Judge Harlington Wood, Jr. passed away on December 29, 2008 at the age of 88.
Memorial contributions can be made to:
University of Illinois Foundation – Honorable Harlington Wood, Jr. Fund
The Chicago Tribune has also released an obituary here.
And the New York Times has released an obituary that can be read here.
ar in the Pacific; Native American conflicts at Alcatraz and Wounded Knee; Vietnam War protests; judicial reforms in the former Soviet Union; the Trans-Siberian railroad to Mongolia. Judge Harlington Wood, Jr., experienced these pivotal events firsthand, and recounts his involvement in An Unmarked Trail: the Odyssey of a Federal Judge. Judge Wood, now a retired Senior Associate Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, has lived a life of public service and has had countless opportunities to leave his own fingerprints on the world.
Within these pages he tells of his military service in the Asiatic Theatre during World War II when he was present at the signing of the Japanese surrender in Baguio, Philippine Islands. Judge Wood relates the details of some of his special assignments while serving in the U. S. Department of Justice: as chief representative of the Executive Branch of government in the Spring of 1971 when tens of thousands descended upon Washington, D.C. to protest the United States' continued involvement in the Vietnam War; as chief negotiator for the United States Government at Wounded Knee in 1973; and as chief federal liaison during the national political nominating conventions of 1972.
An Unmarked Trail reveals Judge Wood's thirst for adventure, his love of democracy and his commitment to preserving America's ideals for posterity. The lessons Judge Wood learned along the way (the importance of service, integrity, humility and humor) are offered here with the perspective of wisdom.
Proceeds from the sale of An Unmarked Trail will benefit The Honorable Harlington Wood, Jr. Fund at the University of Illinois College of Law. This fund will be used to support faculty scholars at the College of Law, with the ultimate goal being the endowment of a Professorship in Judge Wood's honor.