{"id":9387,"date":"2021-01-26T17:59:51","date_gmt":"2021-01-26T22:59:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/journals.law.harvard.edu\/ilj\/?p=9387"},"modified":"2021-01-26T17:59:51","modified_gmt":"2021-01-26T22:59:51","slug":"susannah-tobins-tribute-to-professor-william-alford","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/journals.law.harvard.edu\/ilj\/2021\/01\/susannah-tobins-tribute-to-professor-william-alford\/","title":{"rendered":"Susannah Tobin’s Tribute to Professor William Alford"},"content":{"rendered":"

Susannah Barton Tobin<\/strong>
\nManaging Director of the Climenko Fellowship Program & Assistant Dean for Academic Career Advising, Harvard Law School<\/span><\/p>\n

Sitting next to someone at sporting events is a good way to get to know their character.\u00a0 How do they react when their team is winning?\u00a0 When it\u2019s losing?\u00a0 When someone gets injured?\u00a0 How do they think about strategy?\u00a0 I\u2019ve had the good fortune over the last ten years to attend a number of Harvard basketball and hockey games with Bill Alford\u2014and how he is as a fan is the same way he is as a person: loyal, generous, and incisive.<\/p>\n

When I returned to HLS in 2009, one of my first tasks was collaborating with the Graduate Program to talk with the new LLMs during their orientation.\u00a0 Both Professor Alford and Dean Jeanne Tai were welcoming and supportive.\u00a0 As a newcomer in my role at the Law School, I felt I was being oriented just as the students were\u2014oriented to a culture of dedication and collegiality.\u00a0 On the occasion of his stepping down as Vice Dean for the Graduate Program, I\u2019m grateful for the chance to reflect on all Bill has done\u2014and continues to do\u2014for his students and for HLS.\u00a0 In particular, I\u2019d like to highlight three lessons he\u2019s taught me: first, how to be an advocate.\u00a0 Second, how to listen generously.\u00a0 And third, how to find joy especially during hard times.<\/p>\n

Like the best fans in the stands, Bill is a relentless advocate for his students.\u00a0 Anyone who\u2019s been Bill\u2019s student knows how invested he is in their success.\u00a0 His view of the teaching role is capacious\u2014he shares his expertise, his advice, and his time.\u00a0 And he helps students access the full range of resources at this University and across his own\u2014vast\u2014personal network of friends and colleagues.\u00a0 He helps on issues large\u2014recommendations for jobs\u2014and small\u2014loans of books, and everything in between.\u00a0 Despite his incomprehensibly busy schedule, he goes out of his way for every student.\u00a0 Watching how he helps students has raised the bar for the rest of us.<\/p>\n

Unlike some fans, Bill will consider the ref\u2019s call before assuming it\u2019s wrong.\u00a0 Among the many jobs Bill has done in his role as Vice Dean for the Graduate Program and International Legal Studies is acting as host for the many dignitaries\u2014lawyers, judges, politicians\u2014visiting HLS from all over the world.\u00a0 Bill\u2019s hospitality and wide range of reference put his visitors at ease and make everyone feel part of the HLS community.\u00a0 When someone is challenging in conversation (challenging is my word, not Bill\u2019s), Bill listens and frames his response with relentless grace and generosity.\u00a0 He models what it means to be a lawyer-statesman\u2014strong in his convictions while open to other viewpoints.<\/p>\n

And finally, as a sports fan who has seen his teams at the highest heights and the lowest lows, Bill knows how to find joy even in hard times.\u00a0 As a member of the board for the Special Olympics, Bill has helped bring the opportunity of sport to athletes of all capabilities.\u00a0 As a friend, he finds ways to cheer us with an email when our team does well or \u201cthere\u2019s always next year\u201d when it doesn\u2019t.\u00a0 I treasure a signed poster from the Harvard basketball team he collected for me when I was having some health issues.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll notice that in this short piece I\u2019ve referred to several fulltime jobs Bill holds.\u00a0 He has at least one more I haven\u2019t mentioned\u2014faculty advisor to the Harvard hockey team.\u00a0 For years, he has guided student athletes through their athletic and academic careers and into their professional lives.\u00a0 The highest honor a collegiate hockey player can receive is the Hobey Baker award, which goes to the player who \u201cexhibits strength of character both on and off the ice\u201d and \u201ccontributes to the integrity of the team and displays outstanding skills in all phases of the game.\u201d\u00a0 More than just a fan, Bill is deserving of our own Hobey Baker Award for his outstanding service.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Susannah Barton Tobin Managing Director of the Climenko Fellowship Program & Assistant Dean for Academic Career Advising, Harvard Law School 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