In Memoriam, 0621 COBJ, Vol. 50, No. 6 Pg. 72

PositionVol. 50, 6 [Page 72]

50 Colo.Law. 72

In Memoriam

No. Vol. 50, No. 6 [Page 72]

Colorado Lawyer

June, 2021

Thomas J. DeMarino November 24,1937-April l6, 2021

Thomas "Tom" DeMarino passed away on April 6, 2021. He was born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, on November 24, 1937, to Sue (Nicholson) and Thomas DeMarino. Tom graduated from Pennsylvania's Greensburg High School, where he played football, threw the discus on the track team, and was a member of the Greensburg High School Chapter of the National Forensic League (NFL). NFL was the nationwide high school competition of debating, oratory, and student congress. Tom won the Pennsylvania state oratory championship in 1954 and went to the NFL championship in 1955, where he won an award for superior speaker.

Tom attended Dickinson College in Pennsylvania. He was a four-year starter on the football team at guard, offense, and defense; was a member of Skull and Key Men's Junior Honor Society; served as president and vice president of the Dickinson Student Senate; and was president of Phi Kappa PSI. Tom also attended Dickinson Law School, winning the Inaugural Abel Law Advocacy Prize. He was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar in 1963.

From 1963 to 1965, Tom served as 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He graduated from Ranger and Airborne schools and served as a Rifle Company Commander with the 7th Infantry Division in Korea.

Tom and prior wife Betsy moved to Denver in 1965. He was admitted to the Colorado Bar in 1965 and practiced for 33 years in Denver as insurance defense counsel. From 1999 to 2019, he was an administrative law judge with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Division of Workers' Compensation, where he served as chief judge from 1999 until 2012.

Tom was very active in state and local bar associations. He served as president of both the Colorado (Insurance) Defense Lawyers Association and the Denver Bar Association. In 1995, he received the DBA Award of Merit for co-founding the Barristers Benefit Ball, which has since raised millions for Metro Volunteer Lawyers. He also served on the CBA Executive Council and was the founder and first chair of the CBA Workers' Compensation Section, receiving its Lansford E. Butler Award in 1997. He was a Fellow of both the Colorado Bar Foundation and the American Bar Foundation.

Tom was also a frequent speaker at workshops and seminars across the state. He presented on trial advocacy...

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