Summary by Jane Thompson: David Getches starts his remarks by sharing interesting facts about the entering class, but he concludes by talking about the legal profession and its ideals.
Summary by Jane Thompson: In this introduction, David Getches muses on informational privacy, incorporating the future world imagined in Gary Steyngart's 2010 book, Super Sad True Love Story. According to Ann Getches, this book was a favorite in the Getches household. This lecture also gives David the chance to show his humor by proclaiming "This year's Scott Lecturer is truly a Scott Lecturer."
Summary by Jane Thompson: This was the 30th Alumni Awards Banquet (2011), and the final banquet of David's eight-year deanship. Judge Carrigan received a special recognition award as a non-alumnus, Richard Schaden was in the audience. The accomplishments of the law school that David mentions include the new LLM program, Leg/Reg course, Schaden Experiential Education Program, successful year of trial and appellate competitions, pro bono pledge program, new Alumni Scholarship, Centers activities, faculty and staff hiring. He also talks about Prof. Pizzi's retirement. On a more somber note, he mentions the deaths of CU law legends, Court Peterson and Clyde Martz, and the difficult times: "harrowing" employment situation for grads, high tuition costs, etc.
Summary by Jane Thompson: This award is the highest the University of Colorado offers, and is named for Robert L. Stearns, who served as Dean of the law school in the 1930's. David Getches received this award in May 2011, shortly before his retirement. David starts by naming his family members and says to them: "I borrowed your time all these years; consider it a donation to CU." He talks about the challenges higher education faces -- state funding cuts, charges of political indoctrination by professors, etc. -- but he goes on to defend higher education's cherished academic freedom, innovation and efficiency, and its role in ensuring the state's vitality.
Summary by Jane Thompson: This is David Getches' last commencement address, delivered on May 6, 2011. In this address, he references events in the world during the term of this law school class, such as the "longest war in American history," the financial crisis, natural disasters, etc. He tells some funny stories about things faculty said or students did in class. He concludes the speech by noting that "Of course, employment statistics are not encouraging. But you are not necessarily a statistic." And he goes on to point to numerous examples of former resourceful alumni striking out on their own or landing jobs in difficult employment years, like the "3 classmates who couldn’t get hired in 1968 and started the Brownstein firm."
Summary by Jane Thompson: This is David's longest and strongest sales pitch on why to pursue a legal education, and why to choose CU Law over other law schools. It contains some vintage David lines: "You don’t have to know as you come in the door next August where you will end up, only the kind of person you want to be." OR "Look at the surroundings. Imagine having a life as well as an education here."
Summary by Jane Thompson: This speech takes place at the first University of Colorado Law Review banquet after former Law School Dean Courtland (Court) Peterson's death. It was also David Getches' last Law Review banquet speech before his own retirement and death. David informs the audience of Court Peterson's background and how Court's mother came to fund the Law Review's Court Peterson Awards for best student article and for leadership. As Court's health declined he turned over the fund to David and the Law School to administer. Court Peterson joined the University of Colorado School of Law faculty in 1959 and served as Dean of the Law School from 1973-1979.
