Eads, Linda S.

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The Work Praises the Man - An Irish Proverb: A Tribute to Professor Frederick Moss

Southern Methodist University

SMU Law ReviewVolume 63 | Issue 3 Article 42010The Work Praises the Man - An Irish Proverb: ATribute to Professor Frederick MossLinda S. EadsSouthern Methodist University, leads@smu.eduFollow this and additional works at: https://scholar.smu.edu/smulrPart of the Law CommonsThis Tribute is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Journals at SMU Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in SMU Law Review byan authorized administrator of SMU Scholar. For more information, please visit http://digitalrepository.smu.edu.Recommended CitationLinda S. Eads, The Work Praises the Man - An Irish Proverb: A Tribute to Professor Frederick Moss, 63 SMU L. Rev. 929 (2010)https://scholar.smu.edu/smulr/vol63/iss3/4THE WORK PRAISES THE MAN-AN IRISH PROVERB:A TRIBUTE TO PROFESSORFREDERICK MOSSLinda EadsIT is difficult for me to imagine the Dedman School of Law withoutFred Moss as a full-time member of the faculty. Something will bemissing from this place without Fred's full participation in our profes-sional lives. Fred was one of the first members of the faculty who "tookme under his wing" when I started on my academic journey almosttwenty-five years ago. He bolstered my confidence, encouraged me in myacademic endeavors, and marked the map so I could find the academicland mines. Fred was and is generous, fair, and devoted to legal educa-tion, and it is these three qualities possessed by Fred that I wish to ac-knowledge in this tribute.I. GENEROSITYAs his friends know, Fred is, to use a kind label, frugal. So when Ispeak of "generosity," I am referring to a generosity of spirit and unself-ishness in approach that allows people and institutions to flourish. Freddemonstrated this generosity to the law school in countless ways. He ledthe committee that revised the law school's Honor Code, which continuesin effect twenty years later. He coached mock trial teams for years, whichrequired working with groups of students for hours on weekends over aperiod of months-all without significant additional compensation. Fredalso agreed to lead the school's criminal clinic when it was in need of afaculty member. Again, this took Fred away from some of his other aca-demic interests, but he made this sacrifice for the students and for theschool.One of Fred's most significant accomplishments was his service as Di-rector of the Lawyering Program in its first years. This Program was con-ceived as a method to instill in our first-year students some sense of whatlawyers do when they practice law. It included exercises in gatheringfacts, interviewing clients, writing legal memos, and negotiating with op-posing counsel. The course was intense and required a significant timecommitment from the faculty. The experience was quite different thanthe typical law school class. Faculty had to interact by critiquing andgrading students almost on a weekly basis. The effects of this on the929SMU LAW REVIEWfaculty required Fred to discover ways to maintain faculty enthusiasm forthe Program. Also, the Program was a work-in-progress during its firstyears when Fred was the Director. Consequently, Fred was continuallyrevising the curriculum and the instructions to the faculty. It was a hercu-lean effort on his part. I know because I was a member of the LawyeringProgram faculty who watched and appreciated what he had to do.Why did Fred agree to do all this? Why not choose, instead, a lessdemanding course? His generous spirit provides part of the answer. Freddoes not evaluate his options based simply by what is best for him.Rather, he views his options as requiring an assessment of what is best forothers. Fred believed that his obligation as a faculty member was to assistthe school in graduating students with a high degree of proficiency in law.This obligation was greater than his own personal professional interests.Yet, Fred never pontificated on this obligation, never tried to make any-one feel less dedicated than he was. Fred led by the example he set intaking on such daunting projects without complaint.Benjamin Franklin once said that "a man wrapped up in himself makesa very small bundle." Fred Moss, as a member of the Dedman School ofLaw Faculty, proved Franklin's wisdom. Fred was the antithesis of asmall bundle. Rather, his generosity of spirit filled these halls with hopefor progress in legal education.II. FAIRNESSSome of his friends on the faculty love to tease Fred about his sense offairness. Sometimes this teasing occurs at lunch when he is calculatinghow to divide the check to the last penny (I mentioned above his frugal-ity). Sometimes the teasing comes when we are trying to decide how toview certain action by other colleagues or the law school administration.Invariably, Fred will say something like "now, now let's look at it fromthat person's viewpoint." We will all moan about Fred being fair, again!Although we may tease him about this, we admire him for it. And wetrust him without reservation because of it.A few examples will demonstrate this quality in Fred. When I startedmy academic career at the law school, I was a single mother who had justmoved to a new city and was beginning a new profession. I had a lot onmy plate. Consequently, I was unable to participate fully at that time incertain activities at the law school, both social and academic. Some col-leagues reacted by expressing concern about my "dedication" to what isexpected of an academic. Fred acted in his typically Fred way. First, heasked other professors to consider how difficult it was for me at this pointin time to be fully engage in some parts of academic life. Second, hetalked to me and encouraged me to participate more and to think aboutways in which I could find more time in my schedule to develop relation-ships with the faculty. Third, he took action to help me engage. I remem-ber fondly two such activities he planned. One was to ask me to cocoacha trial team with him. Second was to have me participate in poker games!930 [Vol. 63A Tribute to Professor Frederick MossSo Fred used his sense of fairness to make my first years at the lawschool a success.Another example involves Fred's participation in the faculty decisionto give lecturers a role in law school governance. The faculty debated thelevel at which lecturers should participate in governance. Eventually, thefaculty voted for extensive involvement by the lecturers, and the voice Iremember most in these discussions was Fred's. He noted how importantour lecturers are to the work we do to educate lawyers, how dedicatedour lecturers are to our students and how much tenured faculty dependedon lecturers to lessen some of our burdens. In the end, Fred argued thatthe question is greater than who is tenured and who is not-the questionwas whether we would recognize fairly those who contribute so much toour endeavors. Plato said: "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting ahard battle." Fred lives his life with this understanding, and this has ben-efited all of us.III. DEVOTION TO LEGAL EDUCATIONA real tension exists in legal education between those who want tocommit greater resources to an emphasis on skills training and those whoare concerned with costs that come with more skills training. This tensionis not necessarily bad; it allows legal educators to review what is the bestand most cost-effective way to structure the education of future lawyersin sufficient numbers so that it will not be a profession only available tothe children of the elite. It also allows legal educators to evaluate thor-oughly whether law schools are adequately training our students to be-come lawyers. Fred has always pushed for greater skills training but notin a way that ignores the financial balancing act required to provide moreskills courses. Because he is fair and willing to listen to all points of view,Fred was a very persuasive advocate for greater skills training at SMU.Consequently, the law school has an exceptionally fine trial advocacycourse that involves some of the best trial practitioners in the City ofDallas. Fred's commitment to the clinical program was discussed above.The national and international success of our student advocates in mootand mock trial competitions is the result, in part, of Fred's work in theseareas.But greater than these achievements is the love of the law Fred hasconveyed to his students. His teaching of Evidence inspired his studentsto know more because he showed them how a lawyer's skill and under-standing of the law of evidence was critical to having an item of evidenceadmitted or rejected. Fred's Professional Responsibility students wantedto be ethical lawyers because of how Fred approached ethical problem-solving and helped them understand the effects a lawyer's ethical deci-sions have on clients and the rule of law. In teaching Criminal Law, Fredhad the authority of a former federal prosecutor, but he softened hisvoice of authority by helping students see that the criminal law can be a2010] 931932 SMU LAW REVIEW [Vol. 63blunt instrument that should be used by governments with care andhonor.Fred was a teacher's teacher. He was always prepared, always learningmore so that his students were current, and always wanting more fromhimself in the classroom. Plutarch said that "the mind is not a vessel tobe filled but a fire to be kindled." Fred Moss kindled thousands of firesby his dedication in the classroom to making his students finely preparedlawyers.For all these reasons and many more, I will sorely miss Fred. I will,however, carry with me what he has taught me-to be generous of spirit,to attempt to be fair by walking in the other guy's shoes for a moment,and to want my students to not just learn things but to crave to knowmore.

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The Work Praises the Man - An Irish Proverb: A Tribute to Professor Frederick Moss

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