Wade H. McCree, Jr.

At Wade McCree\u27s funeral service in Detroit, Otis Smith introduced the many people who spoke. Mr. Smith reminded us that, when Wade ceased to be Solicitor General, he had many offers from law firms in Washington and New York. Wade, he said, turned the offers down and chose to remain in public service. When Mr. Smith made this statement, my first thought was, Wade didn\u27t stay in public service. He became a law professor. After all, for so many of us teachers, life is a wonderful self-indulgence, the opportunity to read and write just what we please. But, of course, for Wade, teaching in law school became simply the next stage of a full career in public service. He viewed it as an opportunity to instill in young women and men the importance of taking seriously their lives as lawyers and public servants; as an opportunity to give advice to students; and as an opportunity to speak widely across the nation on issues of public importance