Laura Hershey Memorial Award The Greatest “Honor”* Anyone Could Receive

Last night was CCDC’s annual awards ceremony.  This is, by far, one of my favorite events CCDC holds.  It is the one time that we get to tell people that they’ve done the right thing, instead of the Legal Program filing lawsuits against those doing the wrong thing. Much like my boss, however, I like giving accolades, not receiving them.  But then it happened.

Unknown to me, the last award presented at the event was the Laura Hershey Memorial Award.  The award is given in “recognition of using the written word to further disability rights.”  Julie Reiskin presented the award.  I got mad at first because I don’t need no stinkin’ award, but this was different.  Laura Hershey was bar-none one of the greatest writers I have ever met and read.  And I am (shhhhhhhhhhh!) a not-so-closeted writer at heart.  Laura’s writing remains the best.

Like receiving awards, I hate a few other things: asshole lawyers, football, fru fru cocktails and opera.  As a general rule, I also am not a fan of poetry.  Except for Laura’s.  I love Laura’s poetry!  I admit it. I can’t help it. There it is.  Honestly, even email messages from Laura, always carefully thought-out and planned, edited perfectly and succinctly, and making every word count, were always a delight.  Even though we disagreed about punctuation and single spacing versus double spacing after periods, Laura was usually (read “ALWAYS”) right and had a justification for it.  A real one.  And don’t get me started on Scrabble...everyone knows.

I have had the great pleasure of not only counting Laura Hershey among one of my friends,   representing her as her attorney in a few cases in these 16 years, and a colleague in this never-ending quest for civil rights for everyone.  I have also had the great privilege of spending a great deal of time with Laura, Robin and Shannon and so many of our other friends.  And even in those informal moments, I’ve always, always, loved to hear Laura’s way of expressing just about anything.  It is hard to get the edgewise word in in our crowd, but Laura always did.

As I’ve blogged before [ink], I miss Laura greatly.  Laura died around Thanksgiving just a year ago.  Just about a week ago, I was having dinner with friends and were missing Laura.  Suddenly, one friend pulled out a copy of Spark Before Dark [link], a collection of Laura’s poetry, and we began to read from it.  I read a favorite.  We bawled our eyes out.  It was wonderful.  I hate crying too, except for sunsets and Laura’s poetry.

That’s the kind of writer Laura Hershey was.  Every word, every sentence, every idea and ever title had a purpose and a meaning and a message.  There is no word big enough or important enough or fitting enough to convey what it means to me to be bestowed with an award in Laura Hershey’s name.  The word “honor” isn’t good enough.  Laura would have the right word.  

As a result of receiving this award, I commit to making sure that I get the word out too and that  everything I and our Legal Program generate is better, because all writing is that important.  Laura taught me that. 

Julie said that the reason for the award is that CCDC members like my blogs.  I still don’t really know what a blog is, but it lets me say some stuff, and Briana edits it, makes it better and puts it out for you all to read.  At the ceremony, Mark Simon said “They’re really fun to read.”   They are REALLY fun to write.

Thank you, the members of CCDC, for providing me with this great honor.  

I am amazed by the number of people who keep encouraging me to blog as if I don’t ya dee ya enough.  You realize that means I’m just going to talk more than I already do.  

I love and miss you Laura. Off to say Happy Birthday to Robin...

*See supra.