John O'Connor - Hall of Fame Class 2021

John O’Connor                                                                                                          Contributor

John O’Connor has been a member of the Dubuque Community for his entire life, being born in Dubuque he is the third generation of the O’Connor family to practice with the law firm of O’Connor and Thomas, P.C.

O’Connor’s connection to Clarke University revolved around the basketball programs including when his son Mike played for the men’s basketball team. John’s involvement centered with the Holiday Tournament, which was a basketball tournament for both men’s and women’s basketball that hosted 16 total teams, eight on the men’s and women’s side, that took place over five days between Christmas and New Years where a total of 24 games were played.

O’Connor was on the tournament committee for 11 years and was the chair of the committee from 2001 to 2003. His contributions also came in fund raising efforts as the tournament provided three meals per team for the tournament, 72 total meals annually were raised from the community. John and wife Mary Beth provided meals for teams in their home every year and he connected with many meal donors each year to help the committee reach their goals.

He also helped provide resources for covering expense of officials, entertainment, and awards along with his relationships to help provide media coverage, food and beverage, printing, lodging, and prizes while providing the leadership to helped the committee reach out to donors and sponsors to meet the tournament goals.

John is a Commissioned Reserve Officer in the U.S. Army reaching the rank of Captain. He has been a Certified Public Accountant since 1975. He is a member of the Iowa State and Dubuque County Bar Associations, the Iowa Society of Certified Public Accountants, and is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel.

John is one of the founding Directors of the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque and served as Chair for five years. He served on the Board of Directors for the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Dubuque since 1982, and is a past President. John has and is serving many other non-profits in a variety of ways. He also serves on the Board of Directors of several businesses in the Dubuqueland area.

John received the TH First Citizen Award for 2014 for the dedication he gives to his community. John’s general practice includes, but is not limited to the areas of corporate and business law, wills, probate, estate planning, taxation, trusts, contracts, and real estate.