Louis F. Del Duca

Louis F. Del Duca was a Distinguished Faculty Scholar Emeritus and longest-serving faculty member at Penn State Dickinson School of Law. He was internationally recognized as a leading scholar in commercial and comparative law, and as a visionary in the internationalization of legal education and the harmonization of laws. He passed away November 27, 2015.
Professor Del Duca and his wife, Frances, were married 60 years, and he was devoted to his children and their families: Dr. Patrick Del Duca, his wife, Dr. Maria-Grazia Ascenzi, and their son, Zachary; Maureen Del Duca, her husband, Henry Azar, and their sons, Sean and Ryan; and Dr. Kevin Del Duca, his wife Dr. Susan McCauley, and their twins, Sunlyn and Hatcher.
Luigi Del Duca was born July 2, 1926, to Domenico Del Duca and Chiarina Persichetti in Abruzzi, in the mountains above Italy's Adriatic coast. He grew up in Minersville, PA, where his father worked in the coal mines, and he graduated from South Philadelphia High School. He won scholarships to Temple University and the Curtis Institute of Music.
Seaman 1st Class Del Duca played the flute in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He earned his BA from Temple and law degrees from the Harvard University and University of Rome Law Schools, the latter through a Fulbright Scholarship.
Lou married Frances Horan and practiced law in Philadelphia. His interest in legal education soon took them to the Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle, PA, where they raised their family, and Frances attended the Law School and practiced law.
During nearly six decades at the Law School, the "Duke" taught and mentored countless students from the U.S. and around the globe. He was a pioneer in the globalization of legal education, establishing the Law School's Master of Comparative Law degree program for attorneys from around the world, and founding and managing its first international program with the University of Florence, as well as similar programs in Austria and France.
Following retirement from the Law School in 2013 after 57 years, Professor Del Duca continued active scholarship and publication, participated as a member of the U.S. Secretary of State's Committee on International Trade Law, served as President of the International Academy of Commercial and Consumer Law, acted as U.S. Correspondent to the Rome International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT), and collaborated with Working Group III (Online Dispute Resolution) of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). He also served as editor-in-chief of the Uniform Commercial Code Law Journal (since 1972), and editor of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Quarterly (since 1968). In addition, he served his local community through the Exchange Club, Chamber of Commerce, Police Athletic League, Red Cross, and Carlisle Theatre organizations.
In addition to his immediate family, Professor Del Duca is survived by his sister-in-law, Margaret Agnew, and her son Dr. John Agnew and daughter Ellen-Marie Topche and their families. He is predeceased by his parents and his loving sister, Isabelle, and his sister-in-law, Marie Horan.
The family will celebrate Professor Del Duca's life and love with a Mass at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 12, 2015, at Saint Patrick's Church, 85 Marsh Drive, Carlisle, PA with the Very Rev. William C. Forrey officiating. Burial will be held privately at the convenience of the family.
Donations may be made to the Dickinson School of Law's Louis F. Del Duca Scholarship.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by Hoffman Funeral Home & Crematory, 2020 W. Trindle Road, Carlisle, PA. To sign the guestbook, please visit www.HoffmanFH.com