King Hall Community Mourns Professor Richard Wydick
Professor Emeritus Richard Wydick, an outstanding teacher and a nationally renowned expert on the subject of legal writing, died on May 11, 2016 following a prolonged illness. He will be remembered by generations of King Hall faculty, students, and alumni as a formidable scholar, exceptional educator, respected colleague, mentor, and friend. He was 78 years old.
Born in Pueblo, Colorado, Wydick attended Williams College, where he earned a degree in Political Science and Economics, graduating in 1959. He went on to Stanford Law School, where he was a member of the Stanford Law Review and Order of the Coif, and graduated in 1962. He discovered his passion for teaching after he joined the Army Judge Advocate General's Corps and was assigned to teach in the Army's school for military lawyers at the University of Virginia. He went on to work as an associate at the San Francisco firm of Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison, where he specialized in antitrust and patent litigation, before embarking on a career in academia.
Professor Wydick joined the Law School faculty in 1971, and was a fixture at King Hall until his retirement in 2003, teaching Evidence, Antitrust Law, Professional Responsibility, and Advanced Legal Writing, as well as Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights, and Unfair Competition. He served as Acting Dean from 1978-1980 and received the School of Law's Distinguished Teaching Award in 1983.
As a sabbatical leave project in 1977-78, Wydick wrote an article on "Plain English for Lawyers" for the California Law Review. It became the journal's best-selling article in reprint form, and Wydick expanded it into a book published the next year by Carolina Academic Press. The acclaimed work has been widely used as a textbook and frequently cited as a positive influence on writing in the legal profession. Wydick, who has also authored books on ethics and evidence, has received honors including the Golden Pen Award from the Legal Writing Institute and a lifetime achievement award from Scribes, the American Society of Legal Writers.
Professor Wydick was diagnosed in 2003 with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive disease that causes scarring and stiffening of the lungs as well as shortness of breath. Though the illness limited his activities, he continued to serve on the board of directors at Scribes and on a panel of advisors for the Green Bag Almanac, which publishes writing of interest to lawyers and judges, including judge's opinions, news, and law review articles.
During retirement, Professor Wydick maintained his connection to UC Davis School of Law, attending events and lunching with faculty members as his health allowed. In 2008, he and his wife, Judy, made a planned gift to King Hall that will endow the Wydick Family Scholarship, and in subsequent years made annual gifts so that the scholarship awards would be immediately available. According to Judy Wydick, it was Professor Wydick's wish that those who wish to memorialize him do so by giving to the Wydick Family Scholarship Fund.
A memorial service is planned for Professor Wydick beginning at 4 pm on May 25 at the Episcopal Church of St. Martin at 640 Hawthorn Lane in Davis.