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This is heartbreaking news. In law school, Professor Rhode was one of my main mentors and has been ever since. She helped me become a law professor, and researching and coauthoring together shaped my approach as an academic today. https://twitter.com/HankGreelyLSJU/status/1347965374482972673
Prof. Rhode's scholarship emphasized the importance of doctrine and theory -- but also empirical reality and policy impact. She wanted to show how the law worked on the ground and how law and the legal profession could be used (and improved) to make the world a better place.
Deborah was a generous mentor and friend. She cared more about my development as a human being than a scholar and voice in the world. She was a strong proponent of prioritizing life over career, which says a lot as she is one of the most-cited legal academics of her generation.
I'll never forget the advice she offered when I went on the teaching market: Prioritize a city and community where your family can thrive, and only secondarily a law school where you can succeed as a teacher, scholar, and leader.
(I took that advice to heart, and fortunately didn't have to choose between those tradeoffs here in Columbus and at Ohio State. And that advice has shaped many of my career decisions since.)
Deborah was always there when I needed support or celebration. For example, she supported me after a difficult first year out of law school -- something I will never forget. She celebrated my marriage (her gift remains on our kitchen table) and the birth of each of our four kids.
Whenever we caught up over the years since I became a law professor, we wouldn't do so in her office or over a meal. Her tradition was for us to go on walks around the university (and the "dish" reserve). Those walks were life highlights.
During the walks, her first questions were always about how my family and I were doing, and only secondarily "what are you working on." (To be sure, she cared a lot about what I was working on.) Those walks were energizing and inspiring. I will so, so miss them.
Deborah, you left the world too soon. But you leave behind an amazing legacy -- in the groundbreaking scholarship you've published, in the trailblazing work you've done as a law prof & leader in the profession, and in the thousands of students & lawyers you've taught & inspired.
I will always be grateful that you invested in me as a young law student back in 2003 (and ever since) and that you lived your life and career in a way that inspired mine (and those of so, so many others). I miss you so much, but am forever grateful for your impact on my life.
My thoughts and prayers go out to your spouse Ralph, the @StanfordLaw community, and the countless friends and family who are grieving this loss. Rest in peace, my dear friend. / END
Post-script: If you want to better appreciated this legend in the law, check out this @stanfordmag profile of Deborah Rhode from back in 2017: https://medium.com/stanford-magazine/deborah-rhode-ethics-leadership-gender-law-5fd49dc43832
