In memoriam: Hon. Anthony V. Cardona.

• Author: Mayer, Connie
• Position: Includes 3 testimonials - Testimonial

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Anthony V. Cardona Class of 1970

Justice Anthony Cardona passed away on December 4, 2011 and his passing is a great loss to Albany Law School. Justice Cardona graduated from Manhattan College in 1962 and then served as a Naval Officer in the Vietnam War from 1963-1967. He then attended Albany Law School where he graduated in 1970. Since his graduation, Justice Cardona never forgot his connection to Albany Law School and we are proud to remember him as a member of our Board of Trustees and as a role model and mentor to our students.

Justice Cardona practiced law for fourteen years and started his judicial career in Albany County Family Court in 1985. He was elected to the Albany County Supreme Court in 1991 and was designated a Justice of the Third Department in 1993. He was appointed Presiding Justice in January 1, 1994 and reappointed January 1, 2005.

Justice Cardona served on Albany Law School's Board of Trustees from 1994 until his passing. He rarely missed a meeting regardless of how busy he was in his judicial role. As a Board member, he talked often about fairness, about how people were being treated, and about how a policy change would affect our students. When he spoke, people sat up and listened. His comments, ideas, and hard work as a Board member always reflected his passion for the school.

Justice Cardona was also an advocate for our students. He cared about their stories, he cared about their law school experience, and he wanted to understand their goals. He hired them as interns, he hired them after graduation, and he came on campus to offer guidance virtually any time we invited him.

Justice Cardona tirelessly supported Albany Law School on so many levels. He was our 2002 Commencement Speaker, where he also received an honorary degree. He was awarded the Distinguished Alumni in Government Award in 2001. He took the time to preside over numerous induction ceremonies for the Clinic & Justice Center, always making the students feel special, always appearing as if this opportunity was his privilege, not theirs. We miss him dearly.

To honor Justice Cardona's memory, I am proud to join the Editorial Board of the Albany Law Review in dedicating this issue to him.

Connie Mayer

Interim President & Dean

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

Extraordinarily warm and wise and just plain wonderful. Kind and caring, humane and humble, generous and gentle and just genuinely good. One of those rare human beings who gave you hope. Who...