President’s Message: Board Establishes


Gary I. Strausberg Foundation by Philip O. Foard


First, I am happy to report that the


MTLA Board of Governors has approved the establishment of an MTLA Foundation, one purpose of which is to further the im- portance and integrity of an independent judiciary through public education and awareness of the role played by its most es- sential component, citizen jurors. Those of you who read my message in the last issue will understand why our organization has placed such high priority on this task. But here it is mentioned only as a lead in to the subject of my message in this issue of Trial Reporter, Gary I. Strausberg, one of the fallen heroes of MTLA and the Bar generally. Gary was President of MTLA in 1995, and I had just been placed on the ladder as an officer of the organization and still serv- ing as Chair of the Legislative Committee. We worked together closely. Quite frankly, before then, I knew Gary only by reputa- tion as a first-rate trial attorney with a superior, if somewhat detached, intellect. After working with him and meeting his family and friends (particularly his family), I quickly realized that what I perceived as detachment, was the calm of a person deeply rooted in the lessons of his past. He was a serious man with an essential wonderment for life’s continuing journey. Gary was born in post-war Poland, the only child of Holocaust survivors. From there, the family escaped the horrors of Communism and a rapidly closing iron cur- tain in Eastern Europe to the newly established State of Israel – tumultuous in its own right but filled with the excitement and promise of a new, rewarding life. Fi- nally, in the 1960’s, the family immigrated to Brooklyn, New York, to yet another promised land. As his wife, Ada, proudly put it in her


eulogy, “Gary always said that he lived the American dream.” He graduated from Brooklyn College cum laude and George Washington University Law School where he was an editor of the Law Review. While attending George Washington, he won the Moot Court Competition which was argued before the Deputy Attorney General, Will- iam Renquist. Mr. Renquist was so impressed with Gary’s mastery of the issues and skills with both the spoken and written word that, upon being placed on the Su- preme Court, he asked Gary to be his first


Fall 2000 Trial Reporter 3


of 12 articles on various legal subjects; most recently, he published a three-volume trea- tise entitled Maryland Litigation Forms and Analysis. Gary generously donated a copy of this three-volume set to MTLA’s library for use by its members No one better understood the American


Honorable Gary I. Strausberg, 41st President of MTLA


law clerk. However, Gary had already ac- cepted a position with Chief Judge of the District Court of Maryland, Edward Northrop, and the offer was withdrawn. After working two years at Justice in the Civil Division, Gary went on to get his LLD from Harvard Law School. For the next 20 years Gary distinguished himself as a first-rate trial lawyer, first at Menicove, Kaufman, Weiner & Smouse, and later in the firm, Janet & Strausberg; but it was his love of our system of justice that really rounded out and gave passion to his short career. Gary shared that love of the law not only as a practicing attorney, but also as a teacher and author. He taught as an instructor for one year at Boston Uni- versity School of Law while getting his LLD at Harvard, and for many years, as an ad- junct professor at the University of Maryland School of Law. He is the author


dream or the fact that its most enduring symbol and declaration that all men are cre- ated equal is the great hope that fathers the dream. It alone is sacred, and for those who have lived it, an obligation is imposed. For Gary that duty was dispensing blind justice. He wanted to be a judge above all else; he was finally so honored in 1995. Being a Judge was more than an honor capping a distinguished career; it was the beginning of the career he always wanted – to advance the Rawlsian concept of justice as dispensing essential fairness. For one born in a time and place that witnessed great in- justice, being part of a system that actually protects the rights and privileges of all against the invasive conduct of the many, the powerful, and even one’s own govern- ment, took on qualities of a spiritual crusade, the integrity of which required a constant and purposeful vigilance. Gary’s career was short, but all who knew


the nature and power of his abiding faith in our system of justice could not help to be moved when it is seen through his unique perspective. The importance and integrity of an independent judiciary was always para- mount in his mind and it is for that reason the Board of Governors of MTLA has named its newly established Foundation af- ter its 42nd President, Gary I. Strausberg.


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