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A Message from Dean John P. Dwyer
Dear Members of the Boalt Community,
This week's terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., have been a terrible shock to all of us and our hearts go out to our many friends and colleagues around the country who have been personally affected by this tragedy. We all share in a sense of helplessness and grief, a sense of anger and fear.
The tragic violence has already touched our community. We are profoundly saddened to learn of the death of Barbara Olson, wife of our graduate Solicitor General Ted Olson '65, and offer him our support and sympathy. Barbara's courage, like that of so many others, has been an inspiration during these dark days. Like all of you, I am still anxiously awaiting news about the well-being and safety of other friends and family.
Feelings of loss, violation and sorrow have been met with a calm determination to reach out to others. Our first priority is to find ways to help the victims and survivors, those near to us and those far away. This desire to be of service is in the best tradition of Boalt Hall, and I'm proud of our community's response to care for one another and for our fellow citizens.
In the days ahead, we will continue to share one another's burdens and bring the resources of our community to bear on efforts to provide relief for those who suffer. Equally daunting in the days ahead will be our responsibility to uphold the ideal of justice and the rule of law in the midst of such horror. Although it is difficult now to imagine what justice might mean in such a context, this responsibility is also part of our great tradition. Ultimately, our task as a center for legal education is to bring reasoned deliberation, free from prejudice, to bear on the hope for a just resolution of this dark episode in our national life. As an institution of higher learning, part of our mission is to offer whatever knowledge and wisdom we can contribute to the common good—especially when our shared humanity has been so egregiously disregarded and violated.
I'm heartened by the stories many of you have shared with me of efforts to promote healing and justice in response to this tragedy, and my hope is that together we can continue to find ways to be of service to one another and to the nation.
I also think it is important that we begin again to look to the future. Each of us has special talents and abilities that will be called upon in the days and months ahead. We must be prepared to act with compassion, respect, wisdom and resolve as we build a new tomorrow from today's pain and loss.
My best wishes are with all of you.
John P. Dwyer '80
(9/12/02)
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