A memorial service to honor Brian Bromberger, dean of the College of Law, was held Thursday, June 3, in Nunemaker Auditorium.
Bromberger died of a heart attack Thursday May 27 at his home. He was 72.
After teaching for 50 years, Bromberger planned to retire from Loyola on July 31. He had plans to join his family in native Australia. Bromberger came to Loyola in 2003 to lead the law school.
Rabbi Ethan Linden of Shir Chadash Synagogue performed the opening and closing prayer at the memorial, which featured remarks from Loyola University President the Rev. Kevin Wildes, S.J., Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost Edward Kvet and College of Law Alumni President Richard McCormack. Members of the College of Music and Fine Arts performed music.
The memorial began with Edward Kvet giving a welcome speech in which he told a story of how Bromberger would use flashcards to help his children study.
“Brian, indeed, was always the professor,” Kvet said. “One thing I learned (from Bromberger) was the need to focus on others and to put them first.”
At Loyola, Bromberger led the College of Law through Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. He established the prestigious Westerfield Fellows program for future legal educators and expanded services from the Stuart H. Smith Law Clinic and Center for Social Justice, enabling the college to keep pace with clinical legal education trends nationwide.
“We know Brian left at the top of his game,” Kvet said.
Wildes said in a speech at the memorial, that Bromberger was a man committed to excellence.
“In his commitment to excellence, Brian worked to be sure that the faculty and students in law had the right structures and support including an improved and expanded building, to support them in their work so that they could succeed,” Wildes said.
Bromberger fought a bill in the Louisiana legislature that would severely restrict university law school clinics from representing impoverished clients. The bill failed in a senate committee May 19.
Because of his dedication and service to the Loyola community, Bromberger was awarded the President’s Medal during the College of Law commencement ceremony May 12.
“During his 50 years of teaching, which he celebrated just this year, Brian affected countless lives in many profound ways,” Wildes said. “He was a strong leader, an advocate for his college and its people, a skilled mediator, a dedicated scholar and a friend to many. Above all, he was a man of deep religious faith which drove his commitment to social justice.”
The funeral service was held in Australia Monday, June 7.
Carl Harrison can be reached at
Precious Esie contributed to this story. She can be reached at
