He was defeated by Floyd K. Haskell in the Democratic primary.[12] Haskell would go on to win the Senate race.[13]

In 1977, Vollack's name was put forward for the District Court bench by the Colorado Merit Selection system, and he was appointed by Governor Richard Lamm.[14] In 1986, Vollack was elevated to serve as justice of the Colorado Supreme Court. He sat as Chief Justice from 1995 to 1998, during which he helped form the Colorado Judicial Coordinating Council,[15] composed of state and federal judges, and used the power of the "Chief Justice Directive" to modernize court operations.[16][17][18] In 2000, he retired from the bench.[19][20] He then served as an alternative dispute resolution mediator with the Judicial Arbiter Group.[21][22]

He received numerous awards for his community service, including in 1999 the Champion for Children Award by the Rocky Mountain Children's Law Center.[1]

Personal life

On August 2, 1958, he married Imojean Shelton, a school teacher in Denver who had grown up in Memphis, Tennessee.[23] They were introduced by Senator Estes Kefauver, whose secretary, Jowanda Shelton, was her sister.[24][25] The couple had two children: Kirk Vollack, a musician and teacher, and Lia A. Vollack (Lurie).[26][27]

See also

• List of justices of the Colorado Supreme Court

References

1. "Obituary of Anthony Vollack". Denver Post. Legacy.com. September 29, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
2. "Notable Alumni". University of Denver, Sturm College of Law. Archived from the original on December 1, 2018. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
3. "Campus Busy With Alumni Day and Commencement" (PDF). The Law Alumni Newsletter. University of Denver College of Law. Autumn 1986. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
4. "'56 Reunion & Golden Barristers Induction" (PDF). Alumni Magazine. University of Denver, Sturm College of Law. Summer 2006. p. 49. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
5. "Abstract of Votes Cast, 1964 Election" (PDF). Secretary of State. State of Colorado. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
6. "Abstract of Votes Cast, 1968 Election" (PDF). Secretary of State. State of Colorado. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
7. "Abstract of Votes Cast, 1970 Election" (PDF). Colorado Secretary of State. State of Colorado. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
8. Weinman, Kevin (Spring 2017). "Invisible Suburbs: Privatized Growth in Suburban Metropolitan Denver, 1950-2000". Doctoral Dissertations 157, University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository: 73. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
9. Wooden, Kenneth (2000). Weeping in the Playtime of Others: America's Incarcerated Children. Ohio State University Press. p. 110. ISBN 0814250637. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
10. "Committee on Institutions and Rehabilitation, Part 1 (Research Paper No. 171)" (PDF). Report to the Colorado General Assembly. Colorado Legislative Council. November 1971. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
11. Gauss, Gordon (March 3, 1971). "Column: Colorado Close Up". Greeley Daily Tribune (Greeley, Colorado). Associated Press. p. 34. Comprehensive campaign finance bill with little chance of passage was introduced in Senate by Anthony Vollack "who commented he worked on it for months." Accessed via Ancestry.com.
12. Rosenthal, Jack (1972-09-10). "Primary Season Stretches On, With 9 More Tuesday". The New York Times.
13. Ware, Alan J. (1979). The Logic of Party Democracy. Springer. p. 102. ISBN 1349046213. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
14. Hobbs, Jr., Gregory J. (2013). "Personal Memoir: Judge William E. Doyle and Governor Ralph I. Carr: Peers for Equal Justice". Denver Law Review. 90 (5): 1121–1137, 1127.
15. "Colorado Forms State-Federal Judicial Council" (PDF). State–Federal Judicial Observer. 15. Federal Judicial Center. June 1997. p. 1. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
16. Vollack, Anthony (June 2012) [March 1997]. "Chief Justice Directive 97-3, Concerning Computer Security in the Colorado Judicial Branch" (PDF). Colorado Supreme Court. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
17. "Report of the Jury System Standing Committee to the Colorado Supreme Court" (PDF). Report to the Colorado General Assembly. Colorado State Courts. 1996. Retrieved August 24, 2018. On January 5, 1996, Chief Justice Anthony Vollack created the Colorado Supreme Court Committee on the Effective and Efficient Use of Juries in Colorado.
18. Auge, Karen (May 20, 1998). "Judge to trade Ramseys for Ramses". Denver Post. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
19. Caldwell, Alicia (October 27, 2005). "Guilty verdicts could be tossed". Denver Post. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
20. "Judge lets convictions stand despite unfinished transcripts". Summit Daily. Associated Press. November 30, 2005. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
21. Schwebke, Scott (May 13, 2003). "Mediation over Miller firing fails". Montrose Press. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
22. Hudson, Kris (May 26, 2004). "Judge turned mediator played key role in pact". Denver Post. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
23. "Keef Play's Cupid for Secretary's Sister". Evening Standard (Uniontown, Pennsylvania). Associated Press. July 31, 1958. p. 33. Accessed via Ancestry.com.
24. "Cupid Keef-Senatorial Assistance Effective". Independent (Long Beach, California). Associated Press. July 31, 1958. p. A-5. Accessed via Ancestry.com.
25. Fontenay, Charles L. (1991). Estes Kefauver: A Biography. Chattanooga, TN: Univ. of Tennessee Press. p. 401. ISBN 1572332581. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
26. Sullivan, Mark D. (1993–1994). "The Honorable Anthony F. Vollack, Colorado Supreme Court". Denver University Law Review. 71: 67. Retrieved August 22, 2018. (subscription access)
27. "Faculty-Kirk Vollack". Colorado School of Music. Retrieved August 23, 2018.

External links

• Opinions authored by Vollack, Courtlistener.com.