Document text
Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend July 22, 2005 John Eads, former Medford city attorney, dies at 58 By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune John Eads, a former Medford city attorney who overcame cocaine addiction to become a leading land-use expert, died Wednesday at his Medford home after a four-year battle with cancer. He was 58. "It’s a sad, sad day," said Lindsay Berryman, former Medford mayor and a friend of Eads for more than 30 years. "He was a great friend — I think he was a great friend to a lot of people." Craig Stone, a Medford land-use consultant, felt the same way. "John was my closest friend for 25 years," he said. Advertisement Stone said his friend was notably bright, dedicated and fair in applying the rules. "There were folks that thought one day John would become governor," said Stone. But some people also thought he wouldn’t survive an addiction to cocaine in the 1980s. That addiction cost him his career as an attorney, but also opened the way for him to become an advocate for drug and alcohol treatment and in warn others of the perils of drug use. After recovering from the addiction, Eads became one of Southern Oregon’s leading experts in land-use law. Eads was raised in Medford and in the 1960s performed songs locally with Robert Haworth as "The Kinsmen." Haworth is now a member of The Kingston Trio, scheduled to perform tonight at Britt Festivals in Jacksonville. Eads graduated from Medford Senior High School in 1965, and earned an undergraduate degree in 1969 and a law degree in 1972, both from the University of Oregon. Eads practiced law in Medford and Ashland in the 1970s and 1980s, and was Medford’s city attorney from 1974 to 1978. Eads was very candid about his struggles with addiction and became an advocate for drug and alcohol treatment. He discussed his addiction in a lengthy interview published in the Mail Tribune Feb. 5, 1989, including the client complaints which led to his disbarment in 1987. He was hired as a land-use hearings officer for Jackson County in July 1990 and became the Rogue Valley Council of Governments’ regional planning coordinator. Even in the midst of chemotherapy treatments in 2003, Eads spearheaded the successful opposition to a Medford charter amendment that would have required voter approval for state road projects in the city. Berryman said Eads will be remembered for his brilliant mind and dedication to solving land-use problems. "He would research findings and he could come up with solutions to problems and present them in ways that people would come together on issues," she said. The Medford City Council observed a moment of silence in his memory Thursday. Sue Kupillas, a former Jackson County commissioner, said Eads facilitated all the regional planning, and could skillfully put structure to ideas. "He was very visionary, and probably a leader in the state on getting through the process," she said. "It’s a huge loss to the region." And he had a wicked sense of humor. Kupillas said he was in the midst of chemotherapy when he had to go through a lengthy deposition. "Chemo drains you, it’s hard to think," said Kupillas, a cancer survivor. "It was really hard for him to do this deposition." So he did what any practical joker would do. "He has some fake teeth, ‘Bubba teeth,’ " she said, adding that Eads walked into the meeting wearing the fake teeth and just began talking as if they weren’t there. "It changed the tone of the whole huge deposition," she said. Later, he did what any friend would do. "When I was diagnosed with cancer, John and (his wife) Paula came over," Kupillas said. "It was soon after that that he gave me the Bubba teeth." Stone said Eads was a champion debater in college, and could win any dispute. "I knew his illness was getting the better of him when I started winning some arguments," said Stone. "I’m not somebody who makes friends easily. He was just a great friend." Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Salvia Divinorum Student Loans Online Pharmacy tcg student loan consolidation Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Advertisement s