Wilbur Leatherberry: our center of gravity.

• Author: Gerhart, Peter M.
• Position: Case Western Reserve University School of Law professor - Testimonial

Some lead with words; some with actions. Some lead with anger; some with authority. Some lead with attitude. Those who lead with attitude are precious few, made more precious because they are so few. Bill Leathertberry leads with attitude. He projects a quiet and reasoned confidence. He is unflappable and imperturbable. He projects calm and control, evidence of a sure faith that things will work out.

Every institution needs a gyroscope, a way of finding the center of gravity that pulls people together when they want to drift apart. Bill Leatherberry played that role; he was the Case Western Reserve School of Law gyroscope--a reasoned and reasoning voice in the midst of turmoil, and a beacon to signal that we would get through the crises of the moment. He understood extremes, but he also knew that opposite extremes, if they are to be rightfully credited, must meet in the middle. And Bill pulled us to the middle. His inner calm reflected his approach to problem solving. He knew that everything most people said contained a grain of truth, but he also knew that what people said never contained as much truth as the speaker assumed.

The strength of his intellect is being able to grasp a wide range of ideas and considerations on any topic. The strength of his character is being able to reconcile competing ideas and claims by drawing them towards the middle, a skill that his attitude toward life gave him. He understood all sides of an issue, honored them, and understood that the truth stood somewhere at the intersection of views. If Bill had to cast the deciding vote, you knew that it would be well reasoned, dependable, and centrist. When faculty meetings got heated, as they sometimes do, Bill was there to tell the faculty that all would be okay. When a student was in distress, Bill would meet him or her with an air of confidence in the future and the value of doing the right thing. Bill was patient in discussion and well balanced in debate. If he was angry or dismayed, it was impossible to tell; even his persistence, although forthright, was gentle.

That kind of attitude means a great deal to an institution. Bill taught us how to lose a vote without rancor or recriminations and how to win a vote without pride or self-importance. He taught us the value of faith in the future and persistence in the time of difficulties. He taught us that we are not as important as we think we are, nor as meaningless as others might have us believe. Steady the course...