In 1994, Felicia Henderson ‘97 had just finished presenting a case in her Property class when Professor Terry Fisher asked that she analyze specific details in regard to torts. “And in a moment of being completely authentic,” recalls Henderson with a smile, “I moaned, ‘I hate torts.’ And to my great surprise, the rest of my section started applauding, loudly.”
View Henderson’s full story:
Stories like these are coming from a new initiative at Harvard Law School to collect the voices of the HLS community, past and present, as it celebrates its bicentennial year. At three recent HLS events, the Celebration of Black Alumni, 2016 Fall Reunion, and Celebration of Latino Alumni, alumni sat down in front of a camera to answer one (or more!) of four questions about their experience at HLS:
- What is your strongest classroom memory?
- What was your best experience at HLS outside the classroom?
- What is the most important thing you learned at HLS?
- What difference has HLS made in your life?
Bruce Hubbard ‘72 described being late to his first year—late because he was in basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky. “I arrived at Harvard Law School on November 1, after doing assignments given to me by my roommate over the phone at night in a tank down at Fort Knox.”
View Hubbard’s full story:
Milton Hyman ‘66 considers a moment at the Hark as the time when his life truly began. Sitting down to lunch, his roommate called a fellow Michigan graduate over to the table. “And that began the story of my life. Sheila sat at the table and told stories. And the more she told stories the more I became entranced, and 51 years later, we’re still celebrating the stories about how Harvard Law School and lunch at Harkness changed our life for the better.”
View Hyman’s full story:
For Eugene Iredale ‘76, the most important thing he learned at HLS was that “truth is not a given”—and further, that despite the “psychological terror that was occasionally inspired by the socratic method,” it was actually a “brilliant way to teach, a brilliant way to understand, and a brilliant way to conduct your life.”
View Iredale’s full story:
Now, we want to hear from you. In preparation for our bicentennial year, we are collecting more community voices. We want to hear your memories—your best, or even your worst—and what HLS has meant to your life and to your work. Here’s how:
Online: Record your story anytime on a desktop computer, tablet, or mobile phone: http://www.storyspaces.io/hls/.