Women Featured in AY Magazine
Bright and early at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday I had to show up at Jason Masters Studio on Main Street which is located in the Block Two Loft, for the photo shoot for AY Magazine. As you know, 8:30 a.m. is early to be photo ready so after dinner I went right to bed and got up early to look spiffy for the photo shoot the next day. It was really a blast. It was fun to meet all the other women. They were (as you might imagine) pretty spunky and I’m very honored to be amongst them. The shoot was a fun time and during it we got to know each other a little bit. I know what you’re asking, “Who else was featured?,” but you’ll just have to pick up AY Magazine in March and see for yourself. After the photo shoot, I asked if we might take some pictures on my own camera for the blog and here they are, but they aren’t going to be nearly as fun as the professional photos done by Jason, so you’ll just have to watch for that.
Dining Room in Brave New Restaurant
At 11:30 a.m. I drove out to meet Jack Lavey who is a long time union and employee side labor and employment lawyer. He has been a very good friend to me and workers in the State of Arkansas. Jack befriended me not long after I arrived here in Arkansas and has kept up with me over the course of my career. He’s been an encouragement and good buddy. I wanted to see him and to spend time with him and to let him know I’ve been thinking about him and how much I appreciate him. He and I went to lunch at Brave New Restaurant which is a wonderful restaurant and has a terrific view. I think I was still suffering from my cold house. I couldn’t get warm, so I had a bowl of soup and a salad. It was delicious. It was called a “Spinach and Brave New Shrimp Salad.” It was baby spinach tossed with pears, walnuts, Stilton cheese, and vinaigrette, topped with Brave New Shrimp and caper berries. Jack had a salmon sandwich which looked fabulous. We talked everything – politics, the election, labor – it kind of reminded me of my pre-Dean days. It was really good to catch up with Jack. We have a number of close mutual friends and I was able to find out what was going on in Little Rock from a progressive perspective. I very much enjoyed my time with him. Thanks very much Jack, for the treat. It certainly was a double treat to be able to spend time with you.
Left to Right: W. Michael Reif, Erin Behring, Dean Nance, William C. Byrd III, Monte Estes
At 1:30 p.m. I headed over to the Dover Law Firm where I was greeted warmly. I visited with W. Michael Reif, Erin Behring, William C. Byrd III, and Monte Estes. They were very gracious to me. Thanks to them for taking time out of their busy day to visit with me. It was a short visit, but a good one. One of the things that I very much enjoy is getting out and about to meet alums I haven’t met before, as well as other lawyers in Little Rock. Their gracious hospitality made me feel right at home. I was also able to share with them some of the exciting new things we are doing and to get their feedback on things we might do differently or do better. It was a very good visit and again, I really appreciate them taking the time to meet with me. While I was there, a hawk showed up and I found out that after I left the hawk was attacked by another hawk. I’m glad that I missed that whole thing, but it was a very majestic sight to see the hawk sitting there on the railing looking out over the city and it made a pretty good picture, too. I hope you think so, too.
Hawk on the Railing
At 3:00 p.m. I met with Pat O’Brien who is our alum and the Pulaski Circuit/County Clerk. Pat was a hoot! We had a blast! I will say this for Pat . . . he never took any of my classes and I knew who he was and I had never really talked with him in earnest before, but we hit it off right away. He, like me, is quite candid and a straight-up kind of guy so we had a fabulous conversation. And Pat, I heard those things you told me and I’m still mulling it over but I know how you feel about it. He is going to get involved with our alumni strategic planning and I appreciate that. He is quite a resource in terms of knowing who’s who and what’s what down in Pulaski County and I’m really grateful that we were able to get together there during my visit to Little Rock.
Pulaski Circuit/County Clerk Pat O'Brien
That evening I attended an event at the home of Dr. Rickey Medlock and Scott Heffington for Jay Barth. It was very interesting. I like to go to these events. I’m always careful to note whether it involves any of our alums or any potential conflicts and I didn’t see any. So I thought it would be a good way to meet a bunch of new people and that turned out to be the case. I didn’t get any pictures because it was very, very crowded. I didn’t want to be rude just snapping pictures of people I didn’t know, so sorry, no pictures for that. Afterwards I had a nice relaxing dinner with Steve Shults. I met Steve in August and he has become a very good friend to me and someone who’s easy to be around and hang out with. Thanks very much for dinner Steve. It was a really nice evening.
Nancecy 