Retired New Jersey Supreme Court Justice John E. Wallace, Jr. will be honored by the Boys and Girls Clubs of Gloucester County at a testimonial benefit dinner.
John E. Wallace Jr.When John Wallace was selected to sit on the New Jersey Supreme Court he was asked if a certain Saturday would be a good day for the confirmation ceremony.
John hastily replied, "That date won't work. I have a game that day."
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Retired New Jersey Supreme Court Justice John E. Wallace, Jr., who has spent his adult lifetime coaching and mentoring young people, will be honored by the Boys and Girls Clubs of Gloucester County at a testimonial benefit dinner Thursday, Oct. 1, 6-9 p.m. at Auletto's in Almonesson. Proceeds benefit GCBGC programs.
Tickets are $75 per person and can be purchased by accessing the organization's website at gcbgc.org. Dave Maxwell, the consummate sports volunteer in Washington Township, serves as dinner chair.
Glassboro Mayor Leo McCabe and his wife, Mary, were the inaugural winners in 2013. Assemblyman and former Paulsboro Mayor John Burzichelli was honored in 2014.
"Judge Wallace is an ideal choice because he has spent 50 years volunteering as a coach and mentor of our youth," says Robert Taylor, GCBGC executive director.
"I'm excited and thrilled to be recognized by the Boys and Girls Clubs of Gloucester County, and I'm also excited that we'll be starting our own club in Washington Township," Wallace said. "The clubs provide an outstanding, much-needed service to the youth of our community and I'm honored to play a role in the upcoming event."
Justice Wallace's career as a jurist covered more than 25 years. He is now counsel to the firm of Brown & Connery, concentrating on mediation, arbitration, and complex litigation.
Wallace was appointed to the Superior Court of New Jersey in 1984, serving in the criminal and civil divisions, was elevated to the Appellate Division in 1992, and confirmed to the Supreme Court in 2003. The New York Times called Wallace "a sound jurist who was the court's only African-American."
He served on the Supreme Court Task Force for Minority Concerns, the New Jersey Ethics Commission, the Judiciary Advisory Committee on Americans With Disabilities Act, the Supreme Court Special Committee on Matrimonial Litigation, the Appellate Division Rules Committee, the Supreme Court Ad Hoc Committee on Admissions, and the Advisory Board for the Assistance Fund for New Jersey Court Families.
Honored frequently, Wallace's awards include the Medal of Honor from the New Jersey State Bar Foundation, the Professional Lawyer of the Year and the Arthur T. Vanderbilt Award for Excellence in Administration, all from the New Jersey State Bar Association. He also won the Thurgood Marshall College Fund Award for Excellence.
He is a member of the Board of Legal Services of New Jersey, the board of Kennedy University Hospital, and the National Advisory Board for Stockton College William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy.
A college athlete, Wallace is in the University of Delaware Wall of Fame and former member of the board of trustees. He also is in four other halls of fame including Pitman High and Gloucester County.
Born in Pitman in 1942, he received his undergraduate degree from Delaware in 1964 and his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1967.
Wallace served in the United States Army from 1968-70, earning the rank of captain. He is a member of the American, New Jersey, Gloucester County and Camden County bar associations.
But as far as his legal career has taken him, Wallace continues to volunteer as a coach of Little League baseball and as an adjunct with high school football in his Washington Township hometown.
Fifty years and counting. He's an ideal choice for an award that benefits young people.
Bob Shryock may be reached at bshryock@njadvancemedia.com. Follow South Jersey Times on Twitter @TheSJTimes. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.
