Commencement 2008:
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Finchem Urges Graduates to Follow Their Passions
by Mary Wood
MEMBERS OF THE Class of 2008 should be passionate about what they do in life, PGA Tour Commissioner Timothy W. Finchem ’73 said during a soggy commencement in Memorial Gymnasium on May 18.
“You have, as a class and as individuals, great capability. You have the tools. Given the focus that I’ve already noticed you have on philanthropy, and the pro bono commitment that you’ve made during your law school years, I know you have the passion,” Finchem said. “You can, and I believe will, make a difference.”
In 1994, Finchem became the third commissioner of the PGA Tour. He previously served as an attorney in Virginia Beach and was deputy advisor to President Jimmy Carter in the Office of Economic Affairs.
“Golf, as a game, is challenging,” Finchem said. “It teaches you humility; it teaches you the core values of integrity and honesty; it teaches you to set goals. It is a compelling life-long game, and like life, you never stop learning.” Being a lawyer means you have the ability to think, analyze, and discover solutions, which is helpful in every step of your career, Finchem said.
“If you don’t have passion for what you do, you cannot maximize what you want to do, you can’t reach lofty goals,” he said. “If you make a decision and you find that you’re not passionate, move on. “The reason for Tiger Woods’ extraordinary success is his passion for the game of golf.” Finchem urged the audience to “seek consensus in decisions that you make, but don’t wait for everybody to agree with you.” Also, “don’t take yourself too seriously,” Finchem said. “If you have an ego, check it at the door.”
Recalling that energy policy was a leading issue even when he served in the Carter Administration, Finchem urged graduates to become involved in some of the big issues facing the country. Finchem said that PGA Tour tournaments are run by charitable organizations, which “makes us unique in the world of sports.”
One of the Tour’s primary missions is to raise money for charity. “We are dedicated to generating charitable benefits for the communities where we play,” he said. It took the PGA Tour 67 years to reach its first billion dollars in charitable giving, Finchem said, and he hopes to reach its second billion in just eight years. He also aims to get children who historically haven’t had access to golf, whether for geographic or socioeconomic reasons, to play. “We want to change the face of golf — we want the sport to look like the rest of the country, and we want to do it in this generation.”
Following Finchem’s remarks, 403 J.D. graduates and 38 LL.M. graduates received diplomas from Dean John C. Jeffries Jr., ’73 in his final commencement as dean. Jeffries stepped down in July and will return to teaching after a yearlong sabbatical. “In 32 years I have not seen your equal,” said Jeffries, who has taught at the Law School since 1975. “I hope you will not mind accepting me just for today as a member of your class. I am proud to leave in your company.”
Margaret G. Hyde Award - Katherine Ireland Twomey
James C. Slaughter Honor Award - Ray Daniel McKenzie
Thomas Marshall Miller Prize - Rebecca Lynn Mroz
Z Society Shannon Award - Katherine Ireland Twomey
Law School Alumni Association Best Note Award - Katherine Ireland Twomey
Robert E. Goldsten Award for Distinction in the Classroom - Alicia Nicole Ellington Roger
Roger and Madeleine Traynor Prize - Liam James Montgomery, Kelly Elizabeth Phipps
Herbert Kramer/Herbert Bangel Community Service Award - Elizabeth Carolyn Coe
Mortimer Caplin Public Service Award - Matthew Taylor VanWormer
Edwin S. Cohen Tax Prize - Jordan Kyle Field, Rebecca Solomon Brown
Earle K. Shawe Labor Relations Award - Timothy Francis Kennedy
John M. Olin Prize in Law and Economics - Timothy Francis Kennedy
Eppa Hunton IV Memorial Book Award - Meghan Kathleen Casey
Virginia Trial Lawyers Trial Advocacy Award - Liam James Montgomery
Virginia State Bar Family Law Book Award - Michelle Lee Harris, Matthew Taylor VanWormer
Stephen Pierre Traynor Award - Rebecca Lynn Mroz
Daniel Rosenbloom Award - Donald Burke, Alicia Nicole Ellington, Christopher Michael Hammer
*All are members of the Class of 2008 unless otherwise noted.
Kenneth Winn Allen
The Honorable James S. Sutton
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
Ian Atkinson
The Honorable Sarah S. Vance
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana
Jen Attrep ’06
The Honorable Richard J. Leon
U.S. District Court, District of Columbia
Locke Beatty
The Honorable Louise W. Flanagan ’88
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of North Carolina
James Matthew Belger
The Honorable William B. Chandler, III
Delaware Court of Chancery
Jeffrey Bender
The Honorable Robert R. Beezer ’56
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Sarah Betts
The Honorable Raymond A. Jackson ’73
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia
Lincoln Bisbee ’07
The Honorable Benson E. Legg ’73
U.S. District Court, District of Maryland
Andrew Bosse
The Honorable James C. Cacheris
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia
Katie Burke
The Honorable Beverly B. Martin
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia
William Bushman
The Honorable Robert G. Doumar ’53, LL.M. ’88
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia
Elizabeth Canter
The Honorable M. Blane Michael
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Meghan Casey
The Honorable J. Frederick Motz ’67
U.S. District Court, District of Maryland
John Cooper
The Honorable Boyce F. Martin, Jr., ’63
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
Nikki Ellington
The Honorable T.S. Ellis III
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia
Laura Fairneny
The Honorable Legrome D. Davis
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Ryan Faulconer
The Honorable T.S. Ellis III
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia
Neely Fedde ’02
The Honorable Kathryn H. Vratil
U.S. District Court, District of Kansas
Matt Fitzgerald
The Honorable Edward Carnes
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
Gabe Galletti ’04
The Honorable Peter G. Sheridan
U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey
Matthew Gessessee ’07
The Honorable Patricia Seitz
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida
Millie Grinstead
The Honorable W. Keith Watkins
U.S. District Court, Middle District of Alabama
Kristin Hall
The Honorable Benson Everett Legg ’73
U.S. District Court, District of Maryland
Chris Hammer
The Honorable Robert Young
Michigan Supreme Court
Grayson Holmes
The Honorable Stanley F. Birch, Jr.
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
Bill Hughes
The Honorable I. Leo Glasser
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
Devin Huseby
The Honorable Ancer Haggerty
U.S. District Court, District of Oregon
Tim Johnson ’06
The Honorable I. Leo Glasser
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
Jonathan Lasken
The Honorable William T. Moore, Jr., LL.M. ’01
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Georgia
Mark Lentz
The Honorable Andrew J. Kleinfeld
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
The Honorable Lynn Nettleton Hughes LL.M. ’92
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas
Laura McCready
The Honorable Louise W. Flanagan ’88
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of North Carolina
Ray McKenzie
The Honorable James Spencer
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia
Rebecca Merritt
The Honorable William H. Pryor Jr.
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
Liam Montgomery
The Honorable Diana Gribbon Motz ’68
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Derek Moore ’06
The Honorable Douglas H. Ginsburg
U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
David Mroz
The Honorable Liam O’Grady
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia
Sinead O’Doherty
The Honorable Richard Williams ’51
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia
Charles Paradis
The Honorable John Heyburn
U.S. District Court, Western District of Kentucky
James Parker
The Honorable Leslie Southwick
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Kelly Phipps
The Honorable James G. Carr
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio
Tom Pietro
The Honorable Yvette Kane
U.S. District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania
Brian Rabbitt
The Honorable Henry Hudson
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia
Katie Schleeter
The Honorable Rebecca Beach Smith
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia
Coleen Schoch
The Honorable James C. Cacheris
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia
Ben Segarra
The Honorable William Cassady
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Alabama
Dan Shean
The Honorable Norman K. Moon ’62, LL.M. ’88
U.S. District Court, Western District of Virginia
Natalie Shonka
The Honorable Stefan Underhill
U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut
Prisca Shrewsbury
The Honorable John Rogers
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
Lucien Smith
The Honorable Rhesa H. Barksdale
U.S. Count of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Selina Spinos
The Honorable Rebecca Beach Smith
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia
Tim St. George
The Honorable Robert E. Payne
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia
Kate Stanley ’06
The Honorable Paul S. Diamond
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Justin Torres
The Honorable Kurt D. Engelhardt
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana
Katherine Twomey
J. Harvie Wilkinson III ’72
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Jesse Unkenholtz
The Honorable R. David Proctor
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama
Kyle Wallace
The Honorable Rhesa H. Barksdale
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Terence Woodsome ’05
The Honorable Jeremy D. Fogel
U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
Stephanie Wright
The Honorable William D. Quarles, Jr.
U.S. District Court, District of Maryland
Christopher Yeung ’07
The Honorable D. Brooks Smith
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Supreme Court of the United States
Porter Wilkinson ’07
The Honorable John G. Roberts, Jr.
