Satz, Ani B.

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Nova Law ReviewVolume 34, Issue 3 2010 Article 6Memorial Dedication to Stephanie FeldmanAleongAni B. Satz∗∗Copyright c©2010 by the authors. Nova Law Review is produced by The Berkeley ElectronicPress (bepress). http://nsuworks.nova.edu/nlrMEMORIAL DEDICATION TO STEPHANIE FELDMANALEONGANI B. SATZIn October 2008, the legal academy lost Stephanie Feldman Aleong tomelanoma. Stephanie was 36 years old.Stephanie was an Assistant Professor at Nova Southeastern University,Shepard Broad Law Center, where she sagely directed the Masters in HealthLaw Program and taught doctrinal and legal practice courses. Under herleadership, the Masters Program attracted an increasingly impressive groupof health care professionals from around the country.Stephanie arrived at Nova by way of Emory University, where we firstmet. At Emory she was known as an extraordinary legal writing instructorand contributor to our Trial Techniques Program.Stephanie's scholarship and advocacy focused on the safety of the do-mestic prescription drug supply chain. This interest was cultivated duringher six year tenure as a Florida state attorney specializing in the prosecutionand investigation of racketeering in pharmaceuticals. In that capacity, Ste-phanie helped dissolve a federal crime ring and undoubtedly helped count-less individuals avoid illness and death from counterfeit drugs. Her work isdetailed in a novel,' and a Hollywood director intended to create a film abouther personal and professional story. Stephanie was a frequent consultant forthe print and news media on drug safety and occasionally served as a consul-tant for television dramas addressing drug crimes.Stephanie was a talented and passionate teacher. She was tirelessly de-voted to helping her students succeed in their courses, careers, and moregenerally in life. Their successes were her successes. A well-written studentpaper made her beam; a poorly written one encouraged her to work harder.Stephanie was also a wonderful colleague. She was one of the firstpeople to welcome me to Emory. She was generous with her time and know-ledge, worked to connect people with similar interests, and sought to advancethe careers of others.While Stephanie's academic accomplishments are easy to describe, it ismuch harder to capture her personality. Stephanie was one of my closestfriends, and part of the difficulty may be that I am still too close to the loss.What I am able to articulate is that Stephanie was one of the most ge-nerous, thoughtful, and passionate people I have ever known. A good dayI. KATHERINE EBAN, DANGEROUS DOSES: How COUNTERFEITERS ARE CONTAMINATINGAMERICA'S DRUG SUPPLY (2005).1Satz: Memorial Dedication to Stephanie Feldman AleongPublished by NSUWorks, 2010NOVA LAW REVIEWwas measured by the happiness of those around her. A room in her housewas dedicated to storing gifts for her family and friends-items she had dis-covered that reminded her of certain people. The impressive number of me-ticulously wrapped boxes stacked against the wall demonstrated in one moreway that she always seemed to be thinking of others. Even while battling herterminal illness, she would ask me about my family, my career, and evenwhether I was being a "healthy" vegetarian.She loved animals, and aside from her domestic pets of many years-Bubba (cat, now deceased), Molly (dog), and Monster (dog)-took care of afamily of ducks that lived in a nearby lake (Larry, Curly, and Moe). Sheonce saved an entire litter of newborn possums from certain death by erect-ing a tent over them to help keep them cool until a wildlife rescue arrived.What made her enthusiasm for life and generous nature especially re-markable was that her own life had been quite difficult. She almost neverspoke about these challenges. When Stephanie was a very small child, hermother perished in a car accident in which Stephanie was the only other pas-senger. Stephanie was a childhood diabetic who went misdiagnosed formany years, which caused her significant illness and distress. Many peopledid not know Stephanie had skin cancer until it reoccurred five years afterher initial operation. Even at that point, she rarely discussed her illness anddemonstrated an amazing resilience and optimism about the uncertainty oflife that I suspect most could not garner under similar circumstances.Stephanie symbolizes, in my view, what the legal profession should beabout: passion for scholarship and teaching, determination to make an im-pact and further legal change, and service to one's institution and othercommunities. Legal academia is often an atomistic enterprise. We are re-warded not for the lives we touch or the change we catalyze but for the quan-tity of articles generated in isolation behind closed doors. This is only part ofour task. I believe that we all could learn from Stephanie's example of whatit means to be a scholar, a teacher, a colleague, and a friend.[Vol. 342Nova Law Review, Vol. 34, Iss. 3 [2010], Art. 6http://nsuworks.nova.edu/nlr/vol34/iss3/6

Memorial Dedication to Stephanie Feldman Aleong

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Memorial Dedication to Stephanie Feldman Aleong

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