One of the activities that many of us faculty members undertake during the summer months is to clean out some drawers and shelves. While recently tackling that chore, I was thrilled to find an old tape from a 1999 conference we put on at the law school on “Spirituality and Work.” I had forgotten that Dean Howard Eisenberg was the luncheon keynote speaker that day. What a thrill for me to listen to the tape and to hear Howard speak about one of his favorite themes, “What Is a Nice Jewish Boy Doing in a Place Like This.” He talks about his deanship and his views on spirituality and the legal profession. I thought others might enjoy having the opportunity to hear Howard, in his own words, speaking from his heart. With the level of incivility in our professional and political world, I believe his words are probably even more relevant today than they were when he spoke them twelve years ago. Here is the link to that talk.
Enjoy!
Howard Eisenberg was a giant of a man. I always felt I was a better person in his presence. I can’t remember another person in my lifetime who has had such a powerful influence on my values and the way I live. It was wonderful to hear his voice again and to relax and listen to the simple truths about living a meaningful life.
Janine, thanks for finding and sharing this speech from Howard. His reflections are as relevant today as when he gave the speech a dozen years ago. Listening to Howard was inspiring and reminded me of his influence on me and many others he touched at the Law School and in the profession.
I will be forever indebted to Howard Eisenberg. He taught me what it really means to be a lawyer and to make a difference in others’ lives. My life was forever changed because of his compassion for people and his passion for the law, and his ability to pass on those values to his students.
Thank you, Janine. I have listened to it several times and shared it with my friends in the administration at the Mississippi College School of Law (Baptist) in Jackson. I hope it goes viral. I told my friends that God must have needed a really, really good lawyer when he took Howard from us so young.