Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Columbia Law Review

Abstract

Professor Kent Greenawalt was a kind and exceedingly thoughtful man. To sketch out the life he led is to reflect on the nature of those virtues, for the traits I have mentioned were connected with one another. His thoughtfulness was conveyed in the gentlemanly quality of his personal and collegial interactions. He always cared how his colleagues were faring and he showed quiet concern when someone was ill, for example, or when things were not going well for them. Kent’s personal kindness carried over, too, into the way he participated in debates about law and legal theory. He always listened carefully to what was being said; he didn’t treat another’s presentation as just an opportunity to shoot up a hand and ask a knockout question. Sometimes Kent just wanted to improve the theory that was being set out. He was invariably considerate of all the views being expressed, even — perhaps especially — those opposed to his own. I don’t mean that he was uncommitted or that he didn’t take any debate in academic life seriously enough to get angry about. Over the years, Kent developed a number of careful positions in the areas that interested him — such as church and state, free speech, and legal interpretation. He defended his positions and persevered with them doggedly, convinced that some of the best arguments against them were based on an over-hasty elaboration. But always, when Kent defended the views that he held, it was without a trace of bitterness or anger. Without pyrotechnics either. The positions he adopted were, for the most part, conventional and moderate. He espoused their intuitive appeal and defended them against fashionable ridicule. He always believed there was more to ordinary decent analysis than met the eye. The impression Kent conveyed was that if people would only work thoughtfully through various layers of understanding, they would see the good sense of the conventional approach. In all of this, what was most noticeable was his kindness and his readiness to listen. These qualities made him an excellent teacher — one of Columbia’s best — and a most valued colleague.

First Page

935

Volume

123

Publication Date

2023

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