Gov. appoints SWC alum to California Board of Veterans

John Farrell likes to laugh and have a good time, but when the topic turns to veterans his elfish eyes narrow like a gunfighter at high noon.

Gov. Jerry Brown liked Farrell’s passion for our nation’s service personnel so much he appointed the former Southwestern College journalism student to the California Board of Veterans.

He serves next to retired major generals and a lieutenant colonel.

“I’m seriously outranked,” he chuckled. “But when we discuss issues like veteran homelessness or suicide and we are talking about how to help vets, rank does not seem to matter.”

Farrell, 71, enjoys advocating for underdogs, veterans and young people. A retired lawyer, law professor, journalist and soldier, Farrell has a résumé like George H. W. Bush, the mind of a seven-figure litigator and the sense of humor of a stand-up comedian. Veterans, though, are a serious matter to him.

Growing up in the military culture of San Diego he saw many veterans, but in high school had his eye on a pretty girl in one of his classes.

“She said she was going to take photography classes and I gave her a big smile and said, me too,” he recalled. “The relationship never happened with her but it did with photography.”

Farrell freelanced and took pictures that were published by the Chula Vista Star News. He graduated from San Diego High school in 1958 and joined the U.S. Army two years later. His affection for journalism came to be an occupation. He scored high on military placement tests, but was placed in heavy weapons infantry, only to be quickly recalled.

“I was summoned to headquarters,” he said. “I was scared, but it turned out they called everyone with high scores.”

Great news followed and Farrell was taken out of the line of fire. Farrell became an Army press representative and worked for the historic military publication Stars and Stripes. Doing what he loved, he took pictures and wrote stories, sometimes selling them to other publications and German publications.

“The extra money was nice,” he said.“That is until they catch you selling them to the Germans, then that’s no good.”

After lots of traveling in the military, Farrell decided to part ways in 1963 and return to San Diego to work for a photo service as a technician and in sales. He enrolled at San Diego City College where he majored in English, until the day he saw a billboard Western State University (now Thomas Jefferson School of Law.)

“I looked up at that sign and I told myself, hey why not?” he said.

Farrell said his sudden interest in law was not so sudden in his mother’s eyes. She recalled him always arguing with someone. He even slapped on a tie from time to time for gravitas.

Farrell was accepted to the bar in 1973. His academic success landed him an adjunct position at the WSU where he taught from 1975-1983. Farrell started his private law practice while he was teaching at WSU with the San Diego County Superior Court Judge Herbert J. Exarhos. After his partner left the practice to take his seat at the bench, Farrell decided to leave teaching to manage the practice full-time.

“I miss teaching the most,” said Farrell. “There is nothing more magnificent than a young mind and how they learn. My favorite moment is when a student calls you out on a mistake. You know they are really paying attention.”

After his 27 years practicing law, he retired in 2002, though he did pro bono legal work for mostly military clients until 2004.

“He is really the kind of fella you seek out for information,” said Steve Millikin, a fellow resident at the Chula Vista veterans home. “Many media come to talk to him about veteran information and his perspective.”

Upon his entrance to the Chula Vista veterans home in 2004, Farrell started taking classes at Southwestern College.

“I wanted to show my children they could go back to school,” he said. “If an old geezer like me can take 20 units and get a 4.0 grade point average, so can you!”

Farrell made the president’s list that year and three out of his four children went back to school.

“He is always very proud of his family,” said Sydney Smith, the Veterans home librarian and secretary of the Allied Council at the home. “Always showing off his pictures of his family, John is also very fun to listen to.”

Farrell hopes the folks in Sacramento feel the same. Veterans, he said, need strong advocates now that so many are returning from war. Farrell said he is ready for combat.