Dean Wade J. Newhouse Jr.

Segment Synopsis: Introduction; Born right before depression hit in Tiptonville outside of Memphis, TN; father was a cotton farmer, lost farm in crash; father became traveling salesman; moved to Memphis 1937. Moves to Memphis in 1937; Memphis High school was for well to do, Memphis Tech for the rest; attends Memphis Tech and graduated in 1940; did well, good grades, Lt. Col. ROTC battalion. Thought he wanted to be a lawyer; needed two years pre-law, how to afford college--tough times; Goes to Iowa with family selling vacuum cleaners; Goes back to Memphis in Fall of 1940. Works as an autopicker(?) in western auto warehouse; how to afford school--hard nosed, didn't ask for help; did on own; signed up for an unaccredited law school teaching insurance brokers; worked days and attended commercial law school nights--was gruesome; saved by Pearl Harbor--was sure he would have ended up hustling real estate in Memphis. Pearl Harbor enlists, gets out Sept. 1945; GI Bill affords him school--difference WWII made in structure of society--getting education to people, feminist movement, creation of suburbs; got maximum amount served 44 months in service, South Pacific, Solomon Islands; Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Northern Solomons. How to get University of Tenn for 2 yrs pre-law--too late Sept 15 to register; goes to Southwestern-small private liberal arts school; does two years there. Serendipity--Dr. Ammecker's Political Science class--changes his life; Gets degree in Poli Sci and foreign relations; Grads with honors in Summer of 1948 [says 1951--has dates confused] by attending year round; wasn't sure about law anymore--interest in political science. Where to go? applies to Harvard, Columbia; has only two years left on GI Bill; tries Michigan, Jan '51 (really was '48) 1st year of LSAT; wants to go to Virginia Harvard of the South; Michigan accepts him--goes there.

Keywords: Application process; Career / Military Service; Choice of Law; Family; Financial Support; GI Bill; Graduate / Professional Training; Great Depression; Intellectual Tradition; Mentors; Pacific Theater; Primary / Secondary School; Specialized Training; Tennessee; UB Academic Advisors; UB Law School general; UB Recruitment; Undergraduate Education; Value of Education; World War II

Subjects: CAREER: MILITARY; FAMILY HISTORY; LAW

Segment Synopsis: (Recap of date sequence of going to school by Lynn Clarke) Starts U Michigan Sept. '48 law school in Ann Arbor; Meets Bill Bishop, International Law international reputation. Advised to take courses in PoliSci and go to Washington. Goes to Washington after graduation; marries in June of '50; Jan '51 goes to Washington for interviews lined up by Bishop; State Dept. interested in him for treaties--problem Truman imposes job freeze--told to wait 6 months; Bishop asks about law teaching--recommends him. Checks for opening positions; Creighton University in Omaha; interviews and gets job including international law and constitutional law. Teaching load was 3 courses each semester in several areas. (Realizes he has his timeline wrong) Takes a position at Michigan at the Legislative research center in comparative studies; does state constitutional law, signs on for 1 year. Looks at uniformity clauses--decides that doing it wrong way. Need to do a study on each state then compare--couldn't do in 1 year, added 1 year appointment. By then State Department position is filled, comes back. Bill Bishop directs him to Crieghton to teach law 1953. Return to Ann Arbor in summers to finish comparative state constitutional law book. Teaches '53-'57; teaching and writing book, interest in teaching law develops through practice teaching in all areas. In summer '57 finishes book. Goes on to Columbia in NYC with Jessup to teach International law '57-58; takes leave, gets Ford fellowship; 1 yr at Columbia; Walter Gelhorn administrative law--interesting relationship; teaches and studies with Phillip (?) Jessup International law; January '58 begins job search in teaching.

Keywords: Accomplishments; Bishop, William; Choice of Law; Classes; Employment / Jobs / Wages; Government jobs; Graduate / Professional Training; Intellectual Tradition; Post World War II; Publications; Specialized Training; Teaching Law

Subjects: EDUCATION

Segment Synopsis: Buffalo looking for international law instructor; better pay; interviews in 1/58 comes to Buffalo 9/58.Who interviewed with? 1958, 7 full time faculty; 7-8 practitioners; on Eagle St; 100-150 students; Jack Hyman dean; Tauster, Bob Fleming; small school students from WNY; UB private school, students from WNY; 2+3 course load, constitutional law, international law; admin law; typical small school; more opportunity. Constitutional law; requirement for international law blends into constitutional foreign affairs law; driving interest. UB goes State '60-'61; Rumors in '57 while at Columbia about going state; SUNY was collection of teacher colleges; no state University prior; Rockefeller; significant expansion; anticipation and planning for expansion. Added faculty law library; Cohen, Dan Dissler; Lou Del Cotto; Jack Hyman resigns '64; Bill Hoffman came in; buying in anticipation of growth; adding 2-3 people per year. June '64 in Buffalo News that campus in East Amherst in the swamp; Amherst was not part of the speculation; Regents owned a lot of property out there. Planning for building begins Fall '64.

Keywords: Administration; Areas of Scholarship; Choosing UB Law School; Class Composition; Classes; Deans; Faculty; Faculty / Professors; Intellectual Tradition; Law Faculty; Location; Relationship with UB Law; SUNY; UB Recruitment

Subjects: UB LAW FACULTY

Segment Synopsis: In June 1964, University to Amherst; where would law school be? Faculty was concerned with joining University; faculty planning meetings for long range plan; Serious planning for building in Amherst. Tensions with alumni wanting building downtown; remembers lobby Eagle Street, Bill Hawkland; long range building planning; butting heads with Ned Reagan and Jim Magavern insisting school should be downtown. Premise that there would be rapid transit to campus--precondition, stated in the press--assumed it would be the case; never realized; teaching con law international law and building planning. Law school expands to Prudential Building for the interim while planning building; Bill Hawkland makes him Associate Dean; difficulty in merging foreign relations course; Tom Berganthal comes in '65--teaches seminar in international law; growth multiple sections of con law; drops foreign relations course for a few years; administrative duties puts off interest in interest in international law; forms Herman Schwartz, Jack and he were legal committee of CCHR, that filed the Buffalo Desegregation suit, involved through Con law; Serendipity in 1965 elected to Sweet Home School Board; Son diagnosed as LD and Gifted; ACLU parents org. Spring '69 Hawkland decided to leave; Meyerson was leaning on him heavily; WN resigns as Associate Dean; goes back to teaching foreign relations law; SUNY cooperation amoung campuses; School Law course be taught by Law faculty for Elmwood and Buffalo? Involvement with school board and son, agrees to teach course on Law and Public Education w/ grad students UB and Buff State. School Law was taught by faculty in Education School. Law and Education--Norm Rosenburg was second yr student. 1969-1970 "went out to the desert and talked to himself.." decided to teach parochial NY school law; NY Law due to community involvement.

Keywords: Administration; Alumni; Areas of Scholarship; Classes; Community Involvement; Contributions; Curriculum; Deans; Elections; Faculty; Law Faculty; Laws; Location; NYS Administrative Law; Practitioners and Faculty; Significant Cases

Subjects: UB LAW FACULTY

Segment Synopsis: Putting together NY law course; Call from Vista worker in City, mother told to keep student home; Unconstitutional, asked for help, was seen on TV--channel 4 round table; Legal Aid didn't help; No one knew law; Child was 75% hearing impaired and harelip; Advises Vista Worker on case--has class in a week's time, uses his name. Norm Rosenberg says, "Why don't you start a clinic?" School Law clinic--not well regarded by Law faculty; Ford Foundation grants staring in 60's; faculty took money and farmed students out. Clinic in-house: 2 groups of clients--black city school students suspended and white professional people with handicapped children. Assistant Norm Rosenberg was graduating. Clinic was resource for community--need to keep it operating. Herman "Red" Schwartz, new dean, has prison project to grant Rosenberg on--Norm Rosenberg signed on to do clinic. September '71 Attica blew. Rosenberg started modern clinic program. Began focus on Law and Public Education, Public Sector Labor, parochial NY Law--specialist; move from International Law and Political Science; Bill Hawkland comes in as dean; Came out to campus in '73; was involved in planning building; protests slow building; Law School first building complete Sept '73--ready; Kids Bill Greiner about first seeing campus, in for interview Newhouse drives him to see swamp first--Amherst Campus, then went downtown.

Keywords: Administration; Amherst Campus; Anecdote; Areas of Scholarship; Attica Prison; Community Involvement; Deans; Legal Education; Relationship with UB Law; Specialized Training

Subjects: Professional Experience

Segment Synopsis: Taylor Law; mental health law; part of school law--school law interest due to his own involvement as a parent of handicapped son--ADD and gifted; Con Law course Law and Public Ed and Public Sector bargaining. 1977-1980 ongoing long term problem with Law library and its lack of autonomy; UB part of central library administration; Larry Winger was librarian when Headrick came in; chaired Library committee; Winger leaves; Newhouse takes on role of Director of Law Library; 1984-5 contacted to do new edition in comparative state con law and uniformity, agrees to do 2nd edition on sabbatical; took 4 years--realizes that the answer is in the current law and expands to encompass historical development of the laws. 2 volumes 1400 pgs long took 4 years. Published by Bill Hine given camera ready, used 2 dictating machines and foot pedals--one for text the other for footnotes. Joyce types up. Secretaries--1st computers big old Northstar computer; learned how to use a computer shortly after that. Secretary Joyce (fumbles for name) on first floor--everyone knows Joyce. 1986-88 Greiner as Provost asks him to be Dean for a few years; does cruddy administrative work for a few years. [break in tape] review by Lynn Clarke; continued teaching the basic course load; Deanship ends and goes back as full time faculty. 1992 turns 70; budget tight--no lines; technically retires to open line; Newhouse continues full time load as emeritus. Changes in Legal education? emormous growth in faculty and size. Common themes than is apparent running thorughout like practitioners coming in and teaching courses; emphasis on interdisciplinary work; dramatic in growth--much larger; new curriculum recurring issues; more similarity than differences; there was more going on in the early years than realized.

Keywords: Administration; Areas of Scholarship; Community Involvement; Computers / Technology; Contributions; Deans; Faculty; Law Faculty; Law Library; Legal Education; Legal Topics; NYS Administrative Law; Practitioners and Faculty; Publications; Retirement; UB Law School general

Subjects: UB LAW FACULTY; UB LAW MISCELLANEOUS

Segment Synopsis: How is UB Law perceived on national level? Offended by the stupid magazine rating; perceived as a solid school with a solid faculty; resists making judgements about national perception; decent reputation. How do you perceive role of Dean? to be Dean; administration, organization; leadership; keep place rolling; role changed over years? No. Most gratifying experience? Does not have that type of feelings; grateful for place to work. Describe greatest accomplishment in law school or career? assume some accomplishment--for someone else to judge. LC comment on integrating work in the community/family and the curriculum and the progressive clinic. Focus on parochial law, important; what scholarship pursued at UB Law? Interest in Constitutional law; later focus on state constitutional law/comparartive; Law and Public Education and Public Sector law; why law? no idea; did well in school, good grades, nice kid; stuck in his mind to be a lawyer; no role lawyers models; impressed with law as a way to get by. what did family think? Depression days; talked with family very little, get out and work; had two sisters; get out and be independent; family struggles after losing the farm, father selling vacuums; on his own, very independent. ethnic or religious obstacles? No. Lucky, grew up white in the South; uncomfortable in regards to race; has witnessed racial/ethnic discrimination, in Memphis; seen it all, and aware of his luck. Guadalcanal--Jewish lad came in, Redneck from Mississippi harassed him; Aware of his luck at not being a member of those groups subject to discrimination. Awareness of situation and family's influence instilled feelings in part of being an attorney, part of justice system? Not a close family, didn't talk; Family situation not a happy one--other strains, moved out and moved back in to try to keep together. Do over--choose a legal career? No reason to think he'd do something else; doesn't want to predict. Advice for lawyers? Do it right. Be responsible. Have a sense of ethics. Drive ahead. Be fair and try to help people.

Keywords: Administration; Advice; Areas of Scholarship; Career / Professional Experience; Choice of Law; Choosing UB Law School; Contributions; Deans; Discrimination / Prejudice; Family; Great Depression; Greatest Achievement; Intellectual Tradition; Legal Education; Legal Ethics; Perceptions; Quit; Reputation; Satisfaction; UB Law School general; Values; World War II

Subjects: FAMILY HISTORY; UB LAW FACULTY