Bershad, Lawrence

English

Seton Hall University Libraries

DEDICATIONTO THOMAS SLOAN BOYD JR.Reflections of Professor Lawrence Bershad*Tom Boyd died on July 27, 1992. He was the student mostresponsible for the creation of the Seton Hall Legislative Bureau,the parent organization of this Journal. Tom served as the Stu-dent Director of the Legislative Bureau for the first two years ofits existence, his term of office concluding with his graduation in1975.Little did I realize, as a new and relatively inexperiencedteacher in the fall of 1972, what awaited me when I announced tomy criminal law class the somewhat dubious opportunity to workon a legislative project researching victim crime compensation.Immediately after class the first person to my desk was Tom Boydvolunteering to be of assistance "in any way possible." Whileother students were interested, Tom almost demanded the op-portunity to participate in the project, and it was impossible torefuse him - a predicament that many who dealt with him insubsequent years soon came to appreciate.Tom informed me he was simply a "boy from Arkansas lostin New Jersey... just a boy from the hills traveling the countryhoping to do some good and coping as best he could with the cityfolk." As the public found out in the recent presidential electioninvolving Arkansas Governor Clinton, I soon found out that TomBoyd was anything but an unsophisticated country boy. He wasas cosmopolitan, sophisticated and competent in unraveling bu-reaucracies as anyone I have met before or since.As we worked on the project and dealt with the complexitiesof actual legislation, we began to discuss the discernable absenceof legislative skills training in law school curricula, and noted thatthis posed problems to students interested in being involved inthe political process during and upon graduation from lawschool. Day after day Tom and I discussed this and other needsof the law school. Eventually, Tom suggested that we recruitother members of his class to attempt to remedy the situation.* Professor Bershad is a Professor of Law at Seton Hall University School ofLaw.SETON HALL LEGISLATIVE JOURNALLeon Sokol was soon dragged into my tiny office and it was ex-plained to me that he possessed political skills and contacts. Thethree of us began meeting with elected legislative leaders such asTom Kean, and partisan staff such as Joe Gannon and Joe Gonza-les, all of whom were concerned with the perceived needs on thepart of the members of the New Jersey State Legislature for pro-fessional research assistance in the development of legislation.Other students brought into the process at this point wereSteve Picco, Joan Josephson, and Dan Ellis, as well as PeggySchaffer and Rick Steen who became the first editors of the SetonHall Legislative Journal which was published two years later.These students called upon legislators, made investigatory phonecalls and visited schools, such as Harvard and Yale, which hadlegislative programs of one kind or another. Tom and the otherstudents settled on a non-partisan program which would focus onstudents assisting the legislature on an attorney-client basisbound by the rules of confidentiality so that students could workon legislation without reference to their own feelings and inter-ests in the passage of particular bills. Subsequently, Tom led thegroup, along with interested faculty, in securing the support ofthe law school for this project through its accreditation as acourse, and secured funding from the legislature.Within the next two years, over 80 projects of varying com-plexity were completed for members of the New Jersey State Leg-islature by the students led by Tom. It was at this point, duringTom's last year at the school, that the first issue of the Seton HallLegislative Journal was published. By the end of Tom's rule, theLegislative Bureau had over forty members, and was the mostvibrant and active group in the law school. This was remarkableinasmuch as it was predicated on the fairly narrow field oflegislation.From its inception, Tom and his cohorts clearly intendedthat the Legislative Bureau was to be a "hands on" organization,holding classes each week where legislators, lobbyists, and execu-tive branch officials recounted their experiences. This blend ofresearch, bill drafting, classes and the Journal, all under the pur-view of the Legislative Bureau, directed by Tom, was an exhila-rating experience for anyone privileged to be a part of it.Tom was more than just a leader of a prominent and activestudent organization, he was symbolic of all of the students, and[Vol. 17:11993] DEDICATION TO THOMAS SLOAN BOYDJR. 3in fact, of the law school, at that point in time. He was energetic,competent and unfailingly optimistic. All he wanted was a chanceto contribute and to offer that opportunity to others. If there wasa need for speakers, seminars or movies for the student body atlarge, Tom would work tirelessly with the special projects com-mittee at the law school to insure the fulfillment of these goals. Iflibrary books had to be moved, and the school had no money tohire workers to move the books, Tom would get a group of lawstudents together to work over several weekends to make surethe books were moved. In the less than grand series of tempo-rary buildings housing the law school, one was able to glimpsethe school's future through the eyes of students like Tom whowere totally oblivious to the constraints which baffled and dis-mayed so many of us at the time. In retrospect, those years of theearly 70's, with people such as Tom at the helm, provided notmerely an insight into what the school was capable of, but, inparticular, the enormous potential of its students.Tom and I lost touch in the past five or six years as we werepreoccupied with other matters. There was, however, an occa-sion in May of 1992 when over 200 alumni of the Legislative Bu-reau returned to the law school to celebrate the 20th anniversaryof the Bureau's founding. It was a moving moment indeed whenTom Boyd was introduced to the audience, many of whom hadonly heard of him.Tom was obviously ill, having suffered a heart attack in thewinter, but as he stood up and spoke to those in attendance, hisvoice grew stronger as he remembered the days of the LegislativeBureau's founding and the possibilities for growth that lay ahead.He received a standing ovation honoring his service.Privately, when speaking with me that evening, he told me ofthe doctor's dire predictions for him, but then pulled me closeand whispered optimistically as always, "If there is a way to beatthis, I'll find it!" Sadly, this was the only time I knew Tom Boydto be wrong and to be bested by anything.Over the years since 1972, I have been associated with manystudents in innumerable undertakings and I have seen other stu-dents creatively challenge existing institutions. However, neverhas one student meant more to me, nor to this institution thanTom Boyd. His loss is irreplaceable, but in another sense TomBoyd will always be part of the special community of those of usSETON HALL LEGISLATIVE JOURNALwho were granted the joy of working with him and at his side.Tom set standards at the law school which, for many of us, willforever remain unequaled.Reflections of Leon J. Sokol, Esq. * *Tom Boyd was an extraordinary person whose presence atSeton Hall University School of Law left a lasting memorial to hisaccomplishments. He came to Seton Hall already having accom-plished a significant amount in his life. A graduate of the Univer-sity of Arkansas where he earned both Bachelors and MBAdegrees, Tom served in Vietnam as a Naval Lieutenant where hebecame the youngest department head in the history of Fleet AirWing II. After a short tenure with the Proctor and Gamble cor-poration, he decided to enter law school and came to Seton Hall.Upon beginning his legal studies, Tom recognized that NewJersey needed an institution dedicated to legal support for its leg-islative activities on a non-partisan basis. He also foresaw theneed for a training ground for young lawyers who would eventu-ally seek careers in the legislative branch of government. Hence,the Legislative Bureau was born. Tom guided and nurtured theBureau for two years, leaving it as a mature, well functioningorganization.As Student Director, he oversaw the Bureau's operationsand tirelessly negotiated with the administration, the Universityand the Legislature for continued support. It was Tom whobroadened the Bureau's activities to include the Congress, andhe eventually was tapped to join Congressman Peter Rodino'sstaff three months before he completed his third year of lawschool. Tom moved to Washington, making arrangements tocomplete his third year long distance. Tom, as only he could,managed to fit in studying, finals and the Bar Exam while attend-ing to his full-time duties at Congressman Rodino's office. Thesewere exciting times for Tom after the Watergate hearings. Asrecognition of his extraordinary abilities, Tom was named Chiefof Staff by Congressman Rodino during the first year Tomworked for him.Tom left his mark on Capitol Hill. His interest in computers•* Mr. Sokol is a partner of the law firm Sokol, Behot and Fiorenzo located inHackensack, New Jersey.[Vol. 17:11993] DEDICATION TO THOMAS SLOAN BOYDJR. 5and automation techniques resulted in the creation of one of thefirst automated Congressional offices which became the modelfor others to follow. As Congressman Rodino's top aide, Tomhad access to the Country's most important seats of power. Heconducted business regularly with the White House on behalf ofthe Congressman, and rapidly became one of the most respectedstaff members on Capitol Hill.Within four years, Tom joined Mobil Oil Corporation as anExecutive and Legislative Counsel. He was given a variety of as-signments, including representing Mobil at the Business Round-table, an organization of major corporations which addressedtheir national legislative program. In 1980, the agenda turned toreform of the federal pension laws (ERISA). Despite the fact thatTom was probably the youngest person at the Roundtable, everyone eventually looked to Tom for leadership, and he was the per-son who forged the agreement resulting in the ERISA amend-ments of 1980. His work in this area brought him nationalrecognition, which eventually led to his joining the Equitable LifeInsurance Company as Vice-President for Employee PensionBenefit Programs.Tom left Equitable to return to New Jersey and the privatepractice of law. He joined the firm of Sokol, Behot & Fiorenzowhere he specialized in regulatory matters. Here again, Tom ex-celled, demonstrating an extraordinary combination of legal abil-ity and negotiating skills.Bergen County faced a solid waste crisis when it was orderedto close its County landfill, and the Bergen County Utilities Au-thority was faced with the impossible task of building, and havingoperational within ninety days, a transfer station capable of han-dling the 1,000,000 tons of garbage generated by the County in ayear. Everyone believed the task was impossible except Tomwho served as Counsel to the BCUA. By agreement, he wasplaced in charge of the project to negotiate all governmentagency approvals and contracts for construction and equipment,and coordinating the efforts of all staff and professionals involvedin the project. The result was that in ninety days, a 200,000square foot building and transfer station was constructed and op-erating. This was the largest facility of its kind in New Jersey.Tom continued to demonstrate his extraordinary ability to workwith the State and Federal bureaucracies until he was forced to6 SETON HALL LEGISLATIVE JOURNAL [Vol. 17:1retire because of ill health. Tom was a great lawyer and is sorelymissed.Tom never lost his interest and his love for the LegislativeBureau, and maintained contact with its faculty and student lead-ers, providing assistance whenever he could. Now that the Bu-reau has celebrated its 20th anniversary, we must look back andrecognize that this is Tom Boyd's "Baby" which has fulfilled allof his dreams and objectives for it.

Dedication to Thomas Sloan Boyd Jr.

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Dedication to Thomas Sloan Boyd Jr.

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