Attorney in school desegregation suits dies Attorney in school desegregation suits dies (July 13, 2005)

By Marjorie Mader

Almanac Staff Writer

Attorney Sidney Laufer Berlin, a crusader for school desegregation, whose landmark court case was designed to boost educational opportunities for black and Latino students on the Peninsula, will be remembered Sunday, July 17, at a memorial service in Napa.

Mr. Berlin, 78, a former Atherton and Redwood City resident, died peacefully at his Calistoga home June 26. His memorial service begins at 3:30 p.m. in Congregation Beth Sholom at 1455 Elm St. in Napa.

He was the lead attorney, working pro bono in 1976 with Jack Robertson of Menlo Park and Gerald Marer of Palo Alto, in the legal case Tinsley v. Palo Alto that resulted in the Tinsley Voluntary Transfer Plan 10 years later.

The court-ordered Tinsley settlement now enables a specific number of students living in the predominantly minority Ravenswood City School District to transfer each year to the high-performing elementary school districts in Menlo Park, Las Lomitas, Portola Valley, Woodside, San Carlos and Belmont and the Palo Alto Unified School District.

The three attorneys, representing Margaret and Bill Tinsley and other parents from Ravenswood and nearby school districts, argued that the children in the low-performing Ravenswood district lacked the same quality of education that students received in the nearby high-performing and predominantly white districts.

Mr. Berlin was the last surviving member of the legal Tinsley trio that represented the plaintiffs in one of the first desegregation cases that crossed county and school district boundaries.

"My father considered a series of desegregation cases he handled, especially Tinsley v. Palo Alto, the most important contribution of his long and varied career," said his daughter Elaine Berlin White of Menlo Park, who practiced law with her father in Redwood City.

Earlier, Mr. Berlin had been the lead attorney on two other desegregation cases, Gompertz v. Chase and Sanders v. Sequoia, which were aimed at desegregation of the Sequoia Union High School District.

The Tinsley transfer program gradually integrated minority children into mostly white classrooms at an early age when they could benefit from diversity and additional educational resources.

More personally, Mr. Berlin's 9-year-old granddaughter, Sarah Fishback, attends school in the Menlo Park district and enjoys the benefit of a more integrated classroom as a result of her grandfather's devotion to equal opportunity for all children, said Ms. White.

"Sid Berlin was a giant of a lawyer who never lost sight of those who had less but needed more," said State Sen. Jackie Speier, a close friend for 25 years. "He was a passionate Democrat and fierce civil rights advocate, and I was privileged to call him a friend and mentor."

Born in Detroit in 1927, Mr. Berlin moved with his family to Los Angeles and enlisted in the Navy at age 17. Later, he graduated with high honors from Fresno State College and from the University of Santa Clara Law School. He began his law practice on the Peninsula, handling civil, criminal and family law.

The Berlin family moved from Redwood City to Atherton in 1967 so that his oldest daughter Elaine and later his other three children could go to ethnically diverse Menlo-Atherton High School.

Mr. Berlin took a leadership role in community and civic activities, including with Rotary International, B'nai B'rith, Salvation Army and the San Mateo County Service League. He also was a member of the Redwood City Planning Commission.

He is survived by his wife, Peggy Berlin of Calistoga. Previously, he was married to Diane Berlin of Menlo Park with whom he had four children. They are: Elaine White, Ruth Wheeler and Elizabeth Fishback, all of Menlo Park; and Louis Berlin of Aliso Viejo.

He also is survived by seven grandchildren, Matthew White, Suzanne White, Rebecca White, Jennifer Baker, Daniel Berlin, Andrew Berlin and Sarah Fishback.

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