![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
RIP Bob Dunne
Aug. 27th, 2008 09:13 amSo, a guy who had a large presence in my life died a couple of weeks ago. Bob Dunne, who was the most popular lecturer at Yale from his perch as the legal guy in the CS Department (where he used to be the main administrator) slipped on some stairs while vacationing on Block Island. He was alone, and died of head trauma.
I took Computers and the Law when it was offered in the spring 97 course supplement for the first time. The class was at least half CAs, and we all fit into a little room in WLH. There was no reader for the class; Bob just printed off the westlaw cases in the CS department and left them for us to pick up. And for the first time at Yale, I saw someone who was accomplished at lecturing and engaging with the students in his class. I liked it so much that I signed him on as my sophomore adviser and took his computers and the law seminar when it was offered. His was always one of my letters of recommendation, even up to Divinity School (I still owe him lunch for that last one). Over the years I ran into him in his other life as general counsel-at-large to local software company spinoffs from Yale, and so had the opportunity to renew our acquaintance as peers. He invited me to audit his new class, because, gee, I'd been there for the first teachings of 180 and 181, so why not? But, knowing me as he did, he warned me to shut up and leave the talking to kids who needed the grades. :)
After I left Turbo, I only occasionally saw him, though I got regular updates from mutual friends in the CS department. Knowing his love of sailing, I can see him, as reported to me, waiting with excitement all summer for the Block vacation. I can't really believe that it's over now.
He was 59.
I took Computers and the Law when it was offered in the spring 97 course supplement for the first time. The class was at least half CAs, and we all fit into a little room in WLH. There was no reader for the class; Bob just printed off the westlaw cases in the CS department and left them for us to pick up. And for the first time at Yale, I saw someone who was accomplished at lecturing and engaging with the students in his class. I liked it so much that I signed him on as my sophomore adviser and took his computers and the law seminar when it was offered. His was always one of my letters of recommendation, even up to Divinity School (I still owe him lunch for that last one). Over the years I ran into him in his other life as general counsel-at-large to local software company spinoffs from Yale, and so had the opportunity to renew our acquaintance as peers. He invited me to audit his new class, because, gee, I'd been there for the first teachings of 180 and 181, so why not? But, knowing me as he did, he warned me to shut up and leave the talking to kids who needed the grades. :)
After I left Turbo, I only occasionally saw him, though I got regular updates from mutual friends in the CS department. Knowing his love of sailing, I can see him, as reported to me, waiting with excitement all summer for the Block vacation. I can't really believe that it's over now.
He was 59.
