Osler's Razor

Super Bowl Sunday actually turned out to provide a pretty good game—I watched the last seven minute, which was about the right time to turn it on, as it turned out. Today, of course is Super Tuesday, which could determine who the presidential nominees will be. What I’m really looking forward to, though, is Super Saturday, coming up this week.

I usually love commencements. I love getting to see the students recognized for their accomplishments, I love watching the crowd react, and I really love getting to meet the parents and finding out where certain traits and tendencies came from.

This Saturday’s commencement, though, is going to be more Super than usual, as the commencement address will be given by Melissa Essary. Melissa is the Dean of the law school at Campbell University in North Carolina, after a very successful career as a professor at Baylor. This group of graduates may be the last ones who had her as a professor, and it is very fitting that they would honor her now.

One of the first people I saw teach at Baylor was Dean Essary, and she exemplified what I wanted to do. It was clear that she loved both her subject and her students, and that there was a rare connection between them. She was a primary mentor for many students, especially women, and there probably were more students coming out of Baylor who wanted to model themselves after her than any other teacher.

It will be great to have her back for Super Saturday.