Monroe Inker, Class of 1942

From the Boston Herald, Tuesday, April 18, 2006:

Monroe Inker of Newton, a lawyer, teacher and author, died Saturday of heart failure at his home. He was 80.

Born in Boston, Mr. Inker grew up in Brighton Beach, N.Y., where he attended Townsend Harris High School. He later attended Harvard Law School on the GI Bill.

He began his law career as a criminal defense lawyer before moving into family law in the 1960s. His advocacy for women’s rights and child welfare led to the passage of no-fault divorce and equitable division of marital assets statute in 1975.

As a young man, Mr. Inker taught at Harvard and Northeastern University Law School. Later, he taught at Boston College and Suffolk Law School. He and Charles Kindregan co-wrote the four-volume Massachusetts Practice Books on Family Law, now in its fourth edition. He also co-wrote an annual paperback on domestic relations rules.

He was active in many bar associations and was on the editorial board of the American Bar Association Family Law Quarterly for many years. Mr. Inker is survived by his wife of 46 years, Elaine; two daughters, Lauren of Needham and Rachel of Jericho, Vt.; four grandchildren and a niece.