I seem to have reached the unfortunate age where one begins to lose friends and colleagues. Not long ago, my good friend and colleague John Gradwohl died. Now, my first academic mentor, Alan Bromberg, a long-time professor at SMU’s School of Law, has died. His obituary is here.

Many of you know Alan as an outstanding scholar of securities and partnership law. I can’t count the number of times I have turned to his treatises on securities fraud and partnership. But I owe Alan a personal debt I could never repay. Alan was the person most responsible for my entry into the profession I love, legal academia.

Alan was of counsel to the Dallas firm for which I worked when I decided to become a law professor. He advised me, served as a reference, and helped me obtain my first academic job—a visiting position at SMU. He continued to advise me and often provided feedback on the reprints I sent him. I called on Alan several times during the course of my career, and he always went out of his way to help.

Alan was a great scholar, but, more important than that, he was an extremely kind and gentle man. His death is a great loss, and not just to legal education.