Richard Lipsitz, Sr. ’43
Richard Lipsitz Sr. ’43, a founder of Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria, is a Buffalo attorney renowned as a legal heavyweight in labor and civil Rights. He was an early supporter of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s and a staunch opponent of the Vietnam War.
About this Interview
Interview Date(s)
May 3, 2007
Occasion
Recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award for Community Service at the 45th Annual Dinner
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About Richard Lipsitz, Sr.
Richard Lipsitz’s father was a graduate of Buffalo law school, which was one reason he wanted to attend. The other was that it was affordable. He began law school in 1940 when there was little money to spare. He wasn’t aware of its quality until after he attended and found, to his delight, that it served as a training ground for future Harvard professors. He had a great experience; they were wonderful teachers, he said. He took courses in labor law and workers’ compensation law, feeding his long-held interest in the labor movement.
He was a diligent student and graduated with honors after 2½ years, taking classes over the summer so he could graduate in December 1942 and join the war effort. He served in Japan as part of the occupation Army.
His most memorable experience in law school had little to do with academics. When the school was on West Eagle Street, it was attached to a building the students used for recreation. In that building, students liked to play cards and shoot dice. One day, quite unexpectedly, the dean of the law school and the chancellor of the university showed up. “They saw us playing cards and shooting dice. That was the end of that!”
Born Nov. 25, 1920—Died May 29, 2018
