In Memoriam: George Hettrick
George Harrison Hettrick, 81, an accomplished attorney, a life-long public servant, and a former board member and an ever-lasting friend of the Virginia Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program (formerly Lawyers Helping Lawyers) passed away on November 24, 2021.
His friend and colleague David Mercer provided the following remembrance:
“George was relentless in his effort to save others and help develop LHL. The ‘contract’ [the Rehabilitation and Monitoring Agreement used by VJLAP] is George’s sole idea and creation – he saw the need for a lawyer to agree to get help, and a written contract was both the bait and the cure- structure with contractual consequences. George was a very humble scholar – I mean come on Cornell and Harvard!! You would never hear him boast. He loved his firm and until his death was grateful for the understanding the leaders always demonstrated in assisting efforts to save lawyers who just happened to have a disease. Our profession is fortunate to have had George as long as we did – to say he will be missed is the classic understatement. Love you George.”
Kate Duvall who worked with him during her first year of practice commented: “George was a good man with a great laugh. He was a true justice warrior and his leadership changed the lives of scores of people. I was incredibly lucky to have him as my first boss as a new attorney. He will be missed by many.”
His family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to VJLAP in his honor at https://vjlap.org/get-involved/donate/ . Several people have already done so, and we want you to know we are cornering all of those donations for the Board of Directors to determine the best way to honor George.
VJLAP Executive Director, Tim Carroll remarked: “Sadness has fallen over us all, but we recognize that George would want us to soldier on, and so we will in his memory.”
Read his full obituary: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/timesdispatch/name/george-hettrick-obituary?id=31676265