The other problem was Lane 6, the outside lane. This
lane was exposed to the winds and had rough water
for most of the course. The Americans were stuck
there even though they had the fastest qualifying
time. The Germans–somehow–were Lane 1 where
there was no wind and smooth water, and the Italians
were in Lane 2.
At the start, the Americans fell immediately behind.
At the half way 1000-meter mark, they were in last
place. Don Hume’s eyes were closed, mouth hanging
open; he could not lead the boat. The coxswain–Bobby
Mock, who would later graduate from Harvard Law
School and one day argue before
the U.S. Supreme Court–was pan-
icked. With 800 meters to go, he
was about to do something dras-
tic–turn the stroke duties over to
the 7-seat oarsman. He called the
stroke rate up again and somehow
Don Hume came to–he opened
his eyes and locked in. And the
boat started to fly.
With 300 meters to go, they were
in third place behind the Ger-
mans and the Italians. There were
75,000 fans in the grandstands,
shouting “Deutsch-land” over
and over. Adolf Hitler, Herman
Goering, Joseph Goebbels, and
other top Nazi leaders were there.
With 100 meters to go, they took
the stroke rate over 40, possibly
even hitting 45. At the finish, the
Americans won gold by .6 sec-
onds.
Odd as it may seem, this story helps shape my view
about those who are members of the Atlanta Bar Asso-
ciation. It does not matter whether you are a prosecu-
tor or a criminal defense attorney, a Supreme Court
justice or a trial court judge, whether you work for a
law firm, a non-profit, a corporation in-house, or for
the government.
My view is we are all in the same boat. Our boat is
the legal profession. These days it is easy to take your
eyes off this–easy to forget the profession part. There
are forces working against us and what it means to be
part of a profession like ours and to take care of it.
The Atlanta Bar Association has many concerns, many
different forms of outreach–to its members and to
those beyond our membership who need assistance.
One of the Atlanta Bar’s core concerns, we can all
agree, is the well-being of the profession. Another
core concern is the rule of law. There is a strong cor-
relation between the two. Attorneys committed to the
profession are attorneys better equipped to stand up
for the rule of law, which is our country’s greatest and
most important asset.
No question, we are a group
with diverse viewpoints; and it
is true, our membership is not
easily categorized. Neverthe-
less, we ALL value associating
with each other, knowing each
other, respecting each other,
listening to each other. That
is a real part of the Atlanta Bar.
These qualities are in short
supply in lots of other places.
But not here; not among the
members of the Atlanta Bar
Association. That is what I have
learned.
I am thankful for our associa-
tion–for what it does and what
it stands for. Serving this past
year as your president has been
a high-water mark in my professional career. I am
deeply grateful for this opportunity. It is something
I will always remember. Thank you so much.
James D. Blitch IV
President, Atlanta Bar Association
2016-2017
The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association THE ATLANTA LAWYER
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