Willard “Bill” Z. Carr Jr., a supporter of the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology and former chair and member of the school’s Board of Councilors, passed away on April 10, 2020 in Thousand Oaks, Calif. He was 92 years old.
Carr received his undergraduate degree from Purdue University in 1948 and his law degree from Indiana University School of Law in 1950. At law school, Carr served as an editor of the Indiana Law Journal. Following graduation, he served as a Captain in the Judge Advocate General’s Department of the United States Air Force. In 1952, he joined the Los Angeles firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where he practiced for 42 years until his retirement in 1994.
Carr, an internationally recognized expert on employment law and labor relations and the author of numerous publications, had a broad-based labor & employment practice. Over his career, he did significant work for Southern California Edison Company, the California Brewers Association, Anheuser Busch Company, Continental Airlines, Tosco Oil Company, the California Merchants and Manufacturers Association (now the Employers Group), and the LAPD Commission.
Carr was also extraordinarily active in the community. He was a generous supporter of the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, serving on the Board of Councilors from 1998 to 2004 and supporting both the student scholarship fund and the endowment of the Edward L. Schneider Chair in Gerontology.
He also served as Chairman of the California Chamber of Commerce and the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of the Labor and Employment Law Practice Group of the Federalist Society, and has chaired numerous committees for the International and American Bar Association. He was a founding trustee of the Police Memorial Foundation and Pacific Legal Foundation, a life fellow of the American Bar Foundation, and a fellow emeritus of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. His civic and philanthropic activities include leadership positions with the American Red Cross, the United Way, the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, the California State Parks Foundation, the Los Angeles Zoo and the California World Trade Commissions. He served on the Board of Visitors for Indiana Law School, was the 1999 recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Service Award from Indiana University, and endowed the school’s Willard and Margaret Carr Professor of Labor and Employment Chair.
Carr was an avid tennis player throughout his life. He also loved the beach, where he played beach volleyball and paddle tennis.
Carr is survived by his wife, Margaret, his wife of nearly 70 years. Carr is also survived by his son, Jeffrey, who lives in Los Angeles.
