Morgantown, W.Va. – The West Virginia University College of Law conferred degrees on 119 graduates at its Hooding and Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 18, in the WVU Creative Arts Center. The keynote address was delivered by Robert Bastress, who was voted Professor of the Year by the Class of 2013. Lawyers Susan Brewer and Lloyd Jackson II were honored for their outstanding service to the legal profession. >>>VIDEO
In a speech that included references to the late Robert F. Kennedy and John Rosenberg, founder of the Appalachian Research and Defense Fund of Kentucky, Bastress urged the Class of 2013 to find ways to nurture their compassion while thriving as lawyers.
“It’s okay to care,” he told the graduates. “Law is a helping profession. We don’t all have the wherewithal of a Kennedy or the chance to lead movements, but we do get to serve and to demonstrate that we care – whether we are serving a client, the public, a constituency, an ideal, or some other noble purpose.”
