Please enter a minimum of 2 characters to search.
Please enter a minimum of 2 characters to search.
Memorial Keepers(1)
They manage this memorial. Contact or join
James Law
Dean Charles Ares
September 11th, 1926 - April 29th, 2020
September 11th, 1926 - April 29th, 2020
Create an event page to coordinate a gathering in honor of Dean
Tributes
Share a favorite memory, send condolences, and honor Dean’s life with a heartfelt message.
Dave Harlow
When I started at U of A Law in 2005 I asked Dean Ares if he had known my dad, Fritz Harlow, who graduated from U of A Law back in 1971 or thereabouts. A little smile appeared on his face. Dean Ares remembered his former student well. He shared some good stories. It was a blessing to get some of the same instruction from Dean Ares that my dad probably got more than three decades earlier. I will always remember Dean Ares fondly. U of A Law alums over many decades are lucky to have had him in their lives.
Alan Sternstein
Alan Sternstein ('75) Dean Ares' passing did not come as a surprise, but it was heartstopping and sad when I learned of it. My primary memories of Dean Ares are and will continue to be two. First, for an anxiety ridden, first year, first semester law student in the fall of 1972, Dean Ares' genial nature, mischievous smile and nimble mind made Civil Procedure not just a challenging but also more pleasureful than anticipated experience that first year and first semester. Second, in the fall of 1974, I learned that I had been selected to be one of Justice William O. Douglas's law clerks for the October 1975 Term of the Supreme Court. It was Dean Ares that, no doubt, paved the way for my good fortune and, likely in some measure, federal judicial law clerks from the U of A who followed him, including, but not limited to, Stephen Duke and Kenneth Reed, who clerked for Justice Douglas during the October 1959 and 1971 Terms, respectively. Dean Ares' service to Justice Douglas as his lone law clerk during the October 1952 Term of the Court, the first law graduate from an Arizona law school to serve as a Supreme Court law clerk, no doubt persuaded the Justice that even law grads from other than brand name schools, such as Harvard, Chicago and Stanford, could be more than adequate to the task of serving him. I will never forget Dean Ares' mischievous but intellectually disciplining demeanor... or myself sneaking into a courtroom to watch oral arguments while Justice Douglas was on the bench, ever grateful for the courtroom's many thick white marble columns.
Steven Fishbein
This is an honor to share some thoughts about our venerable and well respected law school Dean Charles Ares, of blessed memory. Even after so many years since attending the UA College of Law, and then returning to California, our memories have always been positive. I recall back in law school, over 40 years ago, there was a special request which the Dean so graciously granted. I was working on a presidential campaign, but law school beckoned, and so did a return to Tucson. The Dean allowed me the needed law school flexibility to continue the campaign work. Among his many attributes, Dean Charles Ares will also be remembered for his strong legal scholarship, character and goodness. Steven Fishbein, Sacramento, CA University of Arizona College of Law, Class of 1974
Lisa Kiser
We remember his many gifts and faithful service to St. Mark's--we are grateful, and send our condolences to Jean and his family.
David Marcus
Charles Ares was a great man. He epitomized quiet dignity and wisdom to me. I've never met someone who commanded the deep respect of everyone as much as Charles did. I particularly recall a lunch with Chief Justice Roberts during his visit to the U of A. A couple of us challenged the Chief Justice's view of judging as nothing more than the umpire's task - calling balls and strikes. The Chief Justice was dismissive of our points until Charles spoke. The room palpably shifted, a shift that even the Chief Justice could sense. Here's a man who was there when Thurgood Marshall argued Brown, a man who brought the case that invalidated Arizona's law against interracial marriage, a man who had seen and participated in more justice-making than any of us - including the Chief Justice - could even imagine. No one could possibly doubt that Charles knew best about what justice was, is, and can do. He was and will always be a hero of mine.
Robert Hershey
I used to be a surfer from southern California who thought, implausibly, he was going to be a doctor. The physician-to-be was a deflection from my father's desire for me to become a dentist. I was also a poor aptitude-test taker like the LSAT; so, for the life of me, I couldn't understand why I was accepted to Arizona law for the class commencing in August of 1969. I remember that the first night I arrived in Arizona to begin the study, the lightning strobed the sky as only it can do in our desert home. I sat on the hood of my car and watched, and I felt then a special gratitude in pursuing a legal career. For, until that moment, I really couldn't explain to myself why I had chosen this profession. Charles Ares was my Dean. It was a heady time to be in law school, what with the Vietnam war still raging, the bombing of Cambodia, and our Nation in a dizzying state of unrest. And, all the while the tempest was swirling, Charles encouraged me and my classmates to remain calm, determined, and to always be at the forefront of social justice. His imprint was to allow us the freedom to be both forceful and measured, quick yet considerate, and he steered the course of the school through some choppy waters with grace, elegance, and compassion. Rarely did he exhibit a hard fist. Rather, he joined us in defining our conduct as a high calling to do right. He was always accessible. So, we had many conversations, and I cannot truly remember ever being stink-eyed by him. If there was cause for caution, all it took was a questioning raise of the eyebrow to help you change the direction you were heading into. He brought William O. Douglas to speak at the College during my first year. I had not ever before been so close in physical presence to someone with such a depth of commitment and intellectual vigor. Later on, Chuck and I spoke about the Justice's impact on him, how being Douglas' clerk made him so purposeful. And such was the charge that Charles gave to us too. He was a gifted gentleman, and I shall be forever grateful to him for his lessons that I have tried to carry with me in my own lifetime. He helped to define me, and fifty some years on now, I still carry his words in my pockets. Robert Alan Hershey Clinical Professor of Law Emeritus
Copyright © 2026 Keeper Memorials, All rights reserved.