With the recent closure of the closest thing to a Columbia Law School blog, I'll pull in De Novo yet again, this time for a far more serious announcement than the stupidity of a NYTimes opinion. From Dean of Students Michelle Greenberg-Kobrin:
I am very sorry to report the news that one of our recent graduates, whom you may remember from your first year, Jeff Williams ('05), died suddenly on Monday night of a cerebral hemorrhage.Jeff worked on the same journal that I did, where he welcomed new staffers and published an article therein that complicated my belief that Lawrence v. Texas would have been best settled solely on sex discrimination grounds. Outside the annex, Jeff patiently and graciously discussed the correct response to the Solomon Amendment with me, despite our disagreement. In his less intellectual contributions to my first year, Jeff also was a talented member of the Law Revue cast, and an excellent sport about back-up dancing for karaoke renditions of "Beer for My Horses." 3L year is supposedly time to disengage from school, but Jeff remained an enthusiastic member of the CLS community, and is a 2005 alum who will be missed by many '07 grads besides me.
A memorial service will be held this Thursday, August 31, at 1:00 p.m. at the Scarsdale Synagogue Tremont Temple, located at 2 Ogden Road in Scarsdale, NY. The family has requested that flowers not be sent.
I am sure we are all saddened by this loss to the CLS family.
UPDATE: Jeff's passing is noted at Sports Law Blog. Memorial contributions may be made to Columbia Law School, Jeffrey Williams L’05 Memorial Prize, c/o Alumni Relations Office, Columbia Law School, 435 W. 116th St., Box A-2, New York, NY 10027; the Law Revue paid tribute at the Fall 2006 show.