On Thursday, April 26 Kim and I traveled to Philadelphia for 2018 20th Annual Elder & Disability Law Retreat where I was honored to receive the New Jersey State Bar Association 2018 Mary WanderPolo Award. This award is presented each year in recognition of advocacy and service on behalf of the elder and disabled community.
Mary WanderPolo, was a nationally recognized leader in the elder law community and founding partner of WanderPolo & Siegel in Montclair, N.J. Mary was honored as a fellow of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and was the co-author of West’s New Jersey Practice Series on Elder Law. Mary pledged her life and career to helping others deal with disability, aging and end of life.
Mary believed strongly in giving back to her community as well. She cooked and served food for the homeless and hungry at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Montclair, where she was also a member of the choir. A gifted musician, Mary regularly performed for community and senior groups. She also served on the Board of the United Way Caregivers Coalition as well as hospital and bar ethics committees.
Mary lived the advice she gave her clients to the end. She surrounded herself with music, friends and family and was cared for in her final days by St. Barnabas Health Hospice and Palliative Care Center, where she was a Member on the Board of Trustees.
Last year’s recipient of the award was Bill Lyon, a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. In the early stages of his illness he wrote a number of articles for the inquirer about his life with Alzheimer’s.
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