Victor Vic Quinn

Victor Quinn, a prominent member of the Denver legal community, passed away on February 13 at age 89. He practiced law in Denver for more than 60 years, retiring only recently. Vic was born on November 2, 1931 in Wetmore, Colorado, the second of three children. His father Charlie was in the mining business and Vic grew up in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. From the age of three or four, he lived in Idaho Springs, a small mining town located approximately 40 miles from Denver. His mother, Leona Quinn, was a homemaker and active in Colorado Democratic politics. Vic was a precocious child, and recognizing his intellectual capabilities, his mother enrolled him in the first grade at age 4. He was an outstanding student, graduating first in his class at Idaho Springs High School in 1948. He was starting player on the varsity basketball team and involved in many other extracurricular activities. Vic enrolled at the University of Colorado at the age of 16. He majored in finance and earned the Wall Street Journal Award as the outstanding finance student in his graduating class. He worked nearly full-time during his college years, but still managed to graduate near the top of his class. He enrolled in the University of Colorado Law School in 1952 at age 20. This was young by any standard, but was especially unusual at the time, since many entering law students had served in the military in World War II and were in their late 20s or 30s, often with families. Despite his youth, Vic was elected to the Order of the Coif and an editor of the Colorado Law Review. He published several case notes during his tenure and graduated at the top of his law school class in 1955. Vic and Marilyn (Woertman) Quinn were married in 1953. Their first two children, Beth and Mark, were born while Vic was attending law school. They have three other children, daughters Wendy and Janet and younger son Arthur, known as Ted, all of whom survive him, along with four grandchildren: Stephanie Kasten, Aurora Kasten, Schuyler Quinn, and Sam Quinn. After graduation from law school, Vic joined the Denver law firm of Henry and Adams. The firm later expanded and was renamed Henry, Cockrell, Quinn and Creighton, and Vic was a senior partner for more than 50 years. He represented many individuals and businesses over the years, but his practice was focused on estate planning and representation of educational institutions, including the University of Denver and the Denver Public School system. He was the primary outside counsel to the University of Denver for several decades and served on the Board of Trustees of the Iliff School of Theology for much of that time. He helped oversee the growth of the DU from a regional institution to one with a national reputation in many areas. In recognition of his contributions to the University, he was named a recipient of the Distinguished Service Award in 2011, and his portrait hangs prominently in the library of the Sturm College of Law. He also had the rare distinction of having scholarships established in his name at two different law schools: The Victor Quinn Endowed Scholarship at the Sturm College of Law was established by his family and the other at the University of Colorado Law School by Flo Phillips, a friend and former law partner. He was also a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and a longtime member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys. During the course of his legal career, Vic was involved in many matters that were controversial, including a situation during the Vietnam war in which students at the University of Denver occupied a portion of the campus, establishing a tent city that they referred to as "Woodstock West" and refusing to leave when ordered to do so. The initial inclination of the University administration was to call in the police to have the students ejected, which would have solved the immediate problem but may have produced a long-lasting backlash in a turbulent time. Vic counseled the administration to be patient, believing that the students would respond more favorably to reason than to force. He was proven correct, and the incident ended quietly. This was an example of Vic's approach to legal problems and his view of the world. He believed that if given the time and opportunity, people would generally do the right thing. His calm demeanor and rationality kept many a client cool and many a conflict avoided. Vic was active in the Denver bar, and served as President of the Denver Law Club in the late 1960s. The Law Club is an organization for lawyers in Denver under the age of 40, and being elected president by his peers was considered quite prestigious. The Law Club was well-known for its annual musical production, in which the lawyers, including Vic, starred. The production values were not always high, but it often poked fun at members of the bar, judges, and the legal system, and was usually hilarious. Vic practiced law for 65 years until his retirement in 2019. His intellect and great humanity were felt by his many friends, associates, and clients for all of that time. He was a mentor to countless younger lawyers with whom he worked, and his contributions to the Denver bar and community at large are many. He lived a great and productive life and will be very much missed. There will not be a memorial service at this time, but a celebration of Vic's life will be held in the next few months. His family invites anyone who would like to acknowledge him or his accomplishments to donate to one of the scholarship funds established in his name at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law or the University of Colorado Law School.