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Bar News - January 20, 2006 Charles A. DeGrandpre Named Honorary Foundation Fellow By: Susan Noon
DeGrandpre has been selected by the Foundation Board of Directors as the 2006 Honorary Fellow for his remarkable commitment to the mission of the Foundation for well over two decades. During this time, DeGrandpre served as a member and chair of the IOLTA grants committee, as a member, vice-chair, and chairman of the board of directors, and throughout the years championed “equal justice for all” with a contagious, unrelenting passion. The reception will be held Thursday, Feb. 16 from 5:30-7p.m. in conjunction with the NHBA Midyear Meeting. “I became involved with the NH Bar Foundation because I believe in its goals to help the disadvantaged and to educate all our citizens about the law,” said DeGrandpre. “For several years, I reserved one day a month to go out with Tina Abramson or Lucy Crichton [former Foundation executive directors] to solicit donors for the endowment and the Justice Funds and I’m really pleased with the progress we made in growing those funds. I see the Foundation Fellows program and Justice Society continuing to grow under the leadership of board chair, Paul Chant, and executive director, David Snyder. I’m also very encouraged by the outstanding succession on the board, especially the inclusion of non-lawyers.” When asked what message he’d like to convey, DeGrandpre responded, “I would say to all lawyers, ‘You benefit from the community so you should give back part of the benefits you receive from it.’ It’s important for lawyers to set the standard by resolving to help the less fortunate in our communities. The Bar Foundation provides an impetus and focus. Whether you fulfill an annual pledge as a fellow or donor, serve on nonprofit boards, or provide pro bono services, you each should find your own way to serve the community. I applaud every Bar member who provides service and support.” DeGrandpre is renowned for his sense of humor. He truly enjoys people and people gravitate to him. He’s a voracious reader across the spectrum, a walking encyclopedia. He’s a “serious” fly fisherman, often fishing off his dock in Portsmouth for stripers. “Charlie is a true New Hampshire product,” says attorney Bruce Felmly, a colleague and long-time friend. Charlie’s parents emigrated to Jaffrey, New Hampshire, from the St. Lawrence River Valley area of Canada; Charlie is the first generation of his family born and raised in New Hampshire. His father was a woodworker and a farmer. Charlie learned to work hard growing up as World War II was winding down. Felmly continues: “What makes Charlie a good lawyer? First of all, he’s smart. He’s a planner. He has a great memory and he’s willing to put in the long hours it takes for in-depth preparation. He not only understands the legal issues, he’s also very perceptive on a personal level.” Charlie has worked with many family businesses and honed his legal skills early on with Arthur Greene and Stanley Brown, a founding director of the Bar Foundation. DeGrandpre also is well known as the author of the Lex Loci column, a quarterly review of notable NH Supreme Court decisions featuring DeGrandpre’s erudition and wit, that has appeared in the Bar Journal since the mid-1960s. A well-respected member of the Bar, DeGrandpre is a partner at McLane, Graf, Raulerson & Middleton and senior director in the firm’s Portsmouth office. He concentrates his practice in the areas of estate planning, trust and estate, and business law and is the author of a legal treatise entitled “Wills, Trusts and Gifts” and co-author of the three-volume New Hampshire Probate Law and Procedure. He has been active in civic and community programs throughout his career, with particular interest in children and youth services. DeGrandpre joins 29 former Honorary Fellows who comprise a list of “Who’s Who” among attorneys: Kevin Devine 2005, John Funk 2004, Hon. John T. Broderick, Jr. 2003, Jack B. Middleton 2002, David L. Nixon 2001, Joseph P. Millimet 2000, Frederic K. Upton 1999, Ernest L. Bell 1998, John R. McLane (D)* 1997, Hon. William F. Batchelder 1997, Joseph M. Kerrigan 1996, William A. Grimes (D) 1996, N. Michael Plaut (D) 1995, Patti Blanchette 1995, Hon. David A. Brock 1994, Anne C. Zachos 1994, Kimon S. Zachos 1994, Richard F. Upton (D) 1993, Hon. Shane Devine (D) 1993, Arthur H. Nighswander 1992, Stanley M. Brown (D) 1992, Hon. Arthur E. Bean, Jr. 1991, Fred W. Hall, Jr. 1991, Hon. Louis C. Wyman (D) 1991, Hon. William F. Cann (D) 1991, Martin F. Loughlin 1990, Hon. Hugh H. Bownes (D) 1989, John J. Sheehan (D) 1989, John W. King (D) 1988. (* D indicates deceased.) The NH Bar Foundation has invested over $19 million of philanthropic funds in New Hampshire since 1977. Bar Foundation grants serve New Hampshire’s most vulnerable populations through support of: direct legal aid and counsel, programs designed to educate the public about the law and the justice system, and innovation in the administration of justice to help provide equal access for all. The Bar Foundation is the single largest financial supporter of civil legal aid in New Hampshire.
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