Remarks on Jonathan I. Charney.

• Author: Schoenblum, Jeffrey
• Position: International law teacher

I have been asked to speak for 10 to 15 minutes about a very dear friend and colleague of 25 years, Jon Charney, specifically about his contribution to Vanderbilt Law School. It is difficult to encapsulate any professor's contribution over the course of 30 years in mere minutes. This is especially difficult in Jon Charney's case, because in my opinion, Jon made an extraordinary, extensive, and enduring contribution that has earned him a place in the pantheon, among the giants in the history of this Law School.

This might seem an odd assertion to those who were acquainted with Jon. He never held a high administrative position to the best of my knowledge. He was not one to constantly prowl the halls engaged in all the give and take of daily life at an academic institution. In fact, more often than not he was away from the Law School. What he was doing while away, however, says a lot about what he uniquely contributed.

First and foremost Jon brought tremendous prestige and status to all of us. The title "Professor of Law, Vanderbilt Law School" is now a worldwide accolade largely on account of Jon. I, as well as other faculty, have personally experienced, while abroad at academic conferences, the familiar refrain: "ah," usually in a French, Italian, English, Chinese, Korean, or German accent, "Vanderbilt, what an exceptional school, that's where Professor Charney teaches."

There are others, leaders in the academy in international law who are here today, who will speak on his scholarship. I would simply say that a lot of that was also produced while away from the Law School, though a bit closer to home, from a cramped study directly beside his kitchen, sitting in his favorite chair. The scholarship produced there, characterized by its productivity, its insights, its analytical rigor, and the remarkable elegance of his argumentation, has always presented Vanderbilt in the best light, and his words have vicariously burnished Vanderbilt's reputation, so that today it is taken most seriously in every academic center, on every continent, throughout the world.

I do not mean to say that Jon was not physically present at the Law School. Far from it. Let us say he spent "quality time" here. There are few if any who have contributed more over the last three decades to make Vanderbilt the highly competitive, serious national institution it is today. The incredible strength and depth of the faculty at the present time is directly attributable to the...