When John Bos passed away on June 23, many of us at ICLE took the news hard. Those of us who worked closely with John had gotten to know him on a personal level and enjoyed spending time with him. He was a legend in law practice and in CLE. He spent most of his career giving back to the profession, and his selfless sharing showed through every day.
In 2007, ICLE presented John with the George A. Cooney Society Award for his longstanding contributions to CLE. In fact, John was the first recipient of that honor shortly after the award was established following George Cooney's passing. John participated in more than 100 ICLE seminars over his 60 years of practice! Hitting the century mark was a badge of honor to John. That feat has not been duplicated. John had an uncanny knack for explaining challenging concepts in probate and estate planning, elder law, and tax. One of the trailblazers in elder law in the state, John was a mentor to so many great lawyers who carry on his tradition of excellence.
He was an amazing contributor and supporter of ICLE. John helped us create the Probate & Estate Planning Certificate Program in 2003, joining Ev Zack and Marie Deveney as our three curriculum advisors. He also developed the case study and supporting materials for the graduate-style, limited enrollment seminars. Starting in 2005 and continuing today, those seminars have been attended by the more than 1,500 graduates of the certificate program. John served on ICLE’s Probate & Estate Planning Advisory Board for many years. He was also a former chairperson of the Probate and Estate Planning Section and wrote numerous articles for the section’s journal.
John was an ICLE course planner's dream - he constantly shared good topic ideas, knew all the great lawyers in the field, and was incredibly giving of his time and expertise. He helped plan the Annual Medicaid & Health Care Planning Update for many years alongside his buddy, Tom Trainer. Every year I was entertained as John described his once-in-a-lifetime vacations around the globe.
We are going to miss John very much. He exemplified the highest traditions of the bar. He gave generously to the bar in support of education; he volunteered his time to numerous legal organizations; and he did it all with zest, energy, and a desire to give back to the profession he loved.