Ruby R. Vale and a Definition of Legal Scholarship

Lawrence A. Hamermesh 

The following lecture was presented on March 21, 2005 on the occasion of Professor Lawrence A. Hamermesh’s installation as the first Ruby R. Vale Professor of Corporate and Business Law. This is the first endowed professorship created at the Widener University School of Law, and is therefore a significant milestone in the growth of the Law School. The generosity of the Ruby R. Vale Foundation in funding this professorship is expected to support future research, lectures and symposia on the subject of Delaware business entity laws. Professor Hamermesh’s lecture followed introductory remarks by The Honorable Jack B. Jacobs, Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court. In this speech, Professor Hamermesh discusses some of Ruby R. Vale’s contributions to legal scholarship as well as the impact those contributions had on the legal community. Additionally, Professor Hamermesh explains how he can continue Mr. Vale’s scholarly purpose as the Ruby R. Vale Professor of Corporate and Business Law.