Prominent Iowa City attorney, father of mayor, dies

IOWA CITY - After John Hayek graduated from Harvard Law School in 1966, he could have been an attorney on Wall Street. Instead, he returned home to Iowa City, where his forebears had settled nearly a century before.

He became a prominent attorney and an active member of the community, including representing the city of Iowa City during a major transformation of the downtown, as well as the father of the current Iowa City mayor.

That community service ended Sunday when Hayek died at home surrounded by his family. He was 73 and had lung cancer.

'He loved Iowa City, and he was proud of his roots,” said son Matt Hayek, the mayor of Iowa City. 'He was flattered to get a job offer in New York, but his heart was here and he wanted to practice his trade here and grow a family in Iowa.”

John Hayek had a general practice at the downtown Iowa City law firm founded by his father in 1926 and now known as Hayek, Brown, Moreland & Smith. It's the same one where Matt Hayek and his wife now practice.

He served as an assistant Johnson County attorney from 1967 to 1970 and as city attorney for Iowa City from 1974 to 1981 while maintaining his private practice.

Hayek represented the city during the urban renewal of downtown, a period that saw decaying properties replaced, the creation of the Pedestrian Mall and the opening of Old Capitol Mall.

Hayek played a key role in the effort by navigating through the legal issues, which included using federal money for projects, the privatization of some properties and more, said John Balmer, who was on the City Council at the time and served as mayor from 1980 to 1981.

'The fact that he was an Iowa City native was really critical,” Balmer said. 'He understood the dynamics of the community, and he was sensitive to that, besides being a sharp legal mind.”

Hayek was a leader in the community with his public law work and involvement in issues like county military affairs, said Richard 'Dick” Myers, a client of Hayek's and a former elected official in Coralville, Johnson County and the state Legislature.

'He certainly spent his life in service to the community as well as his state and his family,” Myers said.

Hayek had a love for the law and was bright, well prepared and a strong advocate for his clients, said Sharon Mellon, a longtime friend and recently retired attorney who was on the other side of Hayek in many family law cases.

'He always was a gentleman,” she said. 'Practicing law can be kind of rough. I know that from my own experiences. I probably had some pretty rough edges sometimes. John never did.”

Matt Hayek, who followed his father into law and public service, said his dad had no interest in retirement and his passions long had been practicing law, his family and escaping to the family cabin in northeast Iowa.

John Hayek continued to come to the office while terminally until earlier this summer, often for just an hour, dropped off and picked up by his wife of 45 years, Pat.

Matt Hayek said the primary characteristic of his father was his honesty. He also said John Hayek was the classic father type who didn't change diapers but was a devoted dad who taught his three children the skills he thought they should know and led by example, which continued until his death.

'He was a patient with a terminal prognosis, but he maintained his dignity ... right up until the end,” Hayek said. 'It was a parting gift to us to see how he dealt with his illness.”