Marjorie Dick Rombauer

Marjorie Dick Rombauer was born May 11, 1927 to Jasper and Ellen (Kline) Dick. She graduated from Langdon High School in 1945. In her mid-20’s, Marjorie left North Dakota and began golfing her way across the United States with an end goal of California but “ran out of money in Seattle.”

In Seattle, Marjorie met and married her husband Edgar, an accomplished attorney, completed her BA in 1958 and her JD in 1960. After graduating #1 in her class from the University of Washington Law School, Marjorie was offered a position as an instructor at her alma mater. Marjorie continued at the UW Law School as an Assistant Professor, an Associate Professor, a Professor and finally as Acting Dean. She was the first female tenured professor. In 1993, Marjorie retired as Emeritus Professor.

Marjorie authored a number of law school textbooks and is widely considered the founding mother of the field of legal writing. In 1994, the National Association of Legal Writing Directors established an award in her name to honor contributions to the legal writing field.
She received numerous awards and honors over the years, including the 2011 Burton Award for Excellence in Legal Writing Education, the Washington State Bar Association’s Award of Honor and Merit for her work in drafting and securing enactment of the 1987 Enforcement of Judgments Act and an award for Distinguished Service to the Profession from the Association of American Law Schools. In 2000, alumni voted her one of the ten outstanding teachers in the law school’s first 100 years.

Marjorie was also an accomplished musician playing the trumpet, piano and accordion. Over the last several years she enjoyed playing in an accordion quartet and wrote reviews for the Northwest Accordion News.

Marjorie passed away at her home in West Seattle on Friday, September 23, 2016 at the age of 89. She is survived by step-children Ed (Claudia) Rombauer, Rod (Susan) Rombauer and Jeff (Loretta) Rombauer and their families, nieces & nephews and their spouses Harriet Smith, Glenn Wageman, Richard Dick, Jennifer Dick, Charles Dick, Jasper Dick and Linda Brasgalla (Daniel) and their families. She is survived by several great, great-great, and great-great-great step-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. (Marjorie made a comment that she was trying to see how many “greats” she could collect in front of her name.) Marjorie was preceded in death by her husband, Edgar R. Rombauer, Jr, parents Jack and Ellen Dick, step-daughter, Judy Rooks, brothers Gerald Dick and Kenneth Dick, nephew Roger Dick, niece Penelope Wageman and others. Interment will be at the Malung Cemetery (in Roseau, MN) by her brother, Kenneth Dick.

As stated by a colleague, “She succeeded by being, very simply, the best at whatever she did.”