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Damry, Nasroolla

Hall, Michelle

Avni, Efraim

The Board of Editors dedicates this issue to Professor of Law F. Reed Dickerson upon the occasion of his retirement, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the study of law

Driedger, E A

Indiana University Bloomington Maurer School of Law

Indiana Law JournalVolume 55 | Issue 3 Article 10Spring 1980Reed Dickerson: An AppreciationE A. DriedgerUniversity of OttawaFollow this and additional works at: http://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/iljPart of the Legal Biography Commons, and the Legal Education CommonsThis Tribute is brought to you for free and open access by the Law SchoolJournals at Digital Repository @ Maurer Law. It has been accepted forinclusion in Indiana Law Journal by an authorized administrator of DigitalRepository @ Maurer Law. For more information, please contactwattn@indiana.edu.Recommended CitationDriedger, E A. (1980) "Reed Dickerson: An Appreciation," Indiana Law Journal: Vol. 55: Iss. 3, Article 10.Available at: http://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/ilj/vol55/iss3/10INDIANA LAW JOURNALReed Dickerson: An AppreciationE.A. DRIEDGER*F. Reed Dickerson retiring? I don't believe it! He may be endinghis tenure at Indiana University, Bloomington, and that will be anirreparable loss to the University, but, knowing him as I do, thatdoes not mean sitting in a chair playing his trumpet. I am surethat more gold will continue to flow from his pen.My acquaintanceship with Reed Dickerson goes back a longtime. He came across a modest little paper on legislative drafting Ihad published many years ago, and I came across his text, Legisla-tive Drafting,1 the forerunner to his later text, The Fundamentalsof Legal Drafting.2 We at once recognized that we were kindredspirits, and began to correspond. Strangely, though, we did notmeet face to face until just a half a. dozen years ago; several timesat meetings of committees of the Canadian Bar Association, at aseminar in Bloomington, Indiana, on the teaching of legislativewriting, and also in Ottawa on his return from a meeting of theAmerican Bar Association in Montreal. We also both appearedbefore the Renton Committee in London, England, although at dif-ferent times, but we read each other's evidence. I feel, therefore,that I am qualified to pass judgment on him and hisworks-articles and texts-most of which I have read with delight.If I were a Supreme Court of nine Justices, I am sure the judgmentwould be unanimous.His reputation as an authority on legislation, both interpretationand writing, and on legal writing in general is worldwide. Our lan-guage does not have appropriate adjectives to describe his worksand his contributions; brilliant, outstanding, superb, are much toopale. His writings are not mere academic exercises; what he recom-mends and exhorts is being accepted and followed, not only by billdrafters, but by the profession at large in all English-speakingcountries. His influence is ever-growing and will continue to flour-ish long after we have all taken leave of this terrestrial domain.*Q.C.; Professor Emeritus of Law, University of Ottawa; Former Deputy Minister ofJustice & Deputy Attorney General, Canada.1. R. DICKERSON, LEGISLATIVE DRAFTING (1954).2. R. DICKERSON, THE FUNDAMENTALS OF LEGAL DRAFTING (1965).[Vol. 55:423F. REED DICKERSONI join with the multitude in honoring Reed for his writing andteaching and in wishing for him many happy years in his"retirement."Professor Reed DickersonGEORGE C. KEELY*"Who's that playing the trumpet? He's terrific.'.' The occasionfor this question was an annual dinner-dance of the National Con-ference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL)when some of the commissioners got up during the intermission toentertain their fellow commissioners and their guests. The trumpetplayer was F. Reed Dickerson-a man of unusual talents, great in-tellect and many abilities. Who would have thought that an emi-nent professor, noted writer and draftsman, and leading legislativeexpert could play the trumpet so well. But, of course, Reed Dicker-son can do, and has done, many things well.In debates on proposed new uniform laws at annual meetings ofthe NCCUSL, new commissioners will often turn to older membersand ask after a distinguished member stands and speaks-"Who'sthat? He's good." Reed Dickerson is one of the members of theConference whose incisive questions and comments often elicitsuch an inquiry.The Conference is composed of commissioners from the fiftystates, the District of Columbia and the Commonweath of PuertoRico, and of associate members who are directors of their states'legislative drafting office. There are more than two hundred andforty commissioners and forty-six associate members-all lawyers.Reed Dickerson is outstanding in this group.The Conference has written and promulgated many uniformlaws, such as the Uniform Commercial Code, Uniform PartnershipAct, Uniform Gifts to Minors Act, Uniform Reciprocal Enforce-*Past President, National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws; Part-ner: Fairfield & Woods, Denver, Colorado.1980]

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Reed Dickerson: An Appreciation

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