Charles E. Rice, professor emeritus of law, died Wednesday at the age of 83, according to a press release issued by the University on Friday.
Rice graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in 1953 and earned his juris doctor degree from Boston College in 1956, the press release said. He went on to earn a master of laws and doctor of juridical sciences from New York University in 1959 and 1962, respectively, the press release said.
Rice then entered private practice in New York City and taught at C.W. Post College, New York University and Fordham University before joining the Notre Dame law faculty in 1969, the press release said.
A popular teacher, Rice was a pro-life advocate who co-authored many legal briefs on right-to-life and right-to-die issues, according to the press release. Rice also authored thirteen books, the press release said.
While at Notre Dame, Rice was a coach, referee and faculty advisor for the University's annual Bengal Bouts, which raises money for the Holy Cross Missions in Bangladesh, the press release said.
"Professor Charles Rice epitomized all that is best about Notre Dame,” Fr. Wilson Miscamble, professor of history, said in the press release. “His contribution as a teacher and scholar in the Law School influenced at least two generations of students to become lawyers who saw their work as a vocation and not just a career. His profound commitment to the pro-life cause and to the truths of natural law, which were so evident in his writings, and in his speaking and television appearances, gave him an influence far beyond the Notre Dame campus.”
A funeral Mass for Rice will be celebrated Monday at St. Joseph Church in Mishawaka, Indiana, at 11 a.m., the press release said. Visitation will be held Saturday from 4 to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 2 to 7 p.m. at Hahn Funeral Home in Mishawaka.
