By Paul Janczewski
Legal News
The Genesee County law school student ultimately awarded the John S. Beagle scholarship will never have the pleasure of meeting his or her benefactor. But those entrusted with selecting the lucky student hope that the same qualities John Beagle stood for as an attorney – honesty, credibility and integrity – go hand-in-hand with the financial benefits.
“My Dad preached that your word was your bond,” said Duncan Beagle, a Genesee County Circuit Court judge. “Those were his catch phrases that he believed every attorney should strive for.”
The Genesee County Bar Foundation recently established the John S. Beagle Scholarship to assist students from Genesee County attending law school in their second or third level with the financial support through the generosity of the late attorney and his family.
A minimum scholarship of $5,000 will be distributed later this summer, said Ramona Sain, executive director of both the foundation and the Genesee County Bar Association. She, and others associated with the scholarship, believes the late John Beagle would be proud to know that, even in death, his legacy as one of the county’s most passionate and colorful legal advocates, lives on.
“The Genesee County Bar Foundation is so fortunate to have the financial resources to help law school students from Genesee County defray the cost of their education,” Sain said. “Mr. Beagle would have been proud.”
John S. Beagle was born June 2, 1912, in Anacortes, Wash. His father, Charles D. Beagle, also was an attorney for more than 50 years. He served as Prosecuting Attorney for Skagit County, Washington and also in Genesee County after the family moved to Michigan.
John Beagle had the honor of having both his father, and later, his son, Duncan, serve as presidents of the Genesee County Bar Association.
John Beagle graduated from Flint Central High School in 1929, and then went to Washington and Lee University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in 1933 and a law degree from that institution three years later.
He became an assistant Genesee County Prosecutor and an assistant U.S. Attorney General in Lansing before enlisting in the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1942 during World War II. Beagle later transferred to the Navy Air Corps, and served in American and Asiatic-Pacific Theaters for three years before being discharged as a lieutenant.
After returning to Genesee County, Beagle returned to Genesee County and resumed his general law practice. At the beginning of his career, which, like his father, spanned more than 50 years, Beagle specialized in criminal law and domestic relations. But toward the latter half of his career, Beagle practiced domestic relations exclusively.
Stories abounded among old time lawyers about the colorful and intense attorney they affectionately dubbed “Legal Beagle,” and he was known to not only work hard, but play hard. He worked at a General Motors plant and elsewhere as he earned money for law school, and even opened a bar in nearby Burton.
Duncan Beagle said his father became known for representing everyday people with everyday problems. His father retired to Florida in 1986, and took on some legal jobs there, just to keep busy. But when Duncan was struck with Guillian Barre illness in 1991, which affected the peripheral nerves of his body, John returned to Flint, at age 78, to assist his son in his law practice.
John Beagle died in May 2000 in Florida at age 87.
The Genesee County Bar Association was formed in 1897 to serve the professional need of its members, improve the justice system and educate the public about the law and the role of lawyers, Sain said.
It has 525 members, and regularly holds seminars and classes for members. It also provides social and networking opportunities for those in the profession, and conducts a number of community service projects, such as the annual Holiday dinner for those less fortunate and seminars for the public offering free legal advice on a number of topics, Sain said. The Association also conducts Law Day activities and mock trials for students.
The Genesee County Bar Foundation was incorporated in 1988 to support worthy projects which improve the administration of justice, promote the study of law and the continuing education of lawyers, educate the public about its legal rights and obligations, and maintain the honor and integrity of the profession, Sain said. The association and the foundation share the same staff, location and resources, she said.
Sain said the Beagle family has made donations to the foundation in the past, which were awarded to several law school students. But while it was an occasional contribution in the past, it is hoped that this current scholarship will be a yearly occurrence.
She said the only requirement is that the student applying for the scholarship be from Genesee County. To apply, the applicant was asked to write a 1,500-word essay detailing why they might be a worthy recipient of the award. She said the student must provide a transcript showing they attend law school, but no minimum grade-point average is required.
Sain also said there is no requirement that the student return to Genesee County or Michigan to practice law.
“We’re looking for community service in the essay,” Sain said, as well as extra-curricular activities the student may be involved with. She said up to a dozen applications were expected.
Walt Griffin, president of the Bar Foundation, said the applications will be reviewed in June. He said the Beagle family “has been well-known for generations” for the professional practice of law. He said John Beagle was “a straight-forward, no-nonsense attorney, whose word was his bond.”
“We would like whoever receives this scholarship to follow in those steps, as a civil, honest person who also gives back to their community,” Griffin said.
He and others said John Beagle was a man of irreproachable character and good will who held a passion for justice, and a man who recognized the struggles of those less fortunate who believed that economics should not be a barrier to attending law school.
John Beagle once said, “It is my belief that an individual who is interested in his or her community, and in other people, will generally make the best lawyer.”
“He was known as one of the top two or three criminal defense attorneys in his time,” Duncan Beagle said. “His legacy was that he was a work hard, play hard guy.”
“But along with being very colorful, he was also known as a very strong advocate for his clients. He was born to be a lawyer,” Duncan Beagle said.
“He had this very deep voice, and he could intimidate people. But he was always well-prepared for court. If you went to trial with him, you knew you were in for a battle.”
At first, Duncan Beagle didn’t want to follow in his father’s footsteps.
“He worked too hard,” he said. Duncan Beagle saw his father working long hours every day, and even on weekends. “But I finally realized maybe being an attorney wasn’t such a bad idea.”
Duncan Beagle said his father would be glad to know this scholarship would go to those who needed assistance the most. When he was alive, the family designated a portion of his earning to go toward that, but was stopped for a period of time. “He was very proud of that,” Beagle said.
“But now, I think he’d get a huge kick out of this. He always thought being a lawyer was the number one thing,” Beagle said. “He grew up during the Depression and World War II, and he knew the value of a buck.”
Beagle said he is proud to see a scholarship named after his father, but is saddened he didn’t live to see it through.
“Now, I get the chance to see it through his eyes when some lucky people receive it. He would have been ecstatic. And now, my dad’s memory will live on.”
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