• Arizona Legal Legacies
  • Meet the legends behind the law – Interviews with Arizona attorneys

George Washington University Law,
class of 1943

State Bar of Arizona
member since 1944

John Nicholas (Nick) Udall and his wife, Sybil, joined in this interview.  Nick Udall was born and raised in Arizona. His family is considered one of Arizona’s pioneer families. Nick attended Brigham Young University and University of Arizona before enrolling in George Washington University Law School, graduating in 1943. He then returned to Arizona to practice law.  He was the Mayor of Phoenix from 1948 to 1952. He served as a judge the Maricopa County Superior Court from 1952 to 1956. After leaving the bench, he returned to private practice at Jennings, Strouss, Salmon & Trask in Phoenix. He retired in 1992.

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Dee-Dee Samet

University of Arizona Law

State Bar of Arizona
member since 1964

Area of Law:
Certified Specialist Workers Compensation

Ms. Samet currently sits on the State Bar Board of Governors, where she was a past president. Ms. Samet has also been a past president of the Federal Bar - Tucson Chapter, Pima County Bar, and Casa de Los Ninos Board. She is a past co-chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section and the Worker's Compensation Section. Since 1985, Ms. Samet has been a Judge Pro Tempore. In addition to the Board of Governors and Foundation, she is also a member of the Invisible Theatre Board, Southern Arizona Children's Advocacy board, and Casa de Los Ninos board. She has been honored with the Alice Truman Award, Fred Kay Award, and the Soroptimist Award for Advancing the Status of Women.

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University of Arizona Law,
class of 1935

State Bar of Arizona
member since 1935

Loretta Savage Whitney was born in Wisconsin on June 4, 1910. Her family moved to Arizona when she was two. Her family homesteaded a hundred and sixty acres out of Phoenix near Gila Bend. She attended St. Mary’s for both grammar and high school. She graduated from the University of Arizona in 1935.

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University of Arizona Law,
class of 1952

State Bar of Arizona
member since 1952

Earl Weeks was born in Omaha, Nebraska, in June 1923. He was raised in Omaha and graduated from Omaha Technical High School and started the University of Omaha in the fall of 1941. As a result of Pearl Harbor and several other changes in his life he moved to Arizona in January of 1942, never having completed the semester at the University of Omaha. Earl was employed by Western Electric in the installation of telephone equipment in the spring of 1942 in Phoenix and remained so employed until the fall of 1942 when he entered Phoenix Junior College. His education was interrupted when he was drafted into the service in January of 1943 and served for three years. After the service he got married in May of 1946 and decided he should go back to school. He started back in the fall of 1946 at Phoenix and spent a full year there before going down to Tucson, where he continued a pre-law education.  He got his business degree and then went on to law school, graduating from the U. of A. Law [University of Arizona] in 1952. His legal career spanned over four decades working: with Attorney General’s office; with the Corporation Commission; as a law clerk with the Arizona Supreme Court; and, in private practice with the law firms Stockton & Karam and with Kramer, Roche, & Perry.

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University of Arizona Law,
class of 1937

State Bar of Arizona
member since 1937

Louis Wallace was born in 1913 in Los Angeles, California. He moved to Oatman, Arizona when he was two and lived there for two years before  moving back to California. His family moved back to Kingman Arizona in 1919. He attended University of Arizona law school from 1934 to 1937.

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