It is with great sadness that I inform you that Eric J. Schmertz, who shaped our law school for so many decades, passed away on Saturday. Funeral services will take place tomorrow 12/21, at 1:30 pm at the Clark Funeral Home in Katonah, NY (914-232-3033). Shiva calls may be made to the family at 73 Burr Farms Road in Mount Kisco, NY, on Tuesday, 12/21 from 4 - 8 pm, Wednesday 12/22 from noon - 8 pm, and Thursday, 12/23 from noon - 8 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that charitable donations be made to the Riverdale Mental Health Association or the National Kidney Foundation.

As you may know, Eric was one of Hofstra Law’s charter faculty members, appointed in 1969 with David Kadane, Judith Younger, Burt Agata and Josephine King. Founding Dean Malachy Mahon recruited Eric from Hofstra Business School, when Eric was already, in Malachy's words, “a very prominent labor arbitrator-mediator and a highly valued asset of the University.”

Eric was a graduate of Union College and NYU Law School (1954). When he joined the law school, he was already a former assistant vice president of the American Arbitration Association, and had been Executive Director and a three-term member of the N.Y.S. Board of Mediation.

In May of 1981 he was named the Edward F. Carlough Distinguished Professor of Labor Law, occupying the school's first endowed chair. The following year he was appointed Dean and served for seven years, making him the second longest serving dean at Hofstra Law. During his time as dean he was successful in establishing many of our distinguished professorships. In addition, Eric's leadership of significant conferences has shaped the way they are hosted at the University today. He organized Presidential Conferences on Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan and William J. Clinton, as well as cultural studies conferences on Frank Sinatra and Babe Ruth.

Eric had a long and distinguished public service career including senior labor relations appointments by Governors Rockefeller, Cuomo and Spitzer, Mayor Dinkins and President George H.W. Bush. He played pivotal roles in resolving high-profile labor disputes including the New York City nursing home strike of 1978, the apartment house strike in 1979, the strike of the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes in 1967, and the private sanitation strike of 1991.

Eric was the first recipient of the American Arbitration Association's J. Noble Braden Chair of Arbitration. He has been a member of the Association's Board of Directors since 1987, and was awarded the Whitney North Seymour, Sr. Arbitration Medal and the Alexander Hamilton Law Citation. In recognition of his service, Hofstra University established the Eric J. Schmertz Distinguished Professorship in Public Law and Public Service, and conferred upon Professor Schmertz a Doctor of Laws degree in 2007. Since leaving his full-time position at Hofstra Law, Eric was of counsel to Dweck Law Firm LLP in New York City, while continuing to teach on a part-time basis. He held memberships in the Panel of Arbitrators, the American Arbitration Association, and the New York State and American Bar associations.

We are deeply indebted to Eric for the influence he has had on the law school, its faculty, and more than a generation of students, many of whom credit Eric for their successful careers in labor law, human resources, and politics.

He will be remembered by the Hofstra community as an inspirational teacher and leader, skilled mediator and friend. We extend our deepest sympathy to his family. He will be greatly missed.

-- Nora V. Demleitner