“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Our C|M|Law Inaugural Hall of Fame Celebration last Thursday evening was an historic event. Over 300 alumni, friends, students, staff, and faculty came together to honor 120 men and women who have contributed to the past, present, and/or future success and reputation of C|M|Law. Each has left their own trail.
We saw the debut of our inspiring C|M|Law Hall of Fame Video! Please watch and share.
We heard from CSU President Ronald Berkman, Ohio Supreme Court Justice Maureen O’Connor’ 80, one of our honorees, and the Hon. Donna Shalala, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, who spoke movingly about her mother Edna Shalala,’52, another honoree. And we heard….
From our Honorees and Families of Honorees:
It was a privilege to be included in this amazing Hall of Fame. Thank you, Cleveland Marshall Family, because of you we can live justice and share the amazing stories of our graduates and friends! Sheryl King Benford ‘79
Muchisimas gracias! A truly memorable and treasured evening and memory. You did a remarkable job of providing a sense of the tradition, richness, and history of our unique law school. A truly American institution creating opportunity for all. José Feliciano Sr. ‘75
Imagine getting the names of 120 out and keeping everyone’s attention! First class! Congratulations to your amazing staff, faculty, students, and to the very special group of 29. Honored by all of your presence last night and to see your smiles. Thank you for letting me round it off to an even 30. Bask in the afterglow for a job well done. Avery Friedman ‘72
A most wonderful event….I was inspired to do more and be more. Kerin Lyn Kaminski ‘85
It was a very special night. Even more special for me because it included my dad! I must say that I was curious as to how you were going to honor 120 individuals…. but you did it...and did it with panache! The Honorable Ronald Adrine ‘73
Thank you for the creation of the Hall of Fame. I am honored to be included. You’ve assembled a top notch team at the law school. Their efforts putting together this program were impressive. They are to be congratulated for a job well done. Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor ‘80
I join in giving thanks to all those who assisted in this magnificent effort. The evening was a vivid reminder of how important Cleveland Marshall has been, and continues to be, to the realization of the hopes and dreams of so many. Thank you for the very special way in which you chose to highlight that the law school is one of our most important assets. Knowing that you had so many outstanding persons from whom to choose, I am especially proud to be among this very diverse and accomplished group of honorees. Judge Solomon Oliver, Jr.
That you were able to put this fabulous event together on such short notice and raise an astonishing amount for scholarships is remarkable. And what an impressive group of honorees! David Paris ‘78
Congratulations on a job extraordinarily well done. I never imagined last night could have been as moving and fun as it was. If your goal was to reconnect Alum to C-M, mission accomplished. Thanks for the honor. Judge Benita Pearson ‘95
Congrats to you and the CM Team for a successful and inspirational evening. Give my best to the entire CM team for a great evening and for establishing this honor for so many wonderful alums. Bravo! Steven Potash ‘78
I’m sure I speak for everyone in thanking you, the faculty and staff for such a wonderful evening. I will always consider it an incredible honor to be included in a group of men and women who have accomplished so much for our community. Judge Dan Aaron Polster
Many kudos for putting together such a heartwarming event. I say heartwarming, rather than “wonderful” or “successful,” because as my wife, Joy, commented to me, it demonstrated how the school has brought together so many people from such different backgrounds and circumstances to do well and to advance a common purpose – service of one kind or another. In short, the real “fame” for a job well-done belongs to the school for having steadfastly pursued its mission. I know that President Berkman understood that. Donna Shalala understood that. We all did. Thanks for the reminder. Carl Stern ‘66
Nothing short of amazing how you and the staff put together such a quality program and pulled it off in record time. Just amazing! Thank you for everything. Judge Melody Stewart ‘88
It was a very special evening that surely we will all cherish in the years to come. To experience the diversity of this group and hear about the range of ways each has contributed to the profession and the community at large was impressive. It was truly an honor to be included in this outstanding group of colleagues. Now, let us build on this momentum….. to keep C-M as a beacon of opportunity, a place of academic rigor and professional excellence and an institution that inspires civic engagement for all its graduates for another 120 years! Kelly Tompkins ‘81
Just want to let you know how much Kirsten and I enjoyed last night’s celebration. Heather, our student ambassador, was a delight. It was helpful in our healing process to speak to so many people who had such kind words to say about Ray. Karen Pianka, wife of Honoree, Judge Raymond Pianka ’77
Thank you for creating an amazing event to celebrate Cleveland Marshal College of Law. Leon would have loved every minute. My admiration for your committee, and all the caring and creativity that went into this grand and caring event. Gloria Plevin, wife of Honoree, Leon Plevin ’57
Thanks for having honored our father. He would certainly have been very proud. James Ratner, son of Honoree, Max Ratner ’29
Please know our appreciation for your thoughtfulness in recognizing Dad. Ronald Ratner, son of Honoree, Max Ratner ‘29
What an event!! Just elegantly done and very professional. You had the who’s who of Cleveland present and those deceased via video. Thank you very much for allowing our participation and subsequent honor. Cordell Stokes, son of Mayor Carl Stokes ‘56
Thank you for including me in such a meaningful way. I hope that you and Cleveland-Marshall continue to thrive. I honestly know my father would be so proud …. Lori Stokes, daughter of Congressman Louis Stokes ‘53
Thank you for everything last night and the honor of my father, Maurice M Weltman (Class of ‘26) being inducted into the Hall of Fame. It was a true honor for my father to be included with so many other dignitaries. All of the principals of Weltman, Weinberg and Reis thank you for this special recognition. Robert Weltman
From our Alumni:
Congratulations!... The event was a spectacular success. Many guests truly understood the huge amount of work it took to pull off the event, particularly given the short timeframe to put it all together (including me). Brent Buckley ‘82, Chair, C|M|Law Board of Visitors
The event was outstanding! Kudos to you and your team for both the idea and the execution. Thomas Green ‘02
Wow. You pulled it off! What an incredible event. Truly. I think this was one for the books. I know all of you spent so much time and energy pulling this together and I want to say thank you so much for all of your efforts and hard work and congratulations—you should all be very proud of the event that you put together. Allison Taller Reich ‘09
From our Faculty, Staff, and Students:
I echo everyone else’s congratulations on the spectacular success of the Hall of Fame event, and particularly want to thank all the staff who made it work so well. I was able to reconnect with former students, some of whom were in my classes as far back as the early ‘80s! One former student said he hardly ever comes to reunion-type events, but was really pleased he had come to this one. Professor Peter Garlock
I echo everyone's kudos. I was able to watch the announcement of most of the living legend names…, and the applause and appreciation for each was heartwarming. Professor Deborah Geier
It was clear how much meticulous planning had gone into it, and its execution was flawless. The extremely large audience ….made it something more: a homecoming as well as a Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Everywhere one turned, there were alumni / alumnae, former staff, and former faculty. That added even more to the already festive and upbeat mood of the occasion. Finally, the event was an important reminder, of several things: the significant history of the Law School itself; the contributions that the Law School has made to both the legal community and the Cleveland-area community as a whole; and the values and principles that make this Law School so special. As to the latter, that includes C-M’s commitment to justice and opportunity…. Professor Brian Glassman
I was so proud to be a member of this faculty last night! It was wonderful to see the full historical trajectory of this law school as reflected in the diversity and accomplishments of our graduates. I found the whole experience to be deeply inspiring. Congratulations on a magnificent achievement! Professor Kevin O’Neill
The event was truly wonderful and of significant value on many levels that are far more important. Professor Brian Ray
That was easily the most powerful event I’ve seen in the Moot Court Room. So many bright lights in one place. Professor Mark Sundahl
From my corner seat, I could see essentially the entire room smiling from ear to ear during the entire program. Ashley M. Presutto, Development Manager
I just wanted to say congratulations on a successful Hall of Fame Induction Celebration! As one of the students who attended, I can’t tell you enough how inspiring it was to learn about our incredible alumni, founding honorees, and other law school supporters in the community. It was very powerful to gather so many incredible people in one room celebrating Cleveland-Marshall. Lauren Holler 3L, President, Student Bar Association
Last night was a complete success, congratulations to you and everyone at CMLaw that worked so hard to make it all possible! With midterms coming up this week, as a 1L, last night served as an incredible reminder of why I wanted to be a part of this community in the first place. To be a part of a night that honored all of the incredible individuals that have made it possible for me and others to be where we are was a remarkable experience… My mother, Nora Hurley, is an alumna of Cleveland Marshall and in talking to her and her fellow classmates, I heard a general consensus that last night’s celebration re-instilled a sense of family within the legal community for them….Thank you again for allowing us students to be a part of last night. It was a night I will never forget! Grace Hurley 1L
All of this year’s 120 honorees are listed at this link: The C|M|Law 120 - 2017 Inaugural Hall of Fame Class
Thanks to those who generously supported the celebration, we raised vitally important funds for student scholarships. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of our Inaugural Hall of Fame. This will be an annual fall event!