A Time to Think of Things for Which We are Thankful
By Bill Conger

I have always loved the fall season — a time of beauty with fall foliage, clear brisk weather and the smell of a fire burning. It also includes the month of November and the Thanksgiving holiday. Now that my children are grown, it is even more special because they return “home” for this holiday. The holiday is also special because it is a time of reflection; a time for us to think of those things for which we are thankful. These past few days I’ve been thinking about our profession and the men and women who are a part of it. I have found much to be thankful for.

I am thankful that we live in a country that is governed by the rule of law which no man is above.

I am thankful that there are still many of us who view our profession as a brotherhood and sisterhood of colleagues dedicated to the betterment of mankind.

More specifically, I am thankful for Bob Ravitz, Susan Otto and all the public interest lawyers, for they remind us that our profession is a noble calling.

I am thankful for Dean Larry Hellman and the faculty at the OCU School of Law for their commitment to and continued involvement in our legal community.

I am thankful for the mentors like Earl D. Mills, the late Barth P. Walker and the late Lee B. Thompson, who gave so willingly of their time to assist me in the practice of law.

I am thankful for senior lawyers such as the late H. K. Berry Sr., the late Coleman Hayes, Elliot Fenton and the late Judge Fred Daugherty who, when I was a young lawyer and they were in their prime, were wonderful role models.

I am thankful for younger lawyers like Rick Rose, Molly Bircher, Kim Warren and Luke Gaither, whose enthusiasm reminds me that the practice of law can be fun and the future of our legal community is in good hands.

I am thankful for law students who enthuse me and give me more joy than they could possibly know.

I am thankful for lawyers like Kent Meyers, Don Nicholson and so many others who constantly give back to the profession.

I am thankful for Kent Frates, a renaissance man, who epitomizes the phrase “counselor.”

I am thankful to Bill Paul, Joe Crosthwait, Dwight Smith, Jack Brown, Mark Robertson and Jim Calloway for their service to our profession on a national basis.

I am thankful for dear friends and colleagues like Clark Musser, Judge Valerie Couch and Barbara Kinney, whose advice and counsel I constantly seek and value.

I am thankful for Jerry Tubb for his always cosmic view of life and for John Morris Williams and all of the people at the Oklahoma Bar Association and its Board of Governors, who are the souls of our bar association.

I am thankful for a federal judiciary in Oklahoma that is not aloof to our legal community but has always been an active participant in the affairs of our profession.

I am thankful for a state judiciary that does so much with so little and, in spite of the pressures of our elective process, maintains an independence in decision-making which is so vital to our system of justice.

Finally, I am thankful for all of you, my brothers and sisters of the bar.

These are just a few thoughts. I encourage you to give some thought and reflection as to what you might be thankful for and, if you are so moved, let me hear from you.

Sincerely,

To contact President Conger, e-mail him at bconger@okcu.edu