John A. DeFrancisco, 1968 (Baseball)
In 1968, John was the recipient of the ECAC Scholar-Athlete Award and the Manley Scholar-Athlete Award. A member of Sigma Phi Epsilon, he was also president of SU’s chapter of the American Institute of Industrial Engineers and vice president of Tau Beta Phi, an engineering honor society. He graduated cum laude and first in his class, enrolling at Duke University’s College of Law on an academic scholarship. At Duke he was a member of the editorial board of the Duke Law Journal and graduated in the top ten percent of his class.
John served in the U.S. Air Force as a judge advocate from 1972-75 during the Vietnam War. Following his honorable discharge, John returned to Syracuse where he was appointed assistant district attorney for Onondaga County. He returned to the classroom in 1977 as a visiting professor of law at SU where he taught Constitutional Law and Criminal Law. In 1978 he opened a private law practice, but continued to teach as an adjunct professor until 1990. John is presently a partner with Harris, Beach & Wilcox, LLP. He has successfully tried well-publicized civil cases and has also served the indigent as counsel assigned by the courts.
Active in many charitable and community organizations, John includes in his service president of the CNY Leukemia Society and a member of its national board of trustees. He was a founding member and president of the Combined Health Appeal. Elected to the Syracuse Board of Education in 1978, John served as president of that board and vice president of the Large City Boards of Education. He further served his community for eight years as councilor-at-large and for three years as president of the Syracuse Common Council. In 1992, John was elected to the New York State Senate. Currently he is chairman of the Senate Committee on Tourism, Recreation and Sports Development.
John is a member of the Varsity Club and Orange Pack. An avid SU sports fan, rumor has it that he once missed a Common Council meeting to cheer on the Basketball Orangemen in the Carrier Dome.
John served in the U.S. Air Force as a judge advocate from 1972-75 during the Vietnam War. Following his honorable discharge, John returned to Syracuse where he was appointed assistant district attorney for Onondaga County. He returned to the classroom in 1977 as a visiting professor of law at SU where he taught Constitutional Law and Criminal Law. In 1978 he opened a private law practice, but continued to teach as an adjunct professor until 1990. John is presently a partner with Harris, Beach & Wilcox, LLP. He has successfully tried well-publicized civil cases and has also served the indigent as counsel assigned by the courts.
Active in many charitable and community organizations, John includes in his service president of the CNY Leukemia Society and a member of its national board of trustees. He was a founding member and president of the Combined Health Appeal. Elected to the Syracuse Board of Education in 1978, John served as president of that board and vice president of the Large City Boards of Education. He further served his community for eight years as councilor-at-large and for three years as president of the Syracuse Common Council. In 1992, John was elected to the New York State Senate. Currently he is chairman of the Senate Committee on Tourism, Recreation and Sports Development.
John is a member of the Varsity Club and Orange Pack. An avid SU sports fan, rumor has it that he once missed a Common Council meeting to cheer on the Basketball Orangemen in the Carrier Dome.
