James H. Libbey ’63
James H. Libbey ’63 died on February 13. He lived in Oakley, California, near his hometown of Antioch, California, where he attended high school and played golf. Jim graduated with a degree in economics and was a brother of Delta Kappa Epsilon and partially paid his way with his saxophone. He went on to the University of San Francisco Law School, where he obtained his J.D. in 1968. Jim was deputy district attorney for Contra Costa County from 1969 to 1971 and then formed a law firm in Antioch. In 1980 he was appointed family law commissioner for the Contra Costa Superior Court and served for 27 years until retirement in 2007. During that time he served on the California Judicial College faculty and was a member of the family law committee of the California Judges Association. He was active with law panels and as a guest lecturer. He was named the 1994 California State Bar Family Law Judge of the Year. Although mentioned occasionally as “curmudgeonly,” his courtroom was often used for training and mentoring. In his spare time Jim served on the Antioch school board and was its chairman twice. He also served on the boards of Delta Memorial Hospital and the Merritt-Peralta Medical Center. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Nancy, and three children.
