I was saddened to have heard about Dan Donoghue‘s passing. He was such a lively and caring person. Witty, smart, really loved his family and golf. He always treated me with warmth and respect and understanding.
There is a memory I have of him dancing the Irish jig with his then three-year-old daughter Lainey. The look on his face, beaming with pride and joy! Or the memory from that same day of him singing "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" with her—always brings a hearty chuckle.
I have another stand-out memory of Dan that alludes to how caring he was towards people: He & I grew up in neighboring communities in New Jersey giving us lots of the same recollections of this area. In this community there is, and has been for centuries, a group of mixed race people known as The Ramapo People. These Ramapo People have been trying for years to achieve "Indigenous People" status in the USA. But unless people are from this area of the country, most people have never heard about them, nor heard about their intricate, intriguing history.
Dan even turned me onto a recent book about these people, leading us to discuss how there should be a feature film made about the plight of "The Ramapo people, a.k.a. the Stag Hill Gang, a.k.a. The Jackson Whites." Dan said he thought that would help them gain Indigenous status and the rights that they deserve. This really spoke to me, demonstrating what a true advocate of the people Dan really was, Not just as a lawyer, but as an advocate, he cared.
- Savvy Brown
