BAEC Bulletin | New Year 2022 | 5
Letter from the President
Those of you who have read my recent messages to the Bar Association know that I have been struggling to find the light which does shine through the darkness of the pandemic. Some have tried to reassure me that we will soon conquer COVID-19, or at least wrestle it into submission. Others, like Andrew Isenberg, have sent me inspirational quotations. Andrew reminded me of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, arguably the greatest German literary figure of the modern era. Although he was better known for his poetry, Goethe studied to become, apprenticed, and practiced as a lawyer. After a debilitating illness, on his deathbed in a darkened room, Goethe cried, “Mehr Licht!” (More Light!) And, there you have my new year’s wish for you: More Light. But I also thought I’d share some of the sources of light on which I have focused in the last few weeks. I recently answered one of those Facebook prompts to name the most famous person I had ever met: Archbishop Desmond Tutu. I met Bishop Tutu in Boston while I was in college. He was engaged in his titanic struggle against Apartheid in South Africa. I believe he had traveled to America to raise awareness (and money). It was a few years before he won the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize. Bishop Tutu was a small man, but you could feel the aura, the power, and yes, the light radiating from him. At the time, I was amazed at his courageous fight against oppression, what he termed darkness or evil. I rejoiced when his movement triumphed in the early 1990s. I was amazed when, after this incredible victory, Bishop Tutu led the mission toward reconciliation with the oppressors. Bishop Tutu called the light “justice.” I am very proud of our new Member Assistance Program. We recognize how difficult the pandemic has been on all of us- no one is immune from the trauma of this pandemic nor the toll that this demanding profession places on all of us. We are at our best when we take care of our clients, ourselves, and our families. Administered by Child and Family Services Employee Assistance Program, our MAP provides wellbeing services — light — for all of our members and their families. The first time you have the opportunity to take a seminar from Megan Andrews, Assistant Director at Child & Family Services EAP, go for it. Megan is all about light, and she will inspire you as she has me. I feel as if I could and should speak more often about our LGBTQ+ community, and the light they shine in this city and beyond. I sometimes think of my retired partner, Bill Gardner, who turned 89 this fall. In the 1980s, Buffalo Police routinely arrested gay men and lesbians. A commercial litigator by day serving some of the region’s most prominent businesses, by night Bill represented
HUGH M. RUSS, III President Bar Association of Erie County
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