Daniel Dykstra, a co-founder of the UC Davis School of Law, died last week of complications from leukemia. He was 84. Dykstra came to campus in 1965 as a member of the founding faculty of the law school and was the school's second dean from 1971 until 1974. A teacher of law for more than 50 years, Dykstra graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1938 with a bachelor's degree in history. He taught history and debate at Frederic High School in Frederic, Wisc., until World War II, when he enlisted in the Navy in 1942 and spent the duration of the war in the North African theater. After the war, he attended law school at the University of Wisconsin in 1947, graduating first in his class. He taught law for a year at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, before moving to the University of Utha where he progressed rapidly from associate professor to dean, a post he held from 1954 to 1961. Once he arrived at UC Davis, Dykstra put his energies into building the school. Following his term as dean, he returned to his first love, teaching. His skills were recognized by other many other law schools; he was a visiting professor at Hastings School of Law, Stanford School of Law and law schools in Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin. He also served on the faculty at the Salzburg Seminar in American Studies in Salzburg, Austria, in 1964. Dykstra specialized in corporations, securities regulation and products liability. "By the time he arrived at UC Davis as our founding faculty member, Dan Dykstra was already an accomplished legal scholar, distinguished teacher and effective administrator," said Rex Perschbacher, current law school dean. Perschbacher said Dykstra would lend each of those skills to build an outstanding law school at Davis in a few short years. "But his greatest gift to King Hall and his lasting legacy has been his common decency, his integrity, and his honest concern and respect for his colleagues, students and staff," Perschbacher said. He officially retired in 1986, but continued teaching every year at some law school, often in Hawaii, until he ended his career in 1996. A memorial service will take place in early May at the law school. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Daniel J. Dykstra Faculty Excellence Fund. Donations should be sent to the law school c/o Dove Development, Alumni and Public Relations, 508 Second St., Suite 203, Davis, CA 95616-4664.