David Wayne Brezina – 50th Reunion Essay

David Wayne Brezina

Date of Death: 17-Jan-1999

College: Trumbull

(This memorial is reprinted from the Association of Legal Administrators website.)

David W. Brezina served as ALA President from 1996 to 1997. His career in legal administration spanned more than 20 years. In 1996, Dave was involved in a tragic bicycling accident resulting in paralysis and quadriplegia. Even as he fought this disability, he served his term as President with distinction and vigor. At the time of his death in 1999, Dave was serving as a Trustee of the Foundation. A memorial fund was created in his honor to further the educational and charitable work of the Foundation.

Each year at the Annual Conference, the Foundation sponsors the David W. Brezina Memorial Session by bringing a speaker who personifies the spirit of community, professional ethics, personal fortitude, and high personal standards of human civility that David represented in both his professional life and his personal struggles.

From the 25th Reunion ClassBook: I have put off this project to the last possible moment, not wanting to stop long enough to dwell on the fact that it has been twenty-five years since graduation. It is very hard to believe… the roller coaster ride we have all, I am sure, been on has only increased its velocity each year. The goals set in youth have not changed significantly, but the timeframe for achieving them has stretched out incredibly. For me, the expenditure of time and energy during the last two and a half decades can be funneled into three interwoven buckets: family, fun, and career.

My two sons are grown (almost) and out of the house (not quite); my wife is back in school and coping with work, home, and studying; I’m dealing with having become a grandfather just a few months ago. Through all of this, I have discovered that the number of restaurants visited is inversely proportional to the number of kids at home and hours of study required by your spouse to pursue her goals.

I still enjoy sports of all kinds, although the body has shown new limits each and every year. Hiking and biking are now my major outdoor compulsions. Having lived in Colorado since college, there is no end to the breathtaking venues for such activities. Additionally, I enjoy playing pool with friends at The University Club of Denver. It is amazing how many Ivy Leaguers have led the same wayward life as I and developed a proclivity for such a game of skill.

After taking a stab at law school, I found that I enjoyed administration and management more. I combined both (law and management) by first working in the Colorado judicial system and ultimately serving a stint as Clerk of the Supreme Court. For the past ten years I have worked in the private sector as Director of Administration for a dynamic law firm in Denver.

Through all of this, my Yale experience has shown through and colored many of the things I have done and the friends I have found along the way. Those were four of the best years of my life. I would not trade them for anything.

From roommate Jim Ward: I do remember David’s large frame, round face and orange/red hair. And I remember that he was a crack shot at basketball. This was a bit incongruous at first, because he favored a deformed foot, but could still drive on me with impunity.