The Shirley R. Bysiewicz Papers

Shirley Raissi Bysiewicz was born in 1930 and raised in Enfield, Connecticut. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Connecticut in 1951, her legal degree also from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1954, and later a masters of library science from Southern Connecticut State University. Upon receipt of her law degree in 1954, she passed the bar and practiced with Raissi & Raissi until 1959. While still in private practice, Bysiewicz served as a Prosecutor for the Town of Enfield for a short time. Always active in the women's rights, she served on the Governor's Permanent Commission on the Status of Women and was the founder and vice president of the Connecticut Women's Educational and Legal fund. She also was a member of the Task Force of the Private Employment of Women and was a state delegate for the National Association of Women Lawyers.

Bysiewicz returned to her alma mater in 1956 to teach and in 1972 became the first female tenured professor at the University of Connecticut School of Law. In addition to her Professorship, Ms. Bysiewicz also served as a law librarian and later library director. She is widely credited and commended for the growth and quality of the library's collections during that time period. Shirley had four children, and is also remembered for her dedication to children's rights. In addition to serving as a mentor to many young students, she authored The Juvenile Handbook, a text on juvenile justice. Shirly Bysiewicz retired from her post at the law school in 1990 and passed away later that year. Unicorn.