[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 73 (Tuesday, May 10, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2668-S2669]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        TRIBUTE TO UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS SCHOOL OF LAW PROFESSORS

 Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, education is a critical to ensuring 
a bright future for both individuals and our society at large. There is 
no more important or more noble profession than teaching. Many of us 
have had teachers who changed our lives--myself included--educators who 
taught us not only the facts and figures but also instilled in us a 
love for learning and an interest in the world beyond the city limits 
of our hometowns.
  As a U.S. Senator representing the great State of Kansas and as an 
alumnus of the University of Kansas School of Law, it is my privilege 
to celebrate the careers of three outstanding legal academics: Mike 
Davis, Sandra Craig McKenzie, and Martin Dickinson.
  Mike Davis began teaching at the University of Kansas School of Law 
in 1971, but his academic life in Kansas began years earlier. Davis 
earned his bachelor's degree with honors from Kansas State University 
in Manhattan, KS. After completing his undergraduate education, Davis 
attended the University of Michigan Law School, where he was an editor 
on the Michigan Law Review.
  After earning his juris doctor and practicing law in the private 
sector, Davis went on to work with the Office of Economic Opportunity, 
culminating in becoming the associate director of planning and research 
for the legal services program. Davis then became a legislative 
assistant for Representative Louis Stokes before returning to Kansas to 
begin his career in teaching future lawyers.
  Professor Davis joined the KU Law faculty in 1971 and has had an 
impactful and storied career. He earned the ``Immel Award for Teaching 
Excellence'' and the title of Centennial Teaching Professor of Law. In 
addition to earning teaching accolades, Davis served as dean of KU Law 
School for 9 years and served as the interim dean from 2005 to 2006. 
Outside his teaching duties, he served as the American Bar Association 
standards and accreditation committees chair and was of counsel to the 
Kansas City firm of Stinson Morrison Hecker for 20 years.
  Colleagues at the law school praised Professor Davis's dedication to 
promoting the university's law school program. Students were also 
grateful for his commitment to maintaining a challenging and rewarding 
learning environment. The Kansas community thanks Mike Davis for his 
service, dedication, and contributions to the university's law school 
and the State of Kansas.
  Sandra Craig McKenzie arrived at KU Law in 1979 and has been a 
positive presence in Kansas ever since.
  McKenzie's legal life did not begin in our State, but she arrived in 
Lawrence with high accolades. McKenzie earned a bachelor's degree from 
the University of New Mexico and then went on to the University of New 
Mexico's School of Law, where she graduated magna cum laude and was a 
member of the New Mexico Law Review.
  After the receipt of her juris doctor, McKenzie went on to serve as a 
law clerk to the Honorable Oliver Seth of the U.S. Court of Appeals for 
the Tenth Circuit and later spent 4 years working in tax and estate 
planning in Albuquerque before turning her talents to teaching.
  Sandra Craig McKenzie joined the KU Law faculty in 1979 as one of the 
institution's first female law professors. Professor McKenzie was KU 
Law's Elder Law LL.M. program director and an esteemed contributor to 
the elder law community, as well as a sought-after voice in Kansas 
local government law. McKenzie served as the law school's ombudsman and 
was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, and the Order of the 
Coif.
  Friends and colleagues say her tenure was marked by accessibility as 
a teacher, dedication to women in the law, and leadership in making 
KU's law community a safe and equitable space for all students. The 
University of Kansas was without question enriched by Sandra McKenzie's 
committed 36-year career at the school of law, and her many 
contributions are appreciated throughout the university community.
  Martin B. Dickinson is the longest serving faculty member at the 
University of Kansas School of Law, where his distinguished 48-year 
tenure has earned him the highest regard from the university community. 
Dickinson received a bachelor of arts degree from KU in 1960 and then 
went on to receive a master of arts degree from Stanford University in 
1961 and his juris doctor from the University of Michigan in 1964, 
where he was editor-in-chief of the Michigan Law Review. After 
finishing at Michigan, Dickinson became an associate at Holme, Roberts 
& Owen in Denver, where he practiced until joining KU Law.

[[Page S2669]]

  Dickinson joined the KU Law faculty in 1967 and quickly rose through 
the ranks, moving from assistant professor to associate professor in 
just 2 years. In 1971, Dickinson was named dean and professor of law at 
KU, a title he held until 1980. While serving as dean, Dickinson made 
great strides in strengthening the school's profile both in Kansas and 
nationally, creating new admission criteria, successfully appealing to 
the Kansas Legislature to fund a new building for KU Law and recruiting 
outstanding new faculty. These accomplishments put the KU Law community 
on a path toward growth and sustainability, and the university thanks 
him for these contributions.
  As his impressive decade as dean drew to a close, Dean Dickinson 
returned his focus to teaching alongside an of cousel position at 
Barber, Emerson, Springer, Zinn & Murray in Lawrence, KS.
  He also served on numerous State-level advisory committees related to 
property taxes, income tax, estate tax, and trust administration--all 
of which have made recommendations leading to important revisions of 
Kansas law. Additonally, Dean Dickinson gained nationally recognized 
authority in estate planning and taxation and became a coauthor of 
standard publications in those fields.
  In 1986, Professor Dickinson was named the Robert A. Schroeder 
Distinguished Professor of Law, KU Law's top honor. As a highly 
respected teacher and mentor in the KU Law community, Dickinson also 
received other top awards, including: the ``Chancellor's Award for 
Excellence'' in 1988; the ``Moreau Student Counseling Award'' in 1988, 
1995, 1997, and 2009; the ``Immel Award for Teaching Excellence'' in 
1997; and a Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence in 2002.
  The Kansas Bar Association conferred the ``President's Award for 
Outstanding Service'' on Dickinson, as well as the Phil Lewis Medal of 
Distinction. He also received the ``ALI-ABA Harrison Tweed Award'' for 
excellence in continuing legal education and is a fellow at the 
American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, the American College of 
Tax Counsel, and the American Bar Foundation.
  Professor Dickinson retired from the University of Kansas School of 
Law in 2015, as professor emeritus, leaving behind a rich legacy that 
has deeply impacted the entire KU community. The university will 
remember Dean Dickinson as a highly respected teacher, mentor, and 
friend.
  In the fall 2015 edition of the KU Law magazine, Dickinson was quoted 
as saying, ``Over the last five decades, KU Law has demonstrated an 
impressive capacity to respond to changes in Kansas, the nation, the 
world and the legal profession while continuing to honor its rich 
tradition.''
  It is without question that KU Law has been able to navigate these 
changes because of Martin Dickinson's leadership, and KU's continuing 
tradition is no doubt marked by his impressive tenure at KU Law.
  Professors Dickinson, McKenzie, and Davis were intrumental in my own 
education and those of countless others. The products of their work, 
within academia and beyond, are vast, and my words today seek to 
reflect those contributions to the University of Kansas, the State 
itself, and the many communities to where their lessons were extended 
by way of their former students. As Professors Davis, McKenzie, and 
Dickinson near retirement, let us say thank you and celebrate their 
accomplished careers and the impact they had on the University of 
Kansas, their communities, and the State of Kansas.

                          ____________________