Obituary

Updated 11:00 AM December 19, 2003

Vera Bolgar

Vera Bolgar, longtime research associate and colleague of comparative law pioneer Hessel Yntema, died in Ann Arbor Dec. 3 at age 83. She had lived in Ann Arbor since 1949, when she became a research associate of Yntema—a Law School professor and founding editor of the American Journal of Comparative Law.

Bolgar was executive secretary and an associate editor of the journal during its stay in Ann Arbor from 1952-71. In the 1960s, she met Ruth Bader Ginsburg, now a Supreme Court justice, who at the time was a newcomer to the board of the journal.

"Vera's hearty welcome helped me over my shyness and fear of speaking in a group so learned in civilian ways of working in the law," Ginsburg said in a statement. "We shared some amusing adventures in diverse places—Hamburg, Uppsala and Pescara stand out in my memory. Ever resourceful, Vera had the best cure for a fever that threatened to place me out of commission far from home. Drink this, she insisted. The slivovitz [plum brandy] she carried with her put me promptly to sleep, and I woke the next morning very much improved."

Bolgar was born Dec. 12, 1913, in Budapest, Hungary. She married Imre (Emery) Bolgar in 1933; the mathematician died during World War II.

In 1948, Vera Bolgar became the first woman to receive a doctorate of law and political science from the University of Budapest. She fled communist Hungary on foot the next year and emigrated to the United States, where she became a citizen in 1955.

She worked briefly as a research associate at the University of Chicago Law School, then moved to Ann Arbor. Her association with the American Journal of Comparative Law began with Yntema and continued with Editors-in-Chief B.J. George and Al Conard, both Law School professors.

Bolgar was fluent in four languages and could read three others. She published articles, book reviews, and translations on comparative law from 1952-2000 in journals here and in Europe. She also undertook a substantial translation on comparative tort law for the Max Planck Institute of Foreign and Private International Law in Germany.

A memorial service will be at 4 p.m. Dec. 15 in the Lawyer's Club at the Law School. Memorial contributions may be made to the Michigan Law School Fund, Hutchins Hall, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1215.

Said Ginsburg: "I count it my good fortune to have known her as teacher, traveling companion and friend."

—Submitted by Tom Rogers, Law School, with additional information provided by the Glacier Hills Retirement Community

Vera Bolgar

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