Maryland Carey Law Remembers Constance Putzel '45
The Maryland Carey Law community mourns the loss of beloved alumna Constance K. Putzel ‘45, who passed away on September 27, 2016.
Putzel was nothing less than inspiring. A longtime volunteer, she was a frequent guest at alumni events and served as president of the Alumni Association in 1978. She continued to give back to the law school community in any way she could, and was particularly fond of the school’s Women, Leadership, and Equality Program. Putzel was honored with the law school’s Star Award in 2014 for her dedication and steadfast support.
The first female graduate to complete her degree in two years at the law school, Putzel worked as a social worker for one year before beginning her legal career. She and husband William Putzel, a 1951 graduate of the law school, began private practice together in 1950 and were legal partners for nearly forty years. Putzel retired in 1995 as a divorce attorney.
Fiercely devoted to promoting women in the bar, Putzel served on the Maryland Committee on Status of Women and the Committee to Implement the Equal Rights Amendment. She was active in the American Bar Association and the Maryland State Bar Association as well as serving as President of the Women’s Bar Association of Baltimore County.
Putzel was an author, a scholar and a champion of women’s rights. When asked to give advice to the young women lawyers graduating today, Connie said, “Be yourself. Take advice. Listen. Learn. But basically, do it your way.” She will be greatly missed.
