Legal Commentary

The other day I learned that Professsor Jeremy Knowles, the accomplished chemist and later the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard, died last week at an age (72) that seems far too young. There's a charming obituary from the Harvard Crimson here.

Knowles was a man of consummate grace and arched and ready wit. When she heard the news, a London-based friend of mine from college said, "freshman week welcome speeches at Harvard will be the poorer." If I'm not mistaken, during the freshman week address he delivered to my class --and after a steady clang and bleat of fire trucks repeatedly punctured his remarks -- Knowles stated: Fear not, Cambridge isn't known to burn down with this frequency.  The same good humor was evident when Harvard Crimson reporters came to trick or treat at his house on Halloween, when he greeted them with signs saying: Let the Dean RIP. 

Jeremy, RIP.