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| Bar Bulletin |
July,
2003 |
| MSBA News |
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New
President Blends MSBA's Past, Present and Future
By Janet Stidman Eveleth
 “It
is a true honor and humbling privilege to stand before you today as your
President,” proclaimed Harry S. Johnson, as he was installed as President
of the Maryland State Bar Association on June 14, 2003, during the
Association’s Annual Meeting in Ocean City, Maryland. Johnson’s
installation is a hallmark occasion for MSBA because he is the first
African-American to serve as President of the Association.
Johnson, a partner
in the law firm of Whiteford, Taylor & Preston, will serve a 12-month term
and work with newly elected MSBA officers: President-Elect Cornelius
Helfrich, a solo practitioner in Harford County; Secretary J. Michael
Conroy, Jr., a partner in the Gaithersburg law firm of Conroy, Ballman &
Dameron; and Treasurer Edward J. Gilliss, County Attorney for Baltimore
County.
As MSBA’s new
president addressed the audience of lawyers, judges, elected officials and
dignitaries, he welcomed Dennis Archer, President-Elect of the American
Bar Association and Chief Judge Robert M. Bell, Court of Appeals of
Maryland, and thanked his family, colleagues, mentors, MSBA members,
fellow officers and his law firm, Whiteford, Taylor & Preston, for their
support. He also paid tribute to some of his personal heroes and role
models, including Thurgood Marshall, Charles Dorsey and the Honorable
Robert M. Bell.
Johnson’s year will
carry the theme “Back to the Future” as he uniquely blends MSBA’s past,
present and future. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to
repeat it,” declared Johnson, sharing George Santayana’s famous quote with
MSBA members. “This year, we will look at our past to gain perspective on
where our Association has been and where we should aspire to go in the
future.”
With a mixture of
tears, sentiment and humor, Johnson emotionally traced his personal
journey, which began in 1954, when “a lawyer of my race could not be a
member of this Association. While some say today is a historic day for
MSBA, I choose to think that today’s event is a long overdue step along a
trail that has been blazed by many others, and many sacrificed much so
that I might stand here today.”
Johnson, who was
born the year Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas was
decided by the United States Supreme Court, plans to celebrate the 50th anniversary
of this historic event in May, with a special MSBA Law Day event. With
this landmark decision, he stated, “The law, which had been used as a
vehicle to maintain a segregated society was now used to create equal
rights for all citizens.” He highlighted the African-American community’s
progress over the years with several hallmark cases, including Bell v.
Maryland.
“In reflecting on
our history, it shows us how far we as a society, as a legal community
have come,” he continued. “But we still have much work to do.” Thus,
Johnson plans to focus on history, leadership and outreach in the coming
year as MSBA looks back to move ahead.
Under Johnson’s
leadership, MSBA will revisit its past in several unique ways. First,
Johnson plans to pay tribute to his predecessors through a special oral
history videotape project. “Our past presidents hold a wealth of
information about our history as an Association. We will forever
memorialize the collective wisdom of this group of leaders …as both a
living history of leadership and as a living history of MSBA.”
MSBA will also
revisit the past through the rejuvenation of the Committee on Minorities
in the Legal Profession. This Committee, which sponsored MSBA’s first
minorities conference in 1987, will reconvene to determine how far we have
come in the last 15 years. “The landscape has changed greatly since 1987,”
explains Johnson. “It is time to reexamine our 1987 report to determine
the progress we have made and the issues that face us in the future.”
Much of Johnson’s
leadership and outreach effort will be focused on MSBA members and local
and specialty bar associations. For the first time this year, MSBA will
convene two Bar President Conferences, one in October and one in March, to
“better communicate with our members and keep in touch with what is
happening with our local and specialty bars. The meeting during the
session will allow us to reach out to our members, inform them of events
in Annapolis and get their input on issues of concern as the session
progresses.”
In addition,
Johnson plans to enhance MSBA’s outreach with elected officials who are
lawyers. “I am convinced that the type of legislation we now see is a
direct consequence of the decreased number of lawyers in the legislative
bodies. Lawyers make a significant difference in the process of
lawmaking.” MSBA’s President hopes to encourage lawyers to run for
political office. “Lawyers contribute in many ways, but we must show our
leadership by running for office and working in elective positions.”
“My goal throughout
my life has been simple – try to leave each place on your journal a little
better when you leave than when you arrived,” he concluded. “This bar year
is not my bar year, but your bar year. History will record what we did
together and I look to you for your input, hard work and support.
“Working together,
we can maintain the high standard that goes with the name Maryland State
Bar Association. And today, I tell you, I am honored and proud to be your
President.”
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