Judge William T. “Bill” McGivern, Jr. Dies

Judge William T. “Bill” McGivern, Jr., who served as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of California from 1990-1992, passed away on February 19, 2012. He was 72 and died after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. McGivern worked in the U.S. Attorney’s office from 1973 to 1992. He served as the Chief Assistant to NAFUSA member Joe Russoniello before succeeding him as the U.S. Attorney. He later served as a judge on the Marin County Superior Court.

McGivern is survived by his wife Sally and his children: Marty Schein; Bill III; and Dan. After completing a career as a United States Naval officer, McGivern graduated from the University of San Francisoco Law School and obtained his LLM at Georgetown University.  Click here to view the full obituary from The San Francisco Chronicle. NAFUSA arranged to have an American flag flown over the Department of Justice on February 28, 2012, in honor of Bill and sent to the family in his rememberance.

H. M. Ray Dies at 86

NAFUSA recently learned that H.M. Ray, who served 20 years as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi, passed away on May 18, 2011 at the age of 86. Ray, who was nominated by John F. Kennedy in 1961, died at his home in Tupelo, Mississippi. He served under two additional Democratic administrations and two Republicans until he resigned in 1981. Ray served as chair of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC) 1976-77. He was a long time member of NAFUSA.

Ray served in the Army Air Corps, where he flew bombing missions in World War II. He earned his law degree at the University of Mississippi and served as a state representative from 1948 to 1951. He resumed his military service as an intelligence officer in the Air Force during the Korean War.

His survivors include sons Howard Manfred Ray of Skokie, Ill., and Mark Andrew Ray of Tupelo.

DOJ Legend Jack Keeney Dies

Jack Keeney meeting Michelle Obama with Attorney General Eric Holder

The legendary John C. Keeney, who served in the Criminal Division for 59 years, passed away on Saturday, November 19, 2011, at his home in Kensington, Maryland. Jack joined the Criminal Division at Main Justice on March 19, 1951, and served until his retirement in 2010, at the age of 88. He served 11 U.S. Presidents. For several decades, he served as the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division, including numberous stints as the Acting Assistant Attorney General.

In 1990 Keeney received the Henry E. Petersen Award, the Criminal Division’s highest award. He 1996, he received the Attorney General’s Award, the highest award bestowed by the Attorney General. In 2010, one of the Criminal Division buildings was named in honor of Jack.

Before his service with the Department of Justice, Jack was a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps, flying several B-17 bombing raids over Nazi Germany, one such raid resulting in his being held by German forces as a prisoner of war.

Jack received law degrees from The Dickinson School of Law and The  George Washington University Law School. He was married to the late Eugenia Brislin and had five children and two grandchildren.

He was truly an American hero.

Former NAFUSA Executive Director Charles Graves Dies

Chuck Graves, who served as Executive Director of NAFUSA 1998-2000, and as President of NAFUSA 1999-2000, passed away August 22, 2011, in Billings, Montanta. He was 80 years old at the time of his death. He was appointed by President Jimmy Carter as the United States Attorney for the District of Wyoming, and served from 1977-1981.

Graves received his law degree from the University of Colorado. He had a successful law practice in Cheyenne, Wyoming for many years. He is survived by his wife, Halene, as well as five children and several grandchildren and great grandchildren.

NAFUSA presented Halene with an American flag with the following inscription: Flown over the U.S. Department of Justice on November 15, 2011 in honor of Charles E. Graves, U.S. Attorney for the District of Wyoming (1977-1980).

Nathan Fishbach Dies

Nathan A. Fishbach, a former United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Wisconsin in 1993, died of cancer on September 17, 2011. He is survived by his wife, Susan, and three sons, Jeffrey, Brian and Michael. He was 58. Memorial contributions are suggested to the Nathan Fishbach Student Development Fund at Marquette University School of Law.

Fishbach served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for over 13 years, where a major focus of his work was in the prosecution of complex financial cases. He was a shareholder at Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek in Milwaukee, which he joined upon leaving the U.S. Attorney post in 1993. He was the Founding President of the Eastern District of Wisconsin Bar Association. He was a graduate of Villanova University Law School.