Commentary: Remembering Frederick DeKuyper, former general counsel

Daily Record, The (Baltimore), Sep 29, 2008 by Jim Astrachan

Fred DeKuyper, retired associate general counsel at the Johns Hopkins University for more than three decades, died last week; he was only 70. Aside from what was referred to outside counsel, Fred and ultimately six colleagues handled all of the university's legal matters -- a massive workload by anyone's standards. Fred had Hopkins blood in his veins. He loved the university, his Hopkins clients and his work. He was extremely proud of his association with the school.

I knew Fred for more than 20 years, although I am at a loss to recall where we first met. If I was to be put under oath, I would testify that likely we met through the newly formed Intellectual Property Law Committee of the Maryland State Bar Association. Fred relished IP law, although he was also a top-notch employment and labor lawyer, and became the third chair of the committee.

I really liked Fred and enjoyed spending time with him. We had a lot in common and over the years I knew him, we spent hours talking about many things, including his childhood in Stevenson in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He lived on Englemead Drive off Stevenson Road, just on the southern rim of the Greenspring Valley in a pre- Revolutionary War brick house that is still standing, surrounded by 50 acres of farm and woodland.

His dad, a medical doctor, described himself as a gentleman farmer, and would quip, "I'm the gentleman, my sons are the farmers." When not performing his assigned farm chores, a young Fred roamed the Valley hunting and fishing, embedding in his soul a life- long love of the outdoors. It was an experience I shared with Fred, albeit in rural Connecticut.

After graduating from Hopkins he joined Army Intelligence and, following his tour of duty, went to law school and eventually to Hopkins where he and Estelle Fishbein formed the office of General Counsel. In those days, Fred and Estelle did all the work. He adored his career, his colleagues and his clients.

Although Fred was reserved and could be a somewhat formal gentleman of the old school, he was prone to belly-laughing with little provocation. There was a delightful boy-like quality about him. Reminiscent of his boyhood voyages in the Greenspring Valley, Fred relished hiking the mountain trails of Europe while on vacation, and would descend from the mountain each evening to a village for a night's lodging and rest. And, then, back to the trails the next day, unless it was time to fly home.

Fred was an excellent lawyer, as defined by skill, a deep caring for those under his care and hard work. He was a counselor and educator to the staff and professors at Hopkins, and from time to time he would cajole me or a colleague to help him in a lunchtime lecture to a department or a gaggle of professors. Fred always wanted to give those in his charge the legal tools and guidance they needed to succeed, and preached preventative practices. And he was a tough negotiator who usually got what he wanted.

Fred was a founding member of The Johns Hopkins University Credit Union and a member of the board of directors of the Johns Hopkins Club for more than 20 years; he was president of the club in the 1990s and I am certain the club ran perfectly during his tenure. And through Hopkins humanitarian projects Fred assisted impoverished people all over the world.

When he retired from Hopkins in 1999, Fred joined our firm as counsel. He dealt with IP, technology transfer, university and publishing issues, but clearly he was slowing down. One of the last matters Fred handled at our firm was securing substantial back royalties from the publisher of an international scientific journal. Likely, this is the reason that in 2006 Fred was awarded the Society's Service Award, an award only given in the past to professional members of this academic society.

Fred never mentioned the award to any of us. Still, he was a caring mentor to all of us, and a valuable resource. Knowing he was available for a discussion about an esoteric legal issue was a great comfort and help. But often our conversations would quickly morph from law or business into pistol shooting -- Fred took no chances and was a magnum fan -- or hiking and outdoor activities.

I enjoyed Fred's company immensely. I did not see him often enough following his decision in 2004 to no longer practice law, but darn if I don't miss him a lot, and wish I had tried to spend more time with him.

Fred is survived by his wife, Mary Hundley DeKuyper, his son Gordon, his daughter Sarah and two grandchildren.

James B. Astrachan is the author of The Law of Advertising, published by Matthew Bender-Lexis/Nexis.