Penn Law Journal - Spring 2002

It has been 60 years since Professor Clyde Summers began his teaching career. Today he continues to contribute to the intellectual life of the University of Pennsylvania Law School through his teaching in the classroom
and in the field of labor law. In “Sixty Years of Labor Days” we learn that in his youth Professor Summers set out from Montana to become a preacher but became a law teacher instead. The rest, as they say, is history.
Some six decades later, though his title bears the ‘emeritus’ distinction, Professor Summers is anything but retired. I know of no other law professor in the country who has as long and active a scholarly career.

Frank Carano C’30, L’33 has remained just as active in the practice of law. Regarded as one of the deans of the Philadelphia Bar, Mr. Carano has served the Bar for over 50 years, has been an informal ambassador to the country of Italy, and has improved the lives and opportunities for countless immigrants that have arrived in America since the Great Depression. This Fall this dear friend of the Law School decided to give back to his alma mater as well, endowing a chaired professorship. “Mille Grazie, Signor Carano” introduces this modest lawyer and reveals what inspired him to make such an extraordinary gift to the Law School.

History of a more formal sort is revisited in an excerpt from Professor and Associate Dean Sarah Barringer Gordon’s new book The Mormon Question: Polygamy and Constitutional Conflict in Nineteenth-Century America. Set against the backdrop of the expanding western U.S. territories, Professor Gordon’s history documents a debate that went to the U.S. Supreme Court between the Latter-day Saints of Utah and defenders of the Constitution over the terms of religious freedom.

Finally, we examine the history that’s being made today. The events of September 11, 2001 shook us to our core. We surveyed the alumni body to learn of the work that you are doing to repair the damage that was wrought that day. The stories in “The Tool of Law” are compelling. We are proud that so many of you are mining your legal experience, and reviving the spirit of public service, to help our society navigate the unfamiliar terrain upon which we find ourselves.

As the trees bud with new growth at the onset of Spring we recall the hope that comes with new beginnings. On behalf of the University of Pennsylvania Law School I extend best wishes for peace to you, and encourage you, as always, to keep in touch with your classmates and your law school. As the world changes around us, we understand more than ever before the importance of the people and institutions that helped make us –
and serve as our own history.

Pax Vobiscum,
- Michael A. Fitts, Dean