Professor Goldsmith

During law school, I worked for Professor Michael Goldsmith, a dynamic and accomplished man with big ideas and a fantastic sense of humor. Many of our friends who read this blog also survived classes in Evidence and Criminal Procedure from him.

Recently, Professor Goldsmith was diagnosed with ALS (a.k.a. as Lou Gehrig’s disease), a disease for which there is currently no cure.

Although ALS does not affect the intellect, the disease takes away the brain’s ability to control voluntary muscle movement. Symptoms of ALS include muscle atrophy with sufferers experiencing impaired use of their limbs, as well as difficulty in breathing, speaking, and swallowing.

Last year, Professor Goldsmith wrote a piece published in Newsweek magazine (link) calling out Major League Baseball for having failed to do something meaningful about the illness that ended the career and life of one of its greatest players nearly 70 years ago.

Thankfully, Goldsmith’s idea of commemorating the 70th anniversary of Lou Gehrig’s historic farewell speech resonated with people.

Here’s a NBC news report from last Saturday:

A New York Times story quoted Professor Goldsmith:

“I have spent more than two decades exhorting law students to take a proactive ‘can-do’ approach to the law and life in general. And I have tried to lead by example, showing them how creativity and commitment to a cause can produce positive results. The success of this effort demonstrates yet again how the power of one can make a difference.”

To our classmates (and anyone who was moved by that video): here are some useful links--

https://www.als.net/join/donatenow.asp
https://www.alsa.org/donate/secure/default.cfm
http://www.als-mda.org
http://www.projectals.org/getInvolved/donate.shtml