Clark Memorandum

<< news from the law school >> Is the Meaning of Life Academic? The following excerpt is taken from a speech given by Tony Kronman, former dean of Yale Law School, to byu law students on February 13, 2006. broadly speaking, American higher education might be divided into three historical phases. In phase one, every college was the adjunct of a church. College and church belonged together; they were inseparable twins. In phase two, church and college drew apart, but the college continued so long as the tradition of secular humanism retained its vitality and credibility. Colleges continued along with the churches to view themselves as having some responsibility to address the question of life’s meaning and to bring their students into a help- ful engagement with it. In phase three, the phase that we are now in today, colleges have abandoned that com- mitment altogether, and the result has been that the responsibility now lies entirely in the hands of our religious institutions. They will never abandon it; how can they? It would be inconsis- tent with their nature as institutions of a religious kind. But I believe it would be better not just for our colleges but also for the culture at large if the colleges were to reclaim their voice and become again not so much a competi- tive center of instruction in the meaning of life but at least another and different one. It would make our culture a richer and better place than it is today. So, to the question posed by the title of my talk, “Is the meaning of life academic?” I certainly hope so. 28 clark memorandum << news from the law school >> new personnel faculty notes Robert T. Smith, ’91, is the new managing director of the Mary Hoagland and International Center for Law and Religion Studies. Professor Carl Hernandez, ’92, have been promoted to senior Smith previously served as executive vice president and general faculty administrators. counsel to CaseData Corporation in Bountiful, Utah, where he specialized in electronic discovery matters. He has worked at the Professor John Fee law firm of Kirton & McConkie in Salt Lake City, as well as with has obtained continuing large law firms in Chicago and Washington, d.c., and as a cpa for faculty status. Deloitte & Touche in California and Washington, d.c. James Rasband, with James ’05, Shawn G. Nevers, is a new research librarian at the Howard Salzman and Mark Squillace, W. Hunter Law Library. He and his wife, MaryLynn, and their four has coauthored the casebook children recently moved from Illinois, where Shawn just com- Natural Resources Law and Policy 2004. The teachers pleted a master of library science at the University of Illinois at manual for the casebook was Urbana-Champaign. published this past fall. Law School professorships have been awarded to the following individuals: Jim H. Backman 5 stephen l richards professor of law C. Douglas Floyd 5 francis r. kirkham professor of law Michael Goldsmith 5 woodruff j. deem professor of law James D. Gordon III 5 marion b. and rulon a. earl professor law H. Reese Hansen 5 howard w. hunter professor of law Stanley D. Neeleman 5 terry l. crapo professor of law Cheryl B. Preston, ’795 edwin w. thomas professor of law Lynn D. Wardle 5 bruce c. hafen professor of law Richard G. Wilkins, ’795 robert w. barker professor of law Gerald R. Williams 5 marion g. romney professor of law Kevin J Worthen, ’825 hugh w. colton professor of law clark memorandum 29 Law Alumni Fill Church Leadership Positions Marcus B. Nash, ’84, and studies at Harvard University and years. In 1978 he joined the Stanley G. Ellis, ’76, have been then graduated with the first Foulger-Pratt Companies in called as General Authorities of class of the byu Law School. Elder Rockville, Maryland, where he the Church. Ellis is the chief executive officer provides management and legal Elder Nash was an Area of First Meridian, Inc., an insur- oversight for the development of Seventy in the North America ance and financial services com- large building projects. He holds Northwest Area when he was pany in Houston, Texas. He is a an accounting degree as well as a called to the First Quorum of the former Church mission president, law degree from byu. Seventy. A partner in the Seattle stake president, counselor in a Michael A. Harrison, ’79, law firm Stafford Frey Copper, he stake presidency, high councilor, presides over the Russia Rostov- graduated from byu with a bach- counselor in a bishopric, elders na-Donu Mission, and is joined elor’s degree in international quorum president, and ward Deborah, and six children have relations before receiving his law Young Men president. Elder Ellis joined him. Prior to the calling, degree. He has served the and his wife, Kathryn Kloepfer President Doxey was managing Church as a stake president, Ellis, have nine children. editor of the International bishop, ward Young Men presi- Center for Law and Religion Katherine Pullins, ’88, Studies at the Law School, associate dean of Internal and where he is a professor of law. Student Relations at the Law He previously served as chief of School, has been called as a staff under Utah Governor member of the Relief Society Olene S. Walker and as general counsel to Utah Governor Michael O. Leavitt. A professor by his wife, Clyda. They have of history as well as law at byu, three children. A retired attor- he also has taught at the ney, President Harrison is a for- University of Utah. Besides his mer bishop of a byu student byu law degree, he has a PhD ward and stake president. dent, elders quorum president, from Cambridge University. William H. Stoddard, ’76, gospel doctrine teacher, and full- Clayton F. Foulger, ’77, is serves in the Illinois Chicago time missionary. Elder Nash is president of the England London North Mission, with his wife, married to Shelley Hatch Nash, Mission. He and his wife, Marla, Carol. They are the parents of and they have five children. are the parents of six children. Elder Stanley G. Ellis was General Board. Dean Pullins Their 17-year-old son, Price, serving as an Area Seventy in has served as assistant dean of accompanies them. the North America Southwest Student and Alumni Relations President Foulger has been Area before his call to the Second as well as director of Career active in commercial real estate Quorum of the Seventy. He Services at the Law School. in the Washington, d.c., metro- earned a degree in governmental politan area for more than 25 Five alumni of the J. Reuben Clark Law School began three- year services as mission presi- dents this past July. Called by the First Presidency of the four children. An attorney with Church, they are accompanied Albright, Stoddard, Warnick & by their wives and, in some Albright in Las Vegas, Nevada, cases, their children. President Stoddard has prac- Gary B. Doxey, ’84, serves in ticed in the areas of litigation, the Mexico Mexico City South commercial law, real estate law, Mission, where his wife, and environmental law. He 30 clark memorandum Michael R. Dreeben Receives Rex E. Lee Award earned a ba in economics at byu ichael R. Dreeben was presented with the Rex E. Lee Advocacy Award prior to receiving a jd with the at the J. Reuben Clark Law Society Conference in Washington, d.c., on first graduating class of the J. 17, 2006. Reuben Clark Law School. M February ||| An adjunct professor of law at Duke University, Craig B. Terry, ’77, accompa- Dreeben has served as deputy solicitor general with the u.s. Department of Justice nied by his wife, Candice, is presi- since 1994. His principal responsibility is the review of criminal appellate cases, dent of the Portugal Lisbon including briefs filed by the United States in the u.s. Supreme Court. Professor Dreeben has argued more than 45 cases before the Supreme Court since 1988, when he became assistant to the solicitor general. ||| Dreeben holds a ba degree from the University of Wisconsin and an ma from the University of Chicago. He received a jd degree from Duke Law School in 1981 and served as law clerk to Judge Jerre S. Williams of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Mission. They have three children, two of whom are married (Tiffany and Travis). Their youngest son, Tyler, just returned from serving a mission and now attends byu. President Terry is a share- holder in the real estate, bank- ing, and finance department of Parsons Behle & Latimer in Salt Lake City, Utah. He has concen- trated his practice on real prop- erty, acquisition, development, financing and leasing, zoning, and land-use law. save the date Michael R. Dreeben General Conference Deputy u.s. Solicitor General and 2006 recipient of the Rex E. Lee Advocacy Award Reception October 7, 2006 Alumni Weekend October 19–21, 2006 Orrin Hatch Distinguished Trial Lawyers' Conference November 11, 2006 Cree-L Kofford Maureen Mahoney General Authority Emeritus 2005 recipient of the Rex E. Lee Advocacy Award clark memorandum 31 life in the law H. Peter Mueller Retires h. peter mueller’s professional life at brigham young University has paralleled the planning, completion, and growth of the J. Reuben Clark Law School. After 35 years at the Law School—years of hard work, innova- tion, and expansion—he retired on August 31, 2006. It was the end of an era. Peter’s life in the West began with his family’s escape from East Germany to West Berlin in 1950, when he was six years old.

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