Volk, Frank W.

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The Research Repository @ WVU (West Virginia University)

Volume 95 Issue 3 Issue 3, The National Coal Issue Article 4 March 1993 Dedication to E. Ann Compton Keel Frank W. Volk West Virginia University College of Law Follow this and additional works at: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/wvlr  Part of the Legal Biography Commons Recommended Citation Frank W. Volk, Dedication to E. Ann Compton Keel, 95 W. Va. L. Rev. (1993). Available at: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/wvlr/vol95/iss3/4 This Dedication is brought to you for free and open access by the WVU College of Law at The Research Repository @ WVU. It has been accepted for inclusion in West Virginia Law Review by an authorized editor of The Research Repository @ WVU. For more information, please contact ian.harmon@mail.wvu.edu. WEST VIRGINIA LAW REVIEWVolume 95 Spring 1993 Number 3DEDICATION TOE. ANN COMPTON KEELAny practicing attorney who has attended the College of Lawcan tell first hand of the one great enemy of law students: the ineffi-cient allocation of time. Indeed, it is difficult to maintain a desirablestudy schedule with extracurricular activities, a husband, children, andother responsibilities. Ann Keel labored under these many duties as afellow student of mine at the College. Ann was also faced with bat-tling a serious illness. We lost Ann to that illness in late 1991, and wenow dedicate this National Coal Issue to her memory.I was a staff member on the Law Review when Ann servedwith Gary Wigal as co-editor of the National Coal Issue. The Issuewas planned in every detail. It included authors like Senator Robert C.Byrd and addressed timely topics such as coal arbitration under theNational Bituminous Coal Wage Agreements and criminal liability forenvironmental violations by coal operators. Ann's and Gary's dedicatedefforts resulted in one of the most timely and well-prepared coal issuesin recent memory.Ann authored an article that appeared in Volume Ninety-Two ofthe Law Review.' Her article appeared in the National Coal Issue and,not surprisingly, that coal issue too received a great deal of praise forits timeliness and usefulness to the profession. A perusal of Ann'sarticle will demonstrate to the reader her sincere attention to detail, aswell as her coherent and scholarly style.1. E. Ann Compton Keel, Note, Attorney's Fees Under the Surface Mining Controland Reclamation Act of 1977: A Primer, 92 W. VA. L. REV. 987 (1990).1Volk: Dedication to E. Ann Compton KeelDisseminated by The Research Repository @ WVU, 1993WEST VIRGINIA LAW REVIEWAnn's efforts on the Law Review, while rising to the level ofexcellence, represented only a small fraction of her endeavors. She wasan accomplished student. She graded-on to the Law Review and I oftensaw Ann working on an outline for Business Organizations or someother course.Although Ann had long wanted to become a lawyer, she wasfirst and foremost a wife and mother. Her interest in law began aftergraduating from Barnard College while serving on the staff of Con-gressman Richard Roudebush. After giving up a promising career inWashington, and helping put her husband through the Ph.D. programat Stanford University, Ann was ready to enter law school at the Uni-versity of Pittsburgh when the birth of her first son, Donald, onceagain delayed her plans to become a lawyer. After a move toMorgantown to accommodate her husband's career and the birth of asecond son, William, Ann was finally able to begin her dream ofbecoming a lawyer. As a law student, I know that Ann often had tojuggle her studies and personal life and she often mentioned her familyto me. I could tell that whatever priority Ann gave to the Law Reviewand law school, these two took second chair to those at home. Thisordering of priorities, however, never affected Ann's performance inother areas.This brief and inadequate treatment of Ann's many accomplish-ments illustrates her determination and balance. Ann was a livingexample to all of us who face daily what seem to be unbearable pres-sures, impending deadlines, competing responsibilities, and the overalldemand that our efforts exude the highest level of quality and excel-lence. Ann dealt with all of these, in addition to her illness, withcourage and good humor. Words cannot do justice to Ann's character.Only those of us who knew Ann even superficially can appreciate theloss of a tnily exemplary peer.I take great pride in the privilege of dedicating this Issue toAnn. Working with Ann while I was a staff member and then seekingher guidance while a member of the Editorial Board, I know firsthandof her dedication to this law review. That dedication will live on eventhough Ann is no longer with us. After Ann's passing she directeddonations, in lieu of flowers, to the West Virginia Law Review.[Vol. 95:6132West Virginia Law Review, Vol. 95, Iss. 3 [1993], Art. 4https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/wvlr/vol95/iss3/4E. ANN COMPTON KEELThis direction led to a generous gift by Mr. Stephen G. Youngin Ann's memory. The fund established by Mr. Young was the firstsignificant contribution the law review had received in some time. Thisfund, in addition to the more recent Ralph J. Bean Law Review En-dowment, signals a new era for the West Virginia Law Review, andopens doors long closed by budget constraints.By her work, her continuing example, and the gift dedicated inher honor, Ann Keel has left a unique and lasting legacy to this publi-cation. More importantly, however, she has left the memory of herfriendship and her dedication to those of us who knew her and workedwith her. This memory will indeed linger long.FRANK W. VOLKEditor-in-ChiefVolume 94199313Volk: Dedication to E. Ann Compton KeelDisseminated by The Research Repository @ WVU, 19934West Virginia Law Review, Vol. 95, Iss. 3 [1993], Art. 4https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/wvlr/vol95/iss3/4

Dedication to E. Ann Compton Keel

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Dedication to E. Ann Compton Keel

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