Sad news

Father Robert Drinan, Jesuit priest, former member of Congress, GULC law professor and human rights hero, passed away yesterday.

I never took a class with him, but I had met him on several occasions -- because of my work and through school -- and I respected and admired him greatly. I first became aware of his name because he was appointed to The Commission on the Wartime Relocation of Civilians. Beyond this, Father Drinan's achievements were epic, an inspiration. At the same time, however, he was a very down to earth and approachable man -- and always willing to talk or lend himself to a worthy cause.

Drinan recently told the Legal Times that he had given no thought to retirement, saying there was too much left to do: “Jesuits don’t ordinarily retire. You just do what you do.”

In October, the Law Center honored him with the establishment of the Robert F. Drinan, S.J., Chair in Human Rights for his half century of involvement in the cause. Drinan was a founder of the Lawyers’ Alliance for Nuclear Arms Control and the National Interreligious Task Force on Soviet Jewry. He was also the vice chair of the National Advisory Council of the ACLU and a member of the Helsinki Watch Committee.

He served on numerous committees devoted to the furtherance of human rights and was on the board of directors of the International League for Human Rights, Human Rights First, Bread for the World, the Council for a Livable World Educational Fund, Americans for Democratic Action, People for the American Way and the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund.

And the list goes on. And on. And on.

We have lost a great man, and even though I barely knew him, I am very saddened that he is gone.

P.S. The Washington Post has a nice piece about Father Drinan too.