Wendel Rosen Says Goodbye to Former Partner Donn L. Black

On March 10, 2019, our friend and former law partner, Donn L. Black, passed away at the age of 88. Donn joined the firm in 1959, when it was still called Orr, Heuring & Wendel.

Raised in Baker, Oregon, Donn received his B.S. in Business Administration from Oregon State University in 1952 and graduated from New York University School of Law in 1955.  He spent three years as a JAG officer in the Air Force before serving a short stint as a teaching fellow at Stanford Law School.

A man committed to community service, he was active in the campaign to incorporate Lafayette and served on the original city council for six years and as the city’s first Mayor beginning in 1964. He was active in Oakland Rotary No. 3 (the third oldest Rotary organization in the country), where he served as President.

He spent his entire private practice career at Wendel Rosen until he retired, spending his later years in St. Helena, California.

Donn Black was a class act, and we’ll miss his warmth and humor.