John was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Irene Faye Haslet and John Rogers Boone, both of whom predeceased him. He contracted polio at the age of 14, which left him with severe paralysis that prevented him from playing football in high school or college. But he never lost his love for the sport, and family gatherings invariably included a football game on the television and extended discussion of the best plays. His favorite teams were Purdue and Notre Dame. He graduated from Stivers High School in Dayton, Ohio.
John attended Columbia College on a full scholarship (BA 1960), Columbia Business School (MBA 1963), and Columbia Law School (LLB 1963), where he graduated as a Stone Scholar in the top 10% of his class. He was a member of the bar in Georgia, Indiana, and California, and admitted to practice in numerous Federal District Courts, the United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, 4th Circuit, 5th Circuit, 7th Circuit, 9th Circuit, 11th Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States. He specialized in antitrust, securities, trade regulation, RICO, and complex business litigation, trying over 60 cases during the course of his career. When asked to name a favorite, he cited the antitrust and patent case Yoder Brothers v. California Florida Plant Corp., which he won in 1976. He was associated during the course of his career with many prominent attorneys and from 1986, he was a sole practitioner in association with the Alioto Law Firm. He was a friend and mentor to many.
John was a great chef, and an invitation to his table was valued more than an evening in most elegant restaurants of San Francisco and New York. He particularly liked to eat an excellent meal in a restaurant and then returning home to re-create it in his own kitchen. He personally catered the weddings of his two children, preparing for his daughter’s big day a menu of smoked trout, cold artichoke and crab salad, oyster stew, hearts of romaine and endive salad (with bay shrimp and anchovy dressing), rack of lamb, roast potatoes, and baby asparagus with butter and orange sauce. John also loved his cats, and it wasn’t uncommon to see them riding with him on his wheelchair, waiting for him in the kitchen for morning snacks, or sleeping with him on the bed.
The family wishes to thank John’s many friends who visited during his illness, reminisced about good times, and supported him all over the last months of his life. Donations in his name can go to the Columbia College Fund. |
