Law professor's death shocks, saddens community

Longtime USD law professor John Hagemann, 70, died unexpectedly in his sleep Sunday morning at his Vermillion home. Hagemann retired last spring after 41 years at the university as a professor and director of the McKusick Law Library.

Associate Dean of the USD School of Law Thomas Sorensen said the news of his longtime friend’s death was a complete surprise.

“It was a big shock to a lot of people,” he said. “My wife and I ran into him downtown on Friday evening and chatted with him for awhile.”

Sorensen said Hagemann was one of the noblest men he had ever met.

“I can’t say just how well he was liked by so many, from justices on the (state) Supreme Court to students and everybody in between,” Sorensen said. “He was a mentor to virtually everyone that knew him, and I don’t say that lightly.”

Dean Barry Vickrey at the law school said Hagemann had a significant role in the South Dakota legal community, having taught two generations of law students and serving on various committees under the State Bar of South Dakota throughout his career.

“Just about 70 percent of the lawyers in South Dakota went to law school (at USD) and most of them had John as a professor,” he said. “So it’s a big loss to all of us.”

Vermillion lawyer and 1988 USD law school graduate Joseph Reed said he remembers Hagemann as an outstanding professor and was saddened to hear the news of his death.

“He was a great man and a great professor and it’s a great loss to not only the law school community but also the South Dakota Bar Association,” Reed said.

Hagemann helped make the law school what it is today, Frank Pommersheim, law professor, said.

“John was instrumental in bringing a number of faculty members to the law school who are still on faculty, including myself. I’ve always been thankful to John in that way,” he said.

Aside from his love of law, Vickrey said Hagemann enjoyed traveling the world and displaying his capacity for loyalty by cheering for his favorite baseball team, the Chicago Cubs.

A memorial to honor Hagemann will be held Saturday, Dec. 19 at 2:30 p.m. in the Muenster University Center ballroom.

1 comments

Lois Doyle

Wed Dec 16 2009 13:05

What a heartbreaking moment this is! As often happens, we thought we'd always have John with us. Although his legace to the law profession is profound, his spiritual mentoring may leave an even deeper impact. We learned much from John and treasure the gift of his friendship.

Add comment


I am not posting spam. I understand posting spam or other comments that are unrelated to this article will cause my comment to be flagged for deletion and possibly cause my IP address to be permanently banned from this server.

Enter the characters in the image above:

log out