I can still hear professor Vernon merrily belting out the contracts hypothetical.  I had the privilege and pleasure of being taught by Professor Vernon in one of his last classes here at the University of Iowa.  Professor Vernon was the consummate law professor.  He was knowledgeable, entertaining, effective, and unique.  He commanded the respect of a person who had worked extensively for civil rights, held a deanship among other impressive offices, had been in the field of law over 50 years, and was seventy-plus and still teaching as much or more than any professor in the building.  Yet, he didn’t rest upon his impressive resume for respect, but rather earned it from the students with his sharp-as-a-tack intellect and his jovial classroom demeanor.

Not one class with Vernon went by that I didn’t laugh out loud.  That is no small accomplishment for a contracts professor.  I couldn’t help it.  Vernon’s giggle was contagious.  His witty jibes at the students were pure comedy, and he shamelessly made us stand up and take it!  Why was Vernon the only professor to keep this tradition alive?  It seems we could afford to lose nonsensical law school traditions like timed exams and mandatory curves before we lose the tradition of having to stand up to speak your piece.  It was great fun to watch my classmates stumble through his inquiries.  It was not as fun to be the stumbler, but it wasn’t so bad either.  You knew Vernon would tease you whether you were right or wrong so embarrassment wasn’t an issue.  We were all humbled.  He had the graceful ability to tell you, “everything that came out of your mouth was right, except what you said,” while not destroying your confidence.

I consider Vernon to be the best professor I’ve had yet in law school.  His teaching style made you have to learn for yourself.  You had to decipher the lesson because he wasn’t going to give it to you straight.  Only a few times did I see him write something on the board.  Every time it was written illegibly and he followed up with an equally incomprehensible mumbled explanation while we looked to each other blankly.  Don’t get me wrong.  Far from being incompetent, it was all part of Vernon’s larger plan; a plan that did not include the board.  I finally figured out that he started a lesson from the middle, taught through to its conclusion, and finally came back to the beginning only when some overly frustrated soul with team spirit stood up against the ridicule to ask what the hell was going on.  I can still hear Vernon’s voice, his tone simultaneously obliging and victorious, “what the hell, all right, it's like this,” and after an explanation, “See, its not so hard.”  It was like he wanted to confuse us for as long as we could stand it.  How else can you justify teaching a contracts class by starting with mistake, moving on through remedies, and finishing the course with offer and acceptance?

All in all Vernon’s class was a good laugh, a good time, and a good lesson.  He had the grace, class and good sense to get you to laugh at yourself and others while not undermining your confidence.  Rather than simply lecture, he cleverly forced you to participate in your education.

He was a pleasure to talk to outside of class and a professor that truly gave you the feeling that he cared about you and your future in the law.  He and his wife were so generous with their home.

I’m thankful professor Vernon taught so long in his life as to allow myself and so many others to take a class with a real treasure of the University of Iowa Law School experience.