In 1973, when Brigham Young University began the J. Reuben Clark Law School, all founder Rex Lee had to show students was a dream.
There was no building, no library, no faculty and no accreditation.The names in the law school's class of 1976 read like a list of who's who in Utah and national society. The names include prominent state and district attorneys, chief executive officers of several national corporations and even a federal judge.
But no one knew back in August 1973 exactly what potential the charter law class held. Their potential definitely was not evident in the school facilities.
"One of the unique things about that first class was there was a very definite sense of pioneering. That is how Rex convinced a lot of people to take a chance. We weren't accredited yet. We started out thinking what would happen if I go to law school for three years and can't take the bar exam because the school doesn't get accreditation," said Scott Cameron, a member of BYU law school's first graduating class. Cameron is now a member of the law school's administration and serves over the school's admissions and recruitment.
When a faculty was finally assembled, school began at the St. Francis of Assissi Catholic school in Provo. Both students and faculty were forced to use a gymnasium as a lecture hall and tiny, cubbyhole classrooms for a "chalked up" library. Books overflowed into the lecture hall and were stacked in large piles at the back of the gym.
But primitive conditions only enhanced the atmosphere for the new law students, said class member Sheila McCleve, a judge in Utah's 3rd Circuit Court.
"There were no classes ahead of us to show us how things were done. We just jumped in and figured it out," McCleve said.
It is that kind of drive that McCleve feels has carried most of her class to success. "I think that you got a different personality to go in the first place. We were not the typical people that would go into law. Part of the appeal to us was the adventure of it," she said.
"I think in the power of undaunted youth it doesn't occur to you that there are people that don't want to give you a job," she said. "In our first year only a small number of people came to us recruiting, but we didn't know you ought to be getting 150. We didn't know what it was supposed to be like."
Another graduate, Albert Mailo, said it was a privilege more than a challenge, to be part of that first class.
"I felt like, for me, it was a new experience. I felt also kind of privileged because there were quite a few very intelligent and capable people involved. A lot of the class members already had master's degrees," Mailo said.
Mailo is the farthest graduate from BYU. He works as legal counsel for Gov. Peter Coleman on the island of American Samoa. Mailo has not been in touch with any of his classmates in more than 10 years and was surprised to hear how successful many of them had become, especially Federal Judge Dee Benson.
"Dee was a very competent student and very successful even then. Out of all the students, I think Dee really became a friend to me," Mailo said.
After all, says current BYU Dean Reese Hansen, "only one class gets to be the first class ever. And this class has exceeded even our high hopes."
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Vital statistics
The Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School Class of 1976Other accomplishments: The class of 1976 also includes three former Utah State representatives, three former Sandy mayors, three former county attorneys for Utah counties, three former Provo city attorneys and two former advisers to President Reagan. Graduates can now be found in 17 states and American Samoa.
Roll call of notable graduates
Some prominent Utah contributions from the BYU law school Class of 1976
- Conrad Ted Ayala: Salt Lake attorney specializing in immigration and naturalization.
- Dee Vance Benson: former U.S. attorney, current federal judge for Utah.
- Michael K. Burton: Utah 3rd Circuit judge, Murray.
- Lynn W. Davis: Utah 4th District judge, Provo.
- Brian L. Farr: assistant Utah attorney general.
- Dale F. Gardiner: staff attorney, Salt Lake County Water Conservancy District.
- Robert J. Grow: president, Geneva Steel.
- L. Reid Ivins: legislative counsel to Sen. Jake Garn, R-Utah.
- Howard H. Maetani: domestic relations commissioner, Utah County.
- Sheila K. McCleve: Utah 3rd Circuit judge, Salt Lake City.
- Margaret Nelson: former member Utah School Board, current assistant U.S. attorney.
- Clark R. Nielsen: staff counsel, Utah Court of Appeals, Salt Lake City.
- Bruce T. Reese: executive vice president, Bonneville International, Salt Lake City.
- Gene E. Strate: Carbon County attorney.
- Jeffrey H. Thorpe: deputy city attorney, Salt Lake City.