Although I don’t do many memorial notices at the Lounge, I would be remiss if I didn’t note the passing of NYU Law Professor William E. Nelson. Bill was a legal historian. But for many of us who passed through NYU Law imagining ourselves as professors, he was a key mentor and advocate. His legal scholarship seminar was a critical first step on my journey into legal academia. Following his sage advice, but with much trepidation, I packed up my little studio on the Upper West Side and moved to Tuscaloosa, Alabama for that academic unicorn: a soft-money, tenure track position. It was a gamble on multiple levels but he was right. Bill wasn’t always the easiest fellow. He was old school and he could be a tad blunt. But for me, and a number of my fellow NYU alumni in the academy, he made a huge difference.
In Memoriam: William E. Nelson
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Well said, Dan. As Al notes in his post, Bill was a incredibly productive and talented legal historian, but it was his incredible generosity and willingness to help junior scholars that set him apart. Bill helped a generation (or two) of young scholars become professors themselves. His suite at the Marriott during the hey day of the AALS hiring conference was the place to be (and a necessary place to be for all of us with NYU degrees hoping to join the academy). He will be missed greatly. May his memory be a blessing to us all.