A funeral service for Vermont Law School professor Cheryl Hanna will be held at 3 p.m. Friday in Ira Allen Chapel on the University of Vermont campus, VLS officials said Tuesday.
Hanna, 48, died Sunday at her home in Burlington. The cause of death had not been revealed as of Tuesday evening.
J. Scott Cameron, a VLS trustee emeritus and former board chairman will speak at the service, the South Royalton law school said in a statement.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Cheryl’s family during this time of deepest sorrow—and with our students, alumni, faculty, and staff who mourn their colleague, teacher, and friend,” said VLS President and Dean Marc Mihaly. “Cheryl’s legacy of leadership, scholarship, advocacy, and service is an inspiration to all of us.”
Hanna, a constitutional scholar frequently called upon by the media to explain complex legal cases, was also the school’s vice president for external relations.
Vermont Law School established a “Cheryl Hanna Legacy” page at www.vermontlaw.edu/cherylhanna/, for those wishing to share their thoughts and memories. Her colleague, Patrick Parenteau, posted the following:
“She was a leader in so many ways — an accomplished scholar, a beloved teacher, a great communicator, a tireless advocate for women’s rights, the face and voice of the law school on TV and radio, a marketing maven, a savvy player in the fast paced world of the social network, and much more.But most of all she was and will always be a friend and valued colleague. She taught me how to disagree, in public, and have fun doing it. She taught me how to blog from the courtroom without the judge seeing us, while stifling a giggle. She taught me how to talk to “millennials.” She even asked if I’d get Bill McKibben to tweet the news that we had once again been voted # 1 in environmental law. Why? Because McKibben has over a million followers and that’s our market, dummy! How many nationally recognized scholars of constitutional and criminal law could tell you who’s trending on Twitter and why it matters? Cheryl’s spirit lives on in each and every person she touched. Her fire burns bright. And each of us has a solemn duty to carry that torch and pass it on, for as long as we can.”
Hanna’s family asks that contributions be made in her memory to Women Helping Battered Women, P.O. Box 1535, Burlington, VT 05402.
