June 07, 2011
On June 5, 2011, the Law School’s 260 J.D. candidates and 19
LL.M. candidates convened at Carnesecca Arena for the 141st
Commencement Exercises. Associate Academic Dean and Professor of
Law Margaret Valentine Turano ‘77 served as Director of Proceedings
for the ceremony that included some 4000 family, friends, faculty,
administrators, staff and alumni in the Law School community.
Photo Gallery
Welcoming the students and their guests, Dean Michael A.
Simons expressed a “teacher’s pride” in the accomplishments of a
class that has come very far in its three years at St. John’s. Dean
Simons took special note of the many ways in which the graduates
had used their time and energy in law school to serve the poor and
the underrepresented, embodying St. John’s Vincentian commitment to
justice. Remembering three deceased members of the St. John’s
family - generous benefactor Maxine Belson, adjunct professor Judge
Robert Ross, and the graduates’ classmate, Tyler Ramaker - Dean
Simons said that their passing “reminds us how precious life is and
how important it is to savor our time with each other and to savor
days like today.” He also shared that the graduates are on a
professional journey filled with challenges and opportunities.
Their path to the profession began at Law School orientation and
continued to unfold during their time at St. John’s. “There are
many different paths to a rewarding career and life,” Dean Simons
said. “But, you don’t discover your path, you make it in
an ongoing process that will continue throughout your
career.”
The ceremony then turned to one particularly well-traveled path
through the law. Citing a half-century of dedicated service to the
Law School and the legal profession, Dean Turano conferred an
Honorary Doctor of Laws degree upon Robert E. Parella, St. John’s
George F. Keenan Professor of Law, stating: “Professor Parella has
embodied the highest ideals of St. John’s University’s School of
Law. His unwavering commitment to his students and dedication to
the study of the law are at the heart of everything he does. His
legacy is one of academic excellence, compassion and precise legal
acumen.” Reflecting on the honor, Professor Parella said: “This
honorary degree is my most special recognition. I am very proud to
now call myself a St. John’s alumnus.”
After St. John’s University President Rev. Donald J. Harrington,
C.M. presented him with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree, the
Honorable Guido Calabresi, a Senior Circuit Judge on the United
States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and an esteemed,
jurist, educator and scholar, delivered the commencement address.
His remarks to the class centered on two stories of faith from his
personal-professional path - faith in the law and faith in human
beings.
The first story came from his time as law clerk to Associate
Justice Hugo L. Black at the United States Supreme Court.
Researching a double jeopardy case, Judge Calabresi found a
reference to a statute from Tudor England evidencing that someone
had been tried twice for the same offense. Justice Black told him
to get the original source. With some doubt that he could
accomplish the task, Judge Calabresi asked the Supreme Court
librarian for assistance. To his surprise, the library’s holdings
included the original book of statutes used to teach Mary Tudor the
laws of the land. When Judge Calabresi inspected the volume, he
found the statute he was looking for, identified as “An Act Dealing
with the Jurisdiction of the Court of the Star Chamber.” The
well-documented abuses of the Star Chamber were motivating forces
behind the protections afforded by the framers of our Constitution.
“What Justice Black had was a deep, abiding faith in the law,”
Judge Calabresi shared. “He knew that, if you looked hard enough,
you would find something that allowed you to do justice, to do what
was right.”
Judge Calabresi’s second story was about his great-grandmother, who
lived in a villa outside Cologne, Italy at the time of the Second
World War. At 80 years old, even with the Nazi threat, she refused
to renounce her Jewish heritage. As the Germans approached, she
planned to go into hiding. But, when American bombs destroyed a
nearby village, she decided to stay and open her home to shelter
and care for the displaced villagers. When the Germans arrived at
the villa to take her away, the villagers told the commander “over
our dead bodies.” With this protest, she was spared. “My
great-grandmother had faith in human beings,” Judge Calabresi said.
“She believed if you do the right thing, everything will be all
right.” Judge Calabresi closed his remarks with this advice for the
new graduates: “Find something in the law that you love. Find
someone to spend your life with and combine those with faith in the
law and in human beings.”
Cathy Ng ’11 found these words very inspiring. “Everyone at St.
John’s - faculty, administrators and fellow students
-motivated me to do my best as a law student. This community
support showed me that I can and should have faith in my fellow
human beings as I forge my career in the law.” Added Gina Scarpa
’11: “The entire ceremony was wonderful and Judge Calabresi’s
message was very timely. We are graduating in uncertain times and
his thoughts on having faith in the law and in others offer great
perspective and hope.”