Earl W. Brydges Jr., 83, attorney and civic leader in Lewiston and Niagara Falls | Featured Obituaries

Mr. Brydges began his legal career with his father’s firm, Orr, Brydges, Orr, and Dowd, in Lewiston, then served as Niagara County Public Defender, and practiced in Niagara Falls as a partner in Gellman, Brydges, and Schroff.

From 1972 to 1998 he was a member of the six-member state commission of inquiry, where, among other things, he investigated organized crime throughout the state. The commission’s investigation into questionable political fundraising at the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority in the 1980s resulted in the resignation of three NFTA officials.

In 1977 he became the first CEO of Artpark & ​​Co. and was recognized by the State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation for continuing Artpark’s mission to make art accessible to all, a policy instituted by his father.

He served as Niagara University legal advisor on student affairs for over 20 years. NU awarded him an honorary doctorate in law in 1987 and he was elected to the board of directors in 1989, where he served as secretary to the board of directors.

He has also served on the board of directors of the Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, the Beeman Foundation, the Niagara Aquarium, and the United Way of Niagara. He was one of the organizers of the Niagara Aquarium Foundation, which acquired the Aquarium of Niagara from Cleveland-based owners in 1994.