Maryland Bar
Bulletin
Publications :
Bar Bulletin
Editor: W. Patrick Tandy
April, 2004
| |
Glimpses of MSBA's Past
~Video of
Living Past Presidents to be Unveiled at Annual Meeting~ |
| By Janet Stidman Eveleth |
Over the years, the
Maryland State Bar Association (MSBA) has upheld a tradition of
excellence, serving members of the legal profession, the business
community and the public-at-large. To honor this rich heritage and the
volunteer leaders who have preserved it, MSBA is saluting its 24 living
past presidents in a special oral history video to be unveiled at MSBA’s
Annual Meeting in June. The video offers glimpses of MSBA’s past leaders
who collectively strengthened MSBA and built it into the strong and
dynamic organization it is today.
This engaging video
highlights MSBA’s history and the legacy left by its living past
presidents. It captures the memories, issues and times of these esteemed
leaders, memorializing their collective wisdom for posterity. The
videotape is also one of MSBA President Harry S. Johnson’s contributions –
and his legacy – to MSBA.
When Johnson
assumed the Presidency of MSBA last June, he announced his theme for the
year as “Back to the Future.” In keeping with this premise, Johnson
initiated the oral history video “so MSBA may learn from its past to be
better prepared for the future. This year, we will be looking at our
past…to gain perspective on where our Association has been and where we
should aspire to go in the future.”
“This video is a
living history of MSBA and its leadership,” declares Johnson. “MSBA’s past
presidents hold a wealth of information about our history and have a
legacy of service, not only to the profession but to our community as a
whole. I want to capture our history and honor those who made it while
they are still around to tell us about it.”
“It is my hope that
this oral history will be a living monument to those who have so ably led
our Association,” adds Johnson. “I have learned much from these fine
people, so I hope that this history will allow others the opportunity to
see how our Association has grown and changed over the years. The past
presidents are a resource that must be valued. We now have the technology
to preserve their thoughts so that future lawyers and future leaders will
be able to benefit from their experiences.”
To accomplish his
goal, Johnson appointed a Special Committee, consisting of Ronald
Richardson, Andrea Leahy-Fuchek and Gary Crawford, to develop and oversee
this oral history video project. Under this Committee’s direction,
BlueRock Productions is producing this living history videotape. The
tapings have been completed, and BlueRock is in the latent stages of
production; the video is slated to debut at the MSBA Annual Meeting in
June.
This exciting
videotape traces the year of service for the living presidents who were
available for taping. These leaders talk about the highlights of their
year, major initiatives undertaken, legal issues facing attorneys at that
time and some of the surprising crises that arose. A narrator shares the
oral history, which includes glimpses of the living past presidents and
significant locations and documents. They all reminisce about what it was
like to serve as bar leader.
“This will be a
valuable resource to future MSBA leaders,” states Richardson. “It will
better enable them and prepare them to be leaders.” According to Crawford,
the purpose of this project is “to provide an archive of MSBA’s history
through the commentary of our past presidents. It celebrates the
professional excellence of MSBA and brings to light the organization’s
willingness to re-examine its mission and priorities.”
Richardson, who has
observed numerous tapings, is “most impressed by the many contributions
that have been made by MSBA’s past presidents to the Association, the
state’s legal community and the social community. It has truly been an eye
opening experience.”
“When you think
about it, presidents go through one-year terms and most often you think of
their accomplishments largely in terms of the membership,” continues
Richardson. However, after listening to these bar leaders, he now realizes
that “they have had an impact on the entire legal community and the
general public. Their stories and contributions affect laws that have been
made, the outcome of political issues and social issues, all in a very
short period of time.”
“The film will
share the different agendas carried out by these qualified men and women;
it will tell the story of their accomplishments,” concludes Richardson.
“It will meet Harry’s goal because it truly is a resource of different
agendas and issues that were addressed. The video offers valuable insight
into MSBA.”
“I think people
will be inspired by the passionate commitment to the law, equal
opportunity and social justice illustrated by the presidents profiled in
this documentary,” emphasizes Leahy-Fuchek. “Their contributions to MSBA
and in turn to the state’s legal, social and political order are
remarkable. Harry Johnson must be commended for having the vision to bring
this story to life.”
“This oral history
is also part of the legacy of leadership that the MSBA stands for,”
concludes Johnson. “It is my hope that schools and libraries will use this
oral history as a resource for anyone interested in leadership. You could
find no better examples of service and leadership than our past
presidents.”
