1997 Distinguished Service Citation

John Robert Kinley: former Beloit trustee, Beloit parent, attorney, tireless public servant and brother of Sigma Chi in the distinguished sixtieth Reunion Class of 1937. Whether enhancing the cultural and civic life of your native Rockford or the quality of new and veteran colleagues in the legal profession, you have set a standard of service admired by your associates and honored by your fellow citizens. For more than a half century, you have served the legal world with distinction and creativity as a founding partner in Williams & McCarthy; as a teacher, commentator, and editor for the Illinois Institutes for Legal Education and Continuing Legal Education; as an active participant in the work of county, state and national bar associations and the American College of Trust and Estate Council; and, now, as a pioneer in the emerging field of elder law. As a guiding spirit of Goodwill Industries for more than 50 years, as president of the Rockford Symphony, as a commissioner of the Illinois School Problems Commission, and as secretary of “Working with our Elders,” you have never lost sight of the needs of your community and your responsibility to the public sector.

As you brought significant honor to this College by your dedication to the highest levels of professional accomplishment and service to the commonweal, we are proud, in return, to honor you with the Alumni Association’s highest award, the Beloit College Distinguished Service Citation.