In Memoriam: Sylvan Tackitt, LLB'33

For the majority of his astounding 75-year legal career, Sylvan W. Tackitt could be found in a small office in downtown Bloomington, poring over cases next to the Monroe County Courthouse.

Even at the age of 99, Tackitt would regularly put in time in the office, doing what he loved most. His death on July 17 brought to close one of the longest legal careers in U.S. history.

Tackitt, LLB'33, was a fixture of the Indiana legal community, earning such prestigious awards as the Sagamore of the Wabash and the Golden Barrister Award, which was presented to him this past April.

Tackitt's passion for the legal profession was something he wanted to help instill in Indiana Law students. In 2001, he established the Sylvan W. Tackitt Scholarship.

"I feel very fortunate to have attended the [Indiana University School of Law-Bloomington]," Tackitt said then. "I want to provide the same opportunity for students in the generations to come."

A graduate of Martinsville High School — where he befriended future college basketball great John Wooden — Tackitt stayed close to his roots throughout his entire life. His work ethic was legendary among colleagues, and his tenure in the profession will likely never be matched.

"Sylvan Tackitt was a true gentleman, a lawyer with enormously admirable professional commitments, and a deeply loyal alum," Dean Lauren Robel, JD'83, said. "It is hard to imagine an Academy of Law Alumni Fellows dinner -- or really, the city of Bloomington---without his lively presence. His was a life truly well-lived."

While his small private practice occupied most of Tackitt's time, he was also a former Monroe County prosecutor and a government appeal agent for the Selective Service Board. Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan, JD'85, proclaimed June 10, 2005, as "Sylvan Tackitt Day."

"(He) was truly a community institution," Kruzan said. "It's amazing to reflect upon the change he must have seen throughout the legal and general communities during his decades of service."