Calvin Massey

I'm very sad to report that Calvin Massey, my friend and mentor -- and one of the founding bloggers here -- has passed away.  Calvin was most recently the Daniel Webster professor at the University of New Hampshire.  Before moving back to the east coast, Calvin taught for many years at Hastings Law.  He had a JD from Columbia (where he was managing editor of the Columbia Law Review) and an MBA from Harvard. and he practiced law for many years before starting his teaching career at Hastings.  Calvin was the author of a widely adopted constitutional law casebook and another in property (and a beloved student aid in property -- I know it was beloved because every semester I'd see lots of students carrying it around!) He was a prolific scholar in constitutional law and property.  

I had heard many good things about Calvin as a teacher from a friend who was a Hastings graduate long before I ever met him.  It was in 2000-01, when we visited at BC together that I got to know Calvin well.  He was a great mentor and cheerleader of everyone around him.  And I still use a lot of his phrases in my classes.  Though many years later, as his health challenges mounted I learned that he had serious health issues when we were teaching together, I didn't know it at the time -- he was the perpetual optimist.  I remember fondly the time spent sitting in his office talking about recent scholarship and teaching methods.  (That was early enough in my career that I still spent an enormous amount of time playing with methods and he was kind enough to indulge me in those talks, though looking back on it I'm sure he had better things to do with his time.)  And since that magical year together I saw him only rarely -- a time when he came to give a talk in Tuscaloosa and another time at a conference back in Boston.  I knew when Dan Filler was talking about starting a new blog that we needed Calvin's outstanding (and I'd say unsurpassed) knowledge of constitutional law and his good humor and we were fortunate that he agreed to join the faculty lounge.  I enjoyed phone conversations with him, which grew rarer over the years.  One of the last times we spoke was when he moved to UNH, which brought him a lot of joy I know.  He loved being back on the east coast and at a place on a strong upward trajectory.  And I recall him talking with great pride about his daughter's graduation from Yale and her sailing around the world.  Ellen is the great pride of his life.

Then last spring he let me know that he was having serious health problems and mentioned that he really wished he had more time and energy to spend on the recent Supreme Court term.  We're going to miss him so much, for his outstanding analysis and his good humor.  

Martha and the rest of his family and the UNH community are in our thoughts here.

Thanks to Ann Bartow for sending along this news.

Comments

[Ben Barros]

Sad news indeed. My thoughts are with his family.

[Michelle Meyer]

This is terrible. I didn't know Calvin outside of The Faculty Lounge, so the best way I can think to honor his memory here is to reiterate his remarks on the importance of becoming an organ donor (living or cadaveric) and of developing sensible, evidence-based policies governing "organ" donation (including bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cells). In Calvin's words (from a comment he made on a post of mine here almost two years ago, http://www.thefacultylounge.org/2013/12/the-human-face-of-hhss-proposed-rule-criminalizing-compensation-of-hematopoietic-stem-cell-providers.html):

I am 11 months out from a bone marrow/stem cell transplant. I am doing remarkably well. I cannot adequately express my gratitude to my donor and for the incredibly fine care I have received at Boston's Dana Farber Cancer Institute. I am biased, of course, but I think the HHS position is abominable. Increasing the number of potential donors does not solve the problem of an unwilling registrant, but it makes the odds better for the recipient. Without a transplant, prospective recipients will soon die. With a transplant, the odds of an extended life are vastly improved. Only those who have not faced the necessity of a life-giving transplant can be indifferent.

[Tamara Piety]

Sorry to hear this.

[Matthew Reid Krell]

May his memory be for a blessing.

[Jack Chin]

This is terribly sad news.

[Andrew Siegel]

Such sad news. He was interesting and kind every time our paths crossed.

[Laura Appleman]

Rest in peace, Calvin.

[Marc Roark]

Very Sad to hear. Peace to his family.

[Orin Kerr]

So sad -- too young. May he rest in peace. And Michelle, glad to know that you are doing well.

[Jeff Redding]

A sad day, to be sure. I hope that peace comes quickly to his friends and family. Michelle, here's thinking of you too--strength and joy!

[Michelle Meyer]

Hi Orin,

Thank you, but I'm not sick; so sorry for the confusion. The words above ("I am 11 months out...") are Calvin's about his own experience as a bone marrow recipient not quite three years ago. I only wrote a blog post (linked above) on HHS's proposed rule making peripheral blood stem cells an "organ" subject to the federal prohibition on exchanging organs for valuable compensation. Calvin commented on that post, sharing his personal experience and his views on the proposed rule, which I quoted above, in relevant part. It seemed important to him, for what are now painfully obvious reasons, so I thought I would repost his comment here as a small way of remembering him and something he cared about. Again, sorry for the confusion; I think I must have been in "indented block quote" mode, but I should have used quotation marks.

[Einsteinwashere]

RIP Calvin

[Kim Krawiec]

Such sad news -- far too young. And nice remembrance, Michelle.

[Jacqui Lipton]

My condolences to Calvin and his family. He will be greatly missed.