A time of loss, memories and future opportunities.

• Author: Lederer, Gregory M.
• Position: President's Page

A number of events prompt me to precede my first President's Page with more important remarks than the ones you normally would read.

Hurricane Katrina

As this issue goes to press, New Orleans is just starting to re-open for business well ahead of schedule. Many difficult times lie ahead for the citizens of the Crescent City and the other devastated areas of the Gulf Coast, but discomfort and challenge will not deter these good people. The members I have reached speak about their personal good fortune, express concern for office personnel who lost most or all of their material lives, and declare their determination to return, rebuild, and resume as soon as possible. I am amazed and inspired by their resilience and strength of character.

As the media begins to shift its focus away from the hard but less dramatic work of rebuilding, the people of the Gulf Coast will continue to need assistance. IADC's Katrina task force--Bill Brinkmann, Lyn Pruitt, Rob Hunter, and Louisiana native Oliver Yandle--will continue to connect members who want to help those who need the help. Many of our members' employees are in desperate situations. Please continue to participate in this noble endeavor.

Dick Allen

President George Hodges graciously turned this space over last spring to the recently retired Dick Allen, who served as Managing Editor of the Defense Counsel Journal for 17 years, but had never taken advantage of the opportunity to express himself. George did not know then the full value of his gesture. Dick's health declined quite unexpectedly this summer, and he passed away on July 23, far too soon for anyone who knew him. Dick was almost elfish in appearance and demeanor, but he was a giant legal figure in IADC and the ABA. We can honor Dick best by continuing his quiet insistence on high quality and a professional tone for the DCJ. In that task, we continue to benefit from the leadership of Editor Dick Neumeier and new Managing Editor Ann Hopkins Avery. Please help them by contributing articles of quality and pertinence. We want to publish a DCJ that would make Dick Allen proud.

Robert D. Norman

Past President Robert D. Norman died August 9. Bob excelled as an undergraduate and as a law student at the University of Alabama. He served as editor-in-chief of the Alabama Law Review. He practiced law in Birmingham at Norman, Wood, Kendrick & Turner from 1950 to 2002. He earned a reputation as a trial lawyer with hundreds of trials involving medical...