Lillian W. Wyshak '48, '71

Pioneering lawyer Lillian W. Wyshak ’48, M.A. ‘71 passed away at the age of 87. Wyshak earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting from the UCLA Anderson School of Management; she was pregnant with her first child at the time. Wyshak served as a certified public accountant for many years before returning to school to obtain a law degree from the USC Gould School of Law. After graduating, she went on to become assistant U.S. attorney, tax division, in the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Los Angeles. Wyshak broke ground as the first female lawyer in the tax division.

In the early 1970s, Wyshak earned a master’s degree in anthropology from UCLA which gave her the chance to study folklore with Professor Alan Dundes and spend time in Egypt doing research on pyramids as well as tomb rubbings. One of her last outings was to attend an all-day anthropology event at the Fowler Museum, where she had built an incredible collection of cultural artifacts.

Her children Robin ‘84, Susie, Jeanne and Patty grew up around the UCLA campus, sharing their mother’s love for UCLA and the Bruin community.