Dean Harold Wren dies at age 95

The Louis D. Brandeis School of Law is mourning the death of Harold G. Wren, who served as the school's dean from 1976-1981.

Below is his obituary:

Harold G. Wren passed away peacefully on June 13, 2016, at age 95.

Hal, as everyone knew him, had a rich and full life. He was born in Norfolk, Va., and raised there and in Brooklyn, N.Y. He served as a Japanese language officer in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific during World War II, later rising to the high rank of captain in the U.S. Naval Reserves.

He received his undergraduate and law degrees from Columbia University and a master's degree from Yale University, going on thereafter to work in Japan on a Fulbright Scholarship. For most of his professional career, Hal worked as a law professor and dean of three laws schools, including the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville.

A specialist in tax and trust and estates law, he authored several books in his areas of expertise, as well as one on the of counsel relationship between lawyers and law firms.

In 1948, Hal married Beryl Bird, who joked that the bird married the wren. Their long marriage ended with her sudden death in 2006. She, like her husband, was a wonderful person. She also was a wonderful hostess and accomplished cook. They had two sons who both survive Hal, James Wren II, also a naval reserve officer and lawyer, who lives in Williamsburg, Ky., and Geoffrey Wren, also a lawyer and an administrative law judge, who lives in Portland, Ore. Hal also is survived by four grandchildren, Joshua, Joanna and Jonathan in Williamsburg, Ky., and Angela in Ellicott City, Md.

Following Beryl's death, Hal became partnered with Marilyn Kenealy of Prospect, Ky. Hal and Marilyn enjoyed a rich and rewarding relationship for 10 years. Marilyn misses him greatly.

Hal was a long-time communicant at St. Francis in the Fields Episcopal Church in Louisville. There he sang in the choir and served as senior warden. He also was a long-time member of the Conversation Club, where over the years he gave some of the most interesting and best researched papers that club has experienced. As recently as within the last year he presented a great talk about Brooklyn, a city he loved. Never tiring of law practice, Hal continued working into the last year of his life, serving as an arbitrator in labor disputes.

A memorial service celebrating Hal’s life will be held at St. Francis Episcopal Church on July 6 at 2:00 p.m.