Seymour Abrahams – The Mercury Information
Seymour (Sy) Abrahams 1932 – 2023 Resident of Los Gatos Sy was born in San Francisco to immigrant parents, who, although they themselves had little formal education, sacrificed so that their sons could complete law school and dental school, for which Sy and his brother Norman were eternally grateful. In 1935, the family moved to Redwood City. Growing up in that small town of about 16,000 people at the time, Sy did various odd jobs, including mowing lawns, selling magazines door to door, and delivering the San Francisco Call-Bulletin and the Redwood City Tribune newspapers. One summer, during World War II, he cut apricots for drying at an orchard in Los Altos, a typical pre-Silicon Valley era activity. He also hawked hot dogs, cokes, and programs at Stanford football games, helping to develop his loud and deep voice by yelling as he went up and down the aisles. Sy was active in Boy Scout Troop 149 and earned the Eagle Scout rank. He attended Sequoia High School, where he was elected Commissioner of Cultural Activities and was director of the annual Varieties show. Starting San Jose State in 1949, Sy was Sophomore Class president and a member of the Student Council. In 1952, he was chosen as the Outstanding Male Student for the year. He later won the campus “Ugly Man” charity money raising contest for 1953. During the summers while in college he worked in canneries and in the laboratory of a cement mill. On graduation from San Jose State, he received a full scholarship to Stanford Law School, where he was selected for the Stanford Law Review. On graduation, Sy served as a law clerk for California Supreme Court Justices Homer Spence and Roger Traynor. Sy was also a sergeant in the army reserve in the 351st Civil Affairs Headquarters unit. Sy worked for small law firms in San Francisco and San Jose for several years before opening his own law office in Los Gatos. He was active in local Los Gatos affairs, including membership in the Los Gatos Jaycees and the Los Gatos Lions club. He was the President of the West Valley Bar Association and a trustee of the Santa Clara County Bar Association. He was a fund raiser for Happy Hollow and obtained the tax exempt status for the Happy Hollow Corporation. After working on a parks bond issue, Sy was appointed to the Los Gatos Parks Commission, where he served for three years as its first chairman. In 1968, he was elected to the Los Gatos Town Council. Sy served on the Town Council for four years, including terms as vice-mayor and mayor. He also served on the board of the Santa Clara County Economic Opportunity Commission. Sy was appointed a United States Bankruptcy Judge for Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito Counties in 1975. While on the bankruptcy bench, Sy’s best known cases were the Bill Bonanno discharge proceeding and the San Jose Unified School District Chapter 9 case. In 1982, Sy was appointed to the Bankruptcy Appellate Panels to hear appeals from the decisions of other bankruptcy judges throughout the west. He was also appointed to an eight member national committee assisting in the transition to the then new Bankruptcy Code. He helped draft the Emergency Rule that temporarily resolved the then bankruptcy jurisdiction crisis, and he was a frequent lecturer at seminars on bankruptcy law. On leaving the bankruptcy bench in 1986, Sy worked for a large national law firm for three years before opening his own office in San Jose. For the next 15 years, Sy practiced law as a solo bankruptcy specialist representing primarily creditors and trustees. Sy met his wife in late 1961. In February 1963 they married and began 60 years of happy married life. Their sons and grandsons have been the center of their lives. Sy was predeceased by his parents and his brother, and his niece. He is survived by his wife, two sons (their wives), three grandsons, sister in law, a niece, several grand nieces and nephews, a great grand nephew and niece, and numerous cousins. If you wish to make a memorial donation, Sy supported the GBS/CIDP Foundation International (gbs-cidp.org).