Tribute to John Van Aken

VAN AKEN, John T. was a tireless advocate for the mentally ill in Santa Barbara, and particularly for those going through the criminal justice system. John was a panelist at the FACT Town Hall Meeting held at the Faulkner Gallery in spring of 2007. Thank you, John for all that you did to help Santa Barbara County residents dealing with mental illness and co-occuring disorders!

John died peacefully on January 9th, 2010. He was born on April 9th, 1922 in Elkhart , Indiana and grew up in Coldwater, Michigan. He attended the University of Michigan for both undergraduate studies and a law degree. His studies were interrupted when he enlisted as a Lieutenant Junior Grade in the navy during World War II, assigned to a light cruiser in the Pacific. After acquiring his law degree, he practiced in Chicago as a partner at Seyfarth Shaw. His specialty was labor relations for management. In 1978 he transferred to New York to open a Seyfarth Shaw office in Manhattan. Upon retiring he moved to Santa Barbara and devoted his energies to advocacy for the mentally ill, serving as president of the Mental Health Association of Santa Barbara for two years, and as chairman of the Public Policy Committee. John is survived by his wife, Doris, their sons; James and John R. with his wife Kathryn, and his twin brother, Mark with his wife Dolores. A memorial service will be held at the Valle Verde Retirement Community on January 23rd from 2:00 to 4:00pm. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to the University of Michigan or the Mental Health Association of Santa Barbara. Arrangements by Welch-Ryce-Haider Funeral Chapels.