SNA Member Hyman Darling Earns Humanitarian Award
SNA member Hyman G. Darling, Bacon Wilson, P.C., Springfield, Massachusetts, has been recognized by the National Conference for Community and Justice of Connecticut and Western Massachusetts with its annual Human Relations Award. The honor is reserved for activists seeking to eradicate discrimination based on race, religions, culture or ability.
"It was 20 years ago that I met Esther," begins Hyman. "She was a concentration camp survivor, and she had no one. She needed a guardian. I was president of our local Jewish Family Service and wanted the organization to help, but our charter prohibited us from assuming fiduciary responsibilities. I fought to amend it—which was very controversial because of the potential liability—and was successful in convincing the board that this was an important role to undertake. Since then, the Jewish Family Service has become guardian to over 1,000 individuals in need."
Hyman's work in special needs law evolved from his estate law practice. "I began focusing on that area long before special needs and elder law were recognized as separate disciplines. It became obvious that families whose loved ones had disabilities were facing a distinct set of problems. Helping them to meet those challenges has made my career particularly fulfilling.
"The Special Needs Alliance has been a wonderful resource for me. The depth of the members' knowledge, which they are so willing to share, has been a great asset."
Hyman's other community interests are many. He's on the planned giving committee of Brightside for Children, which serves young people with behavioral and mental health problems; the human rights committee of the Association for Community Living, which works with individuals having developmental disabilities; and the fundraising committees of numerous other organizations. He is an adjunct faculty member with Baypath College and with the LLM program of Western New England University's School of Law.
Hyman is on the board of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), has been certified as an elder law attorney (CELA) by the National Elder Law Foundation and has been listed as a "Super Lawyer" in Boston Magazine each year since 2005. He earned a J.D. from Western New England College and an A.B. from Boston University.