From Day One: Four in College of Law celebrate milestone
April 25, 2008
As members of the university community celebrated milestones of five, 10, 15 and 20 or mor
e years of service to Georgia State University, a number of College of Law faculty marked a quarter-century with the school they had a hand in building from the ground up.
College of Law Librarian and Professor Nancy Johnson, along with law professors James Bross, Lynn Hogue and E.R. Lanier, were among the College of Law's first employees.
Johnson began working at the College of Law library in 1982. At the same time, she was taking classes, and graduated with the first group of part-time students.
“It's been such a positive experience and a positive place to work,” she said. “It's been a great 25 years.”
Bross, Hogue and Lanier are among the college's original faculty members. Bross started his teaching career at Lewis & Clark Law School and also taught in Chicago. He believes the College of Law is on firm footing as it heads into its next quarter-century.
“We've hired junior faculty that'll be able to take over when we leave and do us proud,” he said.
Hogue, who left the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to join Georgia State's fledgling law school, said he is proud to have been a part of the College of Law's early days. “There was a shared sense among those of us who started the school that we were meeting a real need for legal education in Atlanta that would be affordable, of high quality and flexible to meet the needs of both full-time and part-time students,” he said.
Lanier, who was the first faculty employee hired after founding Dean Ben F. Johnson was named, did not attend the April 21 Milestone reception because of a scheduling conflict—he was presiding over his very last classroom session as a full-time member of the faculty. He retires in June with 30 years of service.
Lanier was working at Georgia State University's business school full time in 1977, five years before the founding of the College of Law. He had worked with Dean Johnson at Emory University and jumped at the chance to join the law school faculty.
“I recognized intuitively that the establishment of a new law school would be a tremendous personal and professional adventure, and so it was,” he said. “I would not change a thing.”
- Michael Davis
University Relations
(404) 413-1361
mdavis6gsu.edu
Milestones
The University recognizes faculty and staff who have reached or will reach continuous service 5-year milestone anniversaries of 5-35 years during fiscal year 2008 (July 1, 2007 - June 30, 2008).
Congratulations to the Honorees in the College of Law: 30 Years of Service
E. R. Lanier
25 Years of Service
Jim Bross
Lynn Hogue
Nancy Johnson
20 Years of Service
Paulester Jefferson
15 Years of Service
Anjelica Lymon
10 Years of Service
Yolanda Travis
Miranda Fallen
5 Years of Service
Keneé Stephens
David Smith, Jr.
Tanya Washington
Williard Irvin