Deceased March 24, 2015

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50th Reunion Book Entry

In Memory

James Michael “Jim” Klancnik passed away at his home on March 24, possibly from cardiac arrest. Jim was born in Chicago, the son of the late Dorothy Evans and Louis Klancnik. His neighbor and church friend at St. Michael’s and all Angels Episcopal Church, Patricia Plettner, said he had been sick on and off for some time. Patricia described Jim as “brilliant, weird and complicated, but he was my very good friend. He even would feed my cats when I was out of town, and he hated cats.”

Dave Jones, his law partner in Dallas, provided us with the following: “Jim was much more than an ERISA expert and lawyer with an almost photographic memory, but he was also quite a Renaissance Man, with his continued participation in Bar None Dallas (which raises money for diversity scholarships), his German singing group, the Gilbert and Sullivan Society, Dallas Bar House Committee, his almost yearly car trips to go back east and visit all his kids and grandkids and much more. 

“He once tricked me into going to an opera up at UNT in Denton by telling me we were going to a basketball game, and of course I loved it! (Die Fledermaus, I think.) Also, without ever being on Law Review, he was, perhaps in a prior life, the sternest and most exacting proofreader/editor with firsthand knowledge of about 50–75 proofreaders marks that no one this side of the Gutenbergs has ever seen!

“Most weekends he basically lived at his church, St. Michael’s, and helped out as acolyte, reader, crucifix bearer, Eucharistic minister, member of various choirs, the welcoming committee, etc. He is probably up there in heaven singing right now, cracking jokes and sipping wine, though probably not in that order! Ha!”

Vince Simmon ’64

50th Reunion

In response to my long-held vocational desire to become a lawyer, I went to Michigan law school right after graduation.

After law school, pension and employee benefits issues were among my first assignments. I liked the field of law and continued in that field. I continue to practice employee benefits
law to this day in Dallas. In fact, 40 years ago I wrote a published article on an employee benefits topic.

At the Singing College, I sang in the Glee Club. I continue to sing in church choirs and have performed In Gilbert & Sullivan productions. I also perform in the Dallas Bar Association's Bar None production, a satirical revue that benefits a diversity fellowship at the Southern Methodist University School of Law. Currently, I sing in the Dallas Frohsinn Singing Society that has sung in German since 1877.

I have four children on the East and West Coasts and, on the East Coast, four (formerly five) grandchildren whom I see not nearly often enough.

James M. Klancnik