Ok. I'm just back from Boston, where I attended a conference in honor of Morton Horwitz. I wrote a little bit about my thoughts about Horwitz' work recently. It was great--lots and lots of Horwitz' colleagues and friends talking about him and his work and a lot of talk about his contributions to legal history--helping us understand the role of economy and ideology in legal development and his recent work on the Warren Court, too. The schmoozing about legal history, as well as seeing many of my dearest and oldest friends, as well as some people I know through the blogosphere, would have been enough to make the perfect weekend. Then, after I got back to my hotel yesterday evening, what did I find on televsion? Casablanca, followed by ... the Crimson Tide's stunning victory over UGA. Ah, you can take the boy out of Tuscaloosa but you can't take Tuscaloosa out of the boy. We're now number 2 in AP poll--behind only Oklahoma! What a fantastic set of events.
By the way, this reminds me of an interview story that I've been meaning to tell. When I interviewed for a job at UA, I was ignorant of fooball. I knew virtually nothing, other than that OU was doing great--this was in 2000. One of the students who interviewed me asked what I thought of Alabama football. The honest answer was virtually nothing. But I choked down that response, thinking--quite correctly, I'm sure--that would have put me in a bad light. I said, "well, you don't want to talk football with me this year." A slight smile crossed his face and he said, "ah, you're right." That one piece of football knowledge may very well have saved my job prospects.
We really need more of these conferences--they're great reunions and great fun. I've come back inspired to try to write better legal history. Plus, September is one of my most favorite months in Cambridge. Nothing like the crisp air and the excitement around the start of the school year. And, wow, do things look nice at Harvard these days. I guess that's what a $28 billion endowment does. Once I get caught up on email and class prep and other work, I'm going to talk some more about the conference.
Alfred Brophy
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