What Does Bucky *Bleeping* Dent Have to Do With Law School?

 Let's face it -- law school is a grueling three year marathon. It's full of much blood, sweat, and tears. Ups and downs. Stress and hard work. No time for too much of the "personal." Much sacrifice. . . Get the picture?

When it's all said and done and you walk out of your law school building for the last time, I believe that a student needs to take with him/her at least one (hopefully many more!) "classic memorable moment" that will, in future years, bring a big smile if not a huge guffaw. Now, this moment need not have anything at all to do with the academic rigors of the law school experience. I'm talking about just a funny, wacky memory that warms the heart. Law school graduate: Got one already? . . . Law students: . . . . working on one?

I do believe that most of us who went (or are currently) going to law school have or will have such a moment. At least I hope so. The purpose of such a memory will, hopefully, be to put the three year grind into perspective. A memory to soothe and help deflect all the other memories of the grueling aspects of law school.  . .Something that would allow you to say. .  "oh it was really bad. . but I remember that one time when. . . "  

Please indulge me as I share my memorable law school moment:

. . . My 1L year began in the Fall of 1978. I had left a high school teaching career and, in late August of that year, was sucked in the bowels of the Georgetown University Law Center into the frightening world of the Socratic Method and academic competition that I had never experienced in my academic career. It was a far cry from teaching "Romeo & Juliet" to seventeen year-olds as I was dodging spitballs in the process, as I had been doing up to that time. 

I struggled along like everybody else at the beginning and was looking late that Fall for some escape that would provide me with periodic respites from the daily grind. . . 

. . . For me, Major League Baseball provided the answer. 

Those of you how follow me, know that I am quite the baseball fan. I soon found out that at Georgetown -- given it's national brand -- there were law students from all parts of the U.S. along with international students as well. Many from the New York and New England areas. Yes, Yankee and Red Sox fans galore!

So the plot thickened in one of sports most intense rivalries -- Yankees/Red Sox -- as the teams fought there way through the "dog days" of summer. Wouldn't you know it, as we were trying to get the hang of law school, on October 2, 1978, both teams headed for a one game playoff to determine who would move on into the Championship Series. Wow! That was a game everyone wanted to see.

Here's the problem:

In those days, most every major sports event in the world was NOT seen at night. The game was scheduled to collide directly with my Property Class with Professor Robert S. Schoshinski (he's still there now! . . Amazing!). Now, if one is a 1L, the thought of missing class -- especially something as "heavy-duty" as Property would never cross one's mind (am I right, 1Ls???). . You simply had to go to class, right? So, what was any red-blooded law student to do? . . Easy, kill two birds with one stone!

In those ancient times, the large lecture halls at Georgetown all contained fully operable television sets, mounted above the seats, throughout each room. . . Why? . . . Internet? . . . What's that? . . Television sets were used to view cassette CLE programs. That's how I did my bar prep sessions. That's about it. There was absolutely nothing that would prompt us to even notice the televisions in the first semester of our 1L year. . . But wait. . .

Professor Shoshinski was a masterful teacher. Very meticulous, thorough and rather soft-spoken. He called on students with our names on index cards that he held in his hand as he lectured and paced the podium. . . I would call him a "professor's professor."

On that beautiful fall October 2, he entered the classroom and  greeted us in his usual professional manner and started the lecture.. .

Unbeknownst to him, some of the more rabid baseball fan law students (hey, don't look at me!) had turned on at least four of the television sets throughout the classroom - sound muted. Thankfully the usual class "gunners" were in on the plot and (to this day I don't know how we were able to pull it off) the class never let on that the game was on as Professor Shoshinski lectured. The fact that the professor could only see but the backs of the sets didn't hurt in allowing us to actually pull this off! .

The game was already been well in progress when the class started. It was late in the game by now. The top of the 7th inning and it was looking pretty grim for Yankee fans -- Yanks down 2-0. My world was falling in as Professor Schoshinski continued to speak of things like "the lack of the right to present possession or enjoyment of property" along with "land vested subject to divestment" and stuff like that. .

What was he talking about? We needed some base runners -- period! My Red Sox law school colleagues all had smirks on their faces and were saying things like: "spring interest THAT, sucker!" 

. . . Suddenly in the seventh inning, with Professor Schoshinski in mid-sentence, the following happened::

In that one precious moment, the classroom erupted! All the Yankee fans in the classroom stood up and yelled out a collected "YEAH!!" as Red Sox fans put their hands to their head. Post Script on the action: The Yankees eventually won the game 5-4 and went on the win baseball's championship that year!

Professor Shoshinski?? . . He calmly stepped down from the podium and looked at one to the T.V.'s to see the Yankees in full celebration on the screen. He looked stoically all around the classsroom at the complete pandemonium that was now our 1L Property Class. Without speaking a word, he walked back to the podium, swooped up his books and elegantly walked out the the classroom with all the savoir faire of James Bond in a tuxedo, strolling through an international gambling casino, cigarette dangling from his lip. 

I did pass Property ("B", I think). I might have not really enjoyed the subject matter, but feel that "Scho" was a great professor, and a forgiving one at that. He never mentioned to the class and, more importantly, the law school Administration, what law student knuckleheads did to watch a playoff game ( I said, don't look at me! I had NOTHING to do with any of that. I swear!)

One of my truly great law school memories! . . . . What's yours???

P.S. I do wish that SOMEBODY ... ANYBODY who was in that class with me on that day would read this and contact me! . . err you too, Professor Schoskinski! . .. All in a normal law school day.