“May I say what a great honor it is to have been invited to bepresent here today for the dedication of this new school of law in the company of such distinguished people as Governor Rhodes, and all sorts of others too numerous to mention. Finding myself in this famous law school today brings to mind those close ties which for over three centuries have linked Britain and the United States in so many different ways. Chief among these ties has been ourreverence of the law.” - Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, at the dedication of the new Cleveland State University Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Building, October 20, 1977, 1801 Euclid Ave. Cleveland, Ohio
TEXT OF COMMEMORATIVE PLAQUE OUTSIDE OUR MOOT COURT ROOM
In recognition of the visit of His Royal Highness, The Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, to Cleveland State University on October 20, 1977, during the Inaugural Year of this building.
The dedication of this plaque commemorates the historical bonds between the British and American legal systems and marks the first official visit to the City of Cleveland by a member of the British RoyalFamily.
Done this 20th day of October 1977 AD
This morning, dignitaries from across the globe, including President Joe Biden, are bidding farewell to Queen Elizabeth II, whose reign of almost seven decades made her Britain’s longest-serving monarch.
45 years ago, on October 20, 1977, our law school was home to the first official visit to Cleveland by a member of the British Royal Family - Prince Charles, now King Charles III.
Prince Charles made a number of stops in Cleveland, including the Cleveland Clinic and Severance Hall, but the highlight of the day was when he spoke in our law school’s Moot Court Room and dedicated our law building.
Among those who attended were Ohio Governor Jim Rhodes, Cleveland Mayor Ralph Perk, CSU President Walter Waetjen, CSU Cleveland-Marshall Dean Robert Bogolmony, CSU Cleveland-Marshall alumni, Judge George White ’55 and Judge John Manos’50, and Professors Emeriti Steve Werber, Steve Lazarus, and David Forte. President Waetjen presented Prince Charles with a Honorary Doctorate of Law.
After a luncheon in our Atrium, the guests moved to the Moot Court Room. According to our student newspaper, The Gavel, as Prince Charles began to speak, The Gavel Editor-in-Chief, Jack Kilroy ’77, stood and asked Prince Charles when the English were going to stop torturing Northern Ireland political prisoners. The Secret Service removed Kilroy from the Moot Court Room within seconds. He was later released and not charged.
Professor Emeritus David Forte, Professor Emeritus Steve Lazarus, and Jack Kilroy ‘77 gave interviews with Channel 3 News recalling the visit of then-Prince Charles to our law school. See here:
Standing up to the Prince: Looking back at King Charles III's 1977 visit to Cleveland State University
Prince Charles dedicates the new Law Building
Prince Charles concluded his remarks in our Moot Court Room, noting that “fundamentalamong our common values is the principle of the rule of law.”
He stated, “ There are occasions, one cannot help feeling, when people are inclined to forget John Adams' wise dictum that a government should be of laws and not men. Ibelieve we ignore that dictum at our peril, for without that belief we are in severe dangerof sacrificing our freedom and the liberty of the individual, not to mention thosebasic human rights so essential to the continuance of our democratic traditions ofwhich those who operate and understand the law are basically the guardians.”
45 years later, then Prince Charles’, now King Charles III, words still echo not only in the halls of our law school, but also in the conscience of our nation.
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My best,
Lee
Lee Fisher
Dean, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law | Cleveland State University
Joseph C. Hostetler-BakerHostetler Chair in Law
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