Recollections of a brother and friend.

• Author: Black, Thomas
• Position: Columbia Law School law professor Charles L. Black

I am Charles's brother. I feel sure that I have known him longer than anyone else here. Technically, I have known him since my birth. My remarks will address primarily personal rather than professional subjects concerning Charles. I anticipate the latter will be the subject of later talks.

I have a fantasy that Charles, along with his idols Abraham Lincoln and Louis Armstrong, is somehow witnessing this event, thrilled and proud that so many distinguished people are here to honor and remember him.

My childhood memories of Charles consist entirely of fun and excitement. He was thirteen years older than I, so he served not only as big brother to me but also as friend, counselor, and even as father. There was no sibling rivalry between us.

Charles was never interested in spectator sports, so we never engaged in the traditional activities like going to ball games or throwing the old ball around in the yard. Instead, we took many hikes and outings in the hills west of Austin, attended movies, or ate out at restaurants, mostly Mexican or Tex-Mex. An afternoon or evening with Charles was very special.

Later, after he began his travels, he would visit at home, and I remember long walks around town and long talks on random subjects. It was Charles who explained to me the birds and the bees and the stork. This came up during a dinner he was having at home with three or four of his male friends, and I, in ignorance, inquired as to the meaning of a word that made the subject unavoidable. Charles's friends understandably snickered, but Charles left the table and we walked around the neighborhood while he explained the process, not lewdly or lustily, but in very romantic, sensitive terms.

Through the years I often sought his advice--which was usually good. After I graduated from high school I wanted to get out of Austin, and he helped me decide what university to attend. Later I remember a discussion when I was feeling guilty about the breakup of my first marriage. He gave me very simple advice: "Thomas, you are not a saint." I knew this already, but somehow the direct simplicity of his observation served as an epiphany and resolved my guilt.

Through the years I found that when we differed on issues, he was right, and I adjusted my opinion--but not always.

The stories about Charles's love of Louis Armstrong are tree. I was too young to have been aware of the time he first heard Louie at the Driskill Hotel in Austin, but I know that thereafter Charles was...