[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 167 (Thursday, December 16, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2166]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            IN HONOR OF PROFESSOR ROBERT SUMMERS' RETIREMENT

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                         HON. ROBERT E. ANDREWS

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 16, 2010

  Mr. ANDREWS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Cornell Law School 
Professor Robert S. Summers, whose tireless dedication to his students 
and intense passion for the law are worthy of recognition.
  Professor Summers grew up on his family's farm in rural Oregon. 
There, his parents imbued in him a strong work ethic, which he credits 
for his extensive career of publication and scholarship. He went from 
driving tractors and school buses to studies at the University of 
Oregon, and Harvard Law. He has spent the last 50 years as a law 
professor, 42 of them at Cornell Law School. December 1, 2010 was his 
final class.
  Professor Summers has been an unwavering advocate for his students. 
He ardently supported increased minority enrollment within law schools, 
and saw this goal through to fruition, traveling the country holding 
recruiting and preparatory sessions.
  Professor Summers demanded analytical excellence in the classroom. He 
taught using the traditional Socratic Method, forcing students to learn 
through argument and questioning, instead of simply providing them with 
the answers. I was a student in Professor Summers's Contract Law class 
for first year students, and the class was a formative experience for 
me. Being called upon to answer questions from Professor Summers was 
rewarding and challenging and it helped make me the person I am today.
  In addition to his laudable career in education, Professor Summers 
has also made significant contributions to the field of law. He co-
authored the Universal Commercial Code, outlining procedures for 
numerous commercial transactions, and was also called upon by the 
governments of Russia, Egypt, and Rwanda to help draft their civil 
codes. He is simply the type of lawyer that many law students aspire to 
be when they first enter school, but that very few become.
  Madam Speaker, Professor Summers' commitment to the legal education 
of the nation's law students and service to the field of law merit 
recognition. I am sure Professor Summers will embody the same honor and 
morality in his retirement as he did throughout his distinguished 
career.

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