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Beloved Akron Law professor passes away
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: February 13, 2017
She was one of the first women to teach at The University of Akron School of Law and while Dana Furth Castle was a trailblazer in her career, those closest to her will remember her for her strength, astute advice and never-ending sense of adventure.
Castle passed away on Jan. 8 at the age of 85.
“I was the luckiest girl in the world to have her as a mother,” said her daughter Sarah Rossi. “She was always there for us even though she had a full-time career.
“She had a good heart, great sense of humor and could laugh at herself and the situations around her.”
Bill Jordan III, C. Blake McDowell Professor of Law at The University of Akron School of Law, described Castle as “very smart, kind and generous.
“She was a very well respected teacher known for her high standards and no-nonsense approach in the classroom,” said Jordan.
Born on July 6, 1931 in Brooklyn, New York, Castle grew up in New York City.
Rossi said her mother developed a passion for culture during her time in New York that lasted her entire life.
“She enjoyed theater, opera, classical music, museums, literature and travel and she never lost her love for the city,” said Rossi. “She took me to visit New York. She never forgot her way around.
“My mom was also an ardent Brooklyn Dodgers fan,” said Rossi. “She attended many games with her mother and friends and she even appeared on the Red Barber radio show.”
After graduating from Hunter College High School in New York City, Castle enrolled at Cornell University. She received her bachelor’s degree in sociology and began a career in market research, working for several firms and an advertising agency on Madison Avenue.
Castle, who has two children and is divorced, moved to Akron in 1967. When she graduated from The University of Akron School of Law in 1973, she was one of three women in her class.
She began her career at Akron Law in 1974 when former Dean Albert Rakas hired her to be the school’s first female legal clinic director. Rossi said her mother went on to become assistant to the dean and then a tenured law professor.
Dean Emeritus and Professor of Law Emeritus Richard Aynes said that Castle also was the first professor to be part of the school’s exchange program with the University of Wolverhampton in England.
“The late professor Castle was an outstanding teacher and a very fair person,” said Aynes.
Former Akron Law Legal Clinic Director and Professor of Law Emeritus J. Dean Carro first met Castle around 1976 when he was a student and she was in the dean’s office.
“Dana was a pioneer,” said Carro. “It was very tough being a female lawyer at that time. There were fewer women in law school when she attended but starting in 1974 or so more female students were admitted.
“When she began to teach the percentage of female law students was about 30 to 40, but she was only the second female faculty member.
“She was one of the school’s early role models for women,” said Carro, now working as of counsel at Baker, Dublikar, Beck, Wiley & Mathews. “She was a person who clearly understood the role of a teacher and that was to teach the student how to be a lawyer, not to be the student’s friend.
“She was demanding and rigorous at a time when those qualities were not that acceptable for a woman to possess. I’m sure she got a lot of pushback.”
In 1994, Castle received the Outstanding Professor Award from the Black Law Students Association.
She retired as professor emeritus in 2000 and three years later Castle was given the Outstanding Alumni Award.
Carolyn Dessin, Aileen McMurray Trusler Professor of Law, took over Castle’s contracts classes after she retired.
“We first met during a hiring conference in Washington, D.C. when I was looking for a teaching job,” said Dessin. “She was part of a team that picked me to interview at Akron Law.
“She retired one year after I was hired,” said Dessin. “Dana was brilliant. I had some of the best conversations about law with her. She and I stayed friends. She had a great sense of style and loved beautiful things.
“We would get together once a month and share our love of classical music,” said Dessin. “Sometimes we would go to concerts and other times we would enjoy Indian food. She was a great friend. I miss her terribly.”
Tracy Thomas, John F. Seiberling Chair of Constitutional Law and director of the Constitutional Law Center at Akron Law, said Castle was her assigned faculty mentor when she first started her job at the law school.
“Dana gave me the lay of the land and answered any questions I had,” said Thomas. “The most important piece of advice that she gave me as a new female professor was that each semester you need to ‘start out strict. You can always ease up later.’ She said it was important to do it this way so that students would respect you.”
She said Castle also held an annual women’s pizza night at her home at the end of the year.
“It was an informal networking event for faculty and administrators where everyone could discuss any concerns they had or talk about ideas,” said Thomas.
In addition to teaching, Castle served as a trustee on the Medina County Mental Health Board and was a member of the Akron Bar Association Lawyers Assistance Committee. The three-time cancer survivor also volunteered at Stewart’s Caring Place in Akron.
“My mother always tried to help people. My brother and I were so proud of her for all her accomplishments,” said Rossi. “She did so much at a time when it was not the norm for a woman to have a career and raise a family on her own.
“I used to visit her at the law school to see what she did,” said Rossi, explaining that her mother inspired her to be a lawyer.
“Growing up, she always made sure that I knew anything was possible.”
Rossi, who obtained her juris doctor from Akron Law during the time when Castle was a teacher, said her mother had a reputation of being “demanding but fair.
“She was very proud of the legal profession and so proud when I decided to go to law school. By the time I attended Akron Law the class was 50 percent female.”
Rossi said her mother always made the most of life. She continued her hobby of gardening and met friends. Her last trip to New York City was in 2015 for Rossi’s birthday.
A memorial service celebrating Castle’s life was held on Jan. 14 at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron.
“My mom was very strong and always about moving forward onto the next adventure,” said Rossi. “She was not about pity. She was about solving problems and she always gave great advice. Her grandchildren would often go to her to talk about their problems.
“We will all miss her greatly.”
Castle is survived by her children Jonothan Castle and Sarah (Gregory) Rossi; grandchildren Caitlin and Bridget Castle and Matthew and Grace Rossi as well as her brother and sister-in-law Leon and Bea Furth of Dunwoody, Georgia.