IN MEMORY OF DANNY DALE HULLINGER
By Louis Vigorita
Workers' Compensation Judge Danny Hullinger, age 67, died recently of a heart attack. Survived by spouse Katharine, son Matthew (age 11) and daughter Saffron (age 8), he had recently returned from a family trip to the Grand Canyon.
Judge Hullinger*s family filled his office walls with photos and mementos. He never expected that he would have children, and when he had them late in life he was overjoyed, often beguiling us with their stories and events that never endingly enthralled him. At his memorial service, the judge*s father-in-law read excerpts from the diaries the judge started when the children were born, entries that showed how cherished they were.
An Iowa native, he interjected a little mid-western down home wisdom whenever he got a chance. Before his appointment as a Workers' Compensation Judge, he was an attorney for the State Compensation Insurance Fund. As an Air Force mechanic he nurtured his love for airplanes. He flew every chance he got, and thoroughly enjoyed the recent B-17 flights at Camarillo Airport. In chambers he showed attorneys the numerous photos that he took during these flights.
Judge Hullinger was a very hard working judge in a system he found frustrating and wasteful. Still, he never avoided difficult decisions, and he worked hard to get his voluminous case load resolved. He was expeditious in his settlement conferences and never shirked from setting a case for trial. He was never afraid of taking the Appeals Board to task with an issue that irked him and there were many. His last few months on the bench involved many of the unfortunate issues that were created by the recent reform bill signed into law on April 19, 2004. Still, he never missed a step and continued to provide respect and patience to those who appeared before him.
Judge Hullinger was a respectful gentleman who understood his role in life and pursued it with all his energy, leaving a loving family and a respectful bar. Last month there was standing room only at the Ventura Missionary Church at his memorial service. "We've lost our big brother," commented one of his co-workers.
Lou Vigorita is a Ventura attorney practicing personal injury, workers' compensation and Social Security law. He is a member of CITATIONS* editorial board
