Donald H. Wollett

Branch Rickey is quoted as saying, “Luck is the residue of design.” Don Wollett loved baseball and was a great believer in Branch Rickey, going so far as to apply to work for Rickey when Rickey was the St. Louis Cardinals’ general manager. Don admired Rickey, particularly when Rickey broke Major League’s color barrier by bringing #42 — Jackie Robinson — to play second base for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Don served as a salary arbitrator, resolving salary disputes between clubs and players in the 1980s and later worked for baseball agent Scott Boras, advising him on labor issues involving his players. Don’s rich professional history included practicing and teaching law and arbitrating labor disputes between unions and employers.

Don died at age 95 Sept. 23 at his residence at the Home on the Harbor in Freeland. He was born July 5, 1919, in Muscatine, Iowa, and grew up in Peoria, Ill. He was near the top of his class academically and won the Illinois high school debate championship with his speech “the Nine Old Men,” criticizing the Supreme Court decisions overturning New Deal legislation. Don attended Bradley University and law schools at the universities of Chicago and Indiana. Upon receiving his law degree, he enlisted in the US Navy in 1942 and became a “90-day wonder,” a reference to his training as a Midshipman, which eventually landed him a Lieutenant’s rank. He was assigned to small anti-submarine craft chasing Nazi subs in the Gulf of Mexico. At age 25, he was given his own ship, a SC511. One memory from his service days occurred Aug. 7, 1945, the day following the bombing of Hiroshima, when he received a telegram while in the South Pacific, announcing the birth of his son, Fritz.

Don and his wife, Anne, whom he met at Bradley University, moved to Seattle in 1946 so Don could accept a position on the faculty of the University of Washington. He taught labor law, constitutional law and torts for 12 years. He co-authored a law review article which was cited by the Supreme Court in its “Trilogy” decisions in 1961. He also practiced law and was a founding attorney of the first ACLU chapter in Seattle. Perhaps his most demanding obligation came when he was appointed UW Faculty Athletic Representative in 1957 following the NCAA’s discovery of illegal payments to Husky football players. It was his unfortunate task to represent the UW athletic program to determine what punishment the NCAA would assess against the Huskies for their misconduct, a job he performed with skill and discretion.

In 1959 New York University School of Law called. Don accepted a position on the faculty and moved to New York. He had strong views on civil liberties and co-started the Arthur Garfield Hays Civil Liberties Program to identify and report on constitutional violations throughout the country. The Hays program educated students and attorneys on constitutional issues. After NYU, he taught for two years at Louisiana State University, a venue where Don’s strong views on racial equality were met with hostility by segregationists. Don represented the National Education Association for 10 years as an attorney in New York City in the ’60s and ’70s and was a leader in bringing bargaining rights to public school teachers. He co-authored a book with Robert Chanin on teacher negotiations that is still referenced today.

Don moved to California in 1971 and taught at the University of California, Davis Law School. In 1975 he was on the move again when New York governor Hugh Carey offered him a position in the Carey cabinet as State Director of Employee Relations. Don returned to California a few years later to teach at McGeorge School of Law, where he stayed through the 1980s. Don also arbitrated in excess of 3,000 cases and was well-known throughout the union-employer community, public and private, for the fair and friendly manner in which he conducted his hearings and the well-reasoned decisions he rendered.

A great father-son moment occurred at 10 a.m. East Coast Time April 21, 1987, when Don sat at counsel table while his son argued a case of federal jurisdiction before the US Supreme Court. Don co-authored the winning brief with Fritz and those white shoe lawyers from Chicago never had a chance — a unanimous victory for the Wolletts.

Don retired to Whidbey Island in 2000 to be close to his son, son’s then-wife Susan and granddaughter Dylan. Don lived with his beloved German Shepherd, Major, and late wife, Ruth, in their house overlooking Cultus Bay. During that time, he wrote “Getting on Base,” based on his love of baseball and his time as a salary arbitrator and advocate. Don left a special gift to all of us last year when he completed his autobiography, “Dog Law,” co-authored with then-Whidbey Island resident, Susan Crowell.

Don was a strong believer in social justice and enjoyed a good political discussion. He loved dogs and cats. He enjoyed his final 14 years on Whidbey Island and made many friends. Special thanks to Sandra Taylor at Home on the Harbor and her staff for the care and love Don received during the past two years. Two daughters, Jenny Campbell and Penny Wollett, and his only sibling, Joan Carrel, predeceased Don. He is survived by Fritzl; Dylan; grandson Brent Campbell of Sacramento, Calif.; and granddaughter Jenny Kay Wollett of Las Vegas. Donations can be made to the Unitarian-Universalist Congregation of Whidbey Island, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) or Whidbey Animals Improvement Foundation (WAIF). A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18 at the Universalist-Unitarian church located at 20108 State Route 525, Freeland.