In Memoriam: Professor Arthur “Art” Hopkins Travers II

Robyn Munn — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 21:41:49 +0000

In Memoriam: Professor Arthur “Art” Hopkins Travers II Robyn Munn Tue, 09/16/2025 - 15:41

The University of Colorado Law School mourns the loss of Professor Arthur Hopkins Travers II, a beloved teacher, scholar, and colleague who shaped generations of Colorado Law students. Professor Travers—known to many as Art—passed away peacefully on July 31, 2025, just two days after his 89th birthday.

Professor Travers joined the Colorado Law faculty in 1970 after teaching at the University of Kansas and practicing law in Chicago. For more than three decades, he taught courses in copyright, commercial, and antitrust law. He also served as Acting Dean of the law school for one year during a time of transition, and in 1998 was honored as the inaugural recipient of the Clifford J. Calhoun Public Service Award, recognizing his commitment to service in the legal profession and community. Known for his clarity of thought and deep care for his students, he left an indelible mark on Colorado’s legal community.

During his tenure at Colorado Law, Professor Travers was admired not only for his scholarship but also for the humanity he brought to the study of law. His colleagues remember him as a friend to many, someone who embodied decency, thoughtfulness, and kindness.

Retired Colorado Law faculty member Mark Loewenstein reflected, “Art was incredibly smart and had a prodigious memory, which he drew upon even in his final days.”

Professor Emeritus, J. Dennis Hynes recalled, “Art was a wonderful friend. He was always a positive influence in faculty meetings and gatherings in the law school, treating colleagues with respect. He was reliable and punctual and was always positive and thoughtful with colleagues, students, and staff. He had a powerful intellect but never displayed arrogance or condescension. He was a remarkable human being.”

Beyond the classroom, Professor Travers enriched the intellectual life of the law school with his wide-ranging interests. He took a sabbatical year in London to study the English legal system, an experience that deepened his perspective and informed his teaching. His contributions to the field of business law were also reflected in his service to the broader profession, including chairing the Commercial Law Division of the Colorado Bar Association and co-chairing its committee on Revised Article 9 of the UCC, helping to shape its enactment in Colorado. His professional career was marked by a strong sense of integrity and a commitment to preparing students not just to practice law, but to approach it with fairness and compassion.

Dean Lolita Buckner Inniss shared, “Professor Travers was a pillar of our law school for more than three decades. We are profoundly grateful for his life and work, and he will be deeply missed.”

Professor Travers’s life outside of the law school was equally full. He was a voracious reader with a personal library numbering in the thousands of volumes, a devoted baseball fan—especially of the Chicago Cubs—a lover of music from classical to Billy Idol, and an avid cook who delighted in preparing meals for family and friends.

He is survived by his wife, Laurie Travers; his daughters, Constance Travers (Richard McDonald) of Boulder and Anne Travers (David Purdy) of Louisville; and his seven grandchildren, as well as extended family who loved him dearly.

Professor Travers’s legacy at Colorado Law endures in the many students he taught, mentored, and inspired over the course of his long career. We are grateful for his decades of service, his scholarship, and the profound example he set as a teacher and colleague. He will be deeply missed and fondly remembered by all who had the privilege to know him.

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In Memoriam: Judge Kristy Martinez

Anonymous — Wed, 22 Feb 2023 23:29:14 +0000

In Memoriam: Judge Kristy Martinez Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 02/22/2023 - 16:29

It is with heavy hearts that we share news of the passing of Judge Kristy Martinez, who served as the first full-time director of the University of Colorado Law School’s Korey Wise Innocence Project and then on the Boulder County Court following her appointment by then-Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper in 2019. Judge Martinez passed away on Tuesday, February 21, 2023.

"We at the University of Colorado Law School are very much saddened by the death of Judge Kristy Martinez,” said law school Dean Lolita Buckner Inniss. “She was a valued and admired member of the CU Law family during her time here as director of the Korey Wise Innocence Project, and was also highly esteemed well beyond the law school. She touched the lives of many, and will be greatly missed."

During her tenure on the Boulder County Court, Judge Martinez was known for her integrity, fairness, and commitment to justice. She presided over cases with a deep sense of compassion and respect for all those who appeared before her. As a law professor and the first director of the Korey Wise Innocence Project, she fought tirelessly for the rights of the wrongfully convicted and to serve as an extraordinary teacher and mentor to the many students she impacted.

“Judge Martinez played a key role in establishing the Korey Wise Innocence Project, and her leadership and dedication were unparalleled. She was fierce as an advocate for her clients and a warm, engaged mentor to her students,” remarked Professor Ann England, faculty director of the Korey Wise Innocence Project. “I’ll never forget her big laugh, obsessive love for ice cream, and endearing stories about growing up with her grandmother teaching her to fish and hunt with a bow. The world is a sadder place without her.”

Judge Martinez attended the University of Denver, receiving a B.A. in Human Communication in 1995 and her Juris Doctorate Degree in 1999. Judge Martinez began her litigation career as a Deputy District Attorney in Adams County, Colorado. In 2002, Judge Martinez established a criminal defense practice representing indigent clients at trial, on appeal and during post-conviction review. Beginning in September 2015, Judge Martinez became the director of the Korey Wise Innocence Project and served in that capacity until she took the bench. In 2019, University of Colorado Law awarded Judge Martinez the honorary Order of the Coif for her outstanding contribution to the legal profession.

The University of Colorado Law School extends its deepest condolences to Judge Martinez's family, friends, and colleagues during this time. The Boulder County Bar welcomes remembrances of Judge Martinez.

Details about a celebration of life will be forthcoming.

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