I recently penned Do You Care about Reputation (June 2023). I was celebrating the presentation of the Harry Lee Anstead award to Judge Robert Deitz (posthumously). The Bar has this to say
The Justice Harry Lee Anstead Award, presented annually to a Florida Board Certified lawyer or judge, recognizes exemplary professionalism, excellence, character and commitment to The Florida Bar’s certification program and to the practice of law.
That explains the honor, but not the person so much. I have struggled similarly with the Workers' Compensation Section's annual presentation of the Frierson-Colling Award at the Forum each spring. I knew each of those lawyers back in the day. I still correspond periodically with Mr. Frierson. He is a legend in our community and a fixture in our history. I lament that he is no longer able to engage as he once did. I miss his kind countenance and patient demeanor.
I am critical of these awards in only one respect. The name is an honor, but today's generation needs to hear a few bars of the song. The title evokes some modicum of recognition perhaps, but tell us who this person is, what she/he did, how there was impact, exemplification, and contribution. I am not alone. Peter Prieto recently wrote a letter to the Florida Bar News (August 1, 2023). It was exactly in line with what I have been advocating. I link to it and share a few quotes.
Mr. Prieto's topic is Robert Orsek. He laments that we are too often confronted with names on buildings, not dissimilar to my thoughts on awards and recognitions. His focus, however, is on the "Robert Orseck Memorial Moot Court Competition." He is conscious of the fact that we may be superficial in our recollection and remiss in our reflection.
I pause here to note that I do not know Mr. Prieto. I never knew Mr. Orsek. I cannot find any connection between either and my little corner of the world in workers' compensation (my critics often remind me this blog is about workers' compensation, and they are sometimes right). That all said, I am grateful to Mr. Prieto for caring enough to bring us all some edification.
The Bar News article is replete with specific references to the practice of law, and Mr. Orseck's contributions to the practice and the evolution of law. It informs that Mr. Orseck passed away in 1978, at age 43. And it tells us that he was attempting to "save the lives of children who were being swept out to sea" when he passed. That presents a noble picture of self-sacrifice. The story notes that "All of the children survived."
When that end is intertwined so carefully, by Mr. Prieto, with the litany of professional achievements, we come to know the man. Without a doubt, he was human like us all and there were bound to be failings. But what is remembered? Those around him saw professional and personal achievement. And some cared enough to name a public event in his honor. One cared enough to tell us the story of who he was.
There is much to unpack here. First and foremost however is that remembering people is more important than remembering a name. How will you be known? Will you be remembered as someone who impacted a community? Will anyone remember that you made a life better, a profession better, a society better?
I recently encountered another soul while researching my latest book. His name is not important, but after a long and apparently fruitful life, all I know for sure is that this person passed away with lots of money. What a great tribute that is (sarcasm again, sorry).
Mr. Orsek, on the other hand, evokes a spirit in this Bar News letter. Mr. Prieto notes that the Robert Orseck Memorial Moot Court Competition, hosted by the Young Lawyers Division, celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. He notes that Mr. Orseck "served as an example that the law is still a noble profession and not simply a business." What a lesson that might be for the lawyers entering this profession. He notes that Mr. Orseck's example reminded that "even a young lawyer — relying mostly on his or her intelligence and the love of their craft — can make a significant impact."
Words to live by. I never knew the back story for the name on that Moot Court Competition. I lament that. I encourage again that any organization that memorializes someone with such a naming should include something akin to Mr. Prieto's note on the web, readily available and patent. There is power and strength in knowing more than a name. There is value in the lessons, learning, and experience that justified memorializing a name.
I am grateful for the effort in that article/letter. I am hopeful we might all be a bit more vociferous in our demand to know, as Paul Harvey reminded us, "the rest of the story." And thus, "good day."
