Today is my first official day as the Gilbert and Sarah Kerlin Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law at Pace Law School. At my formal installation on September 25th I’ll deliver the 14th Annual Gilbert and Sarah Kerlin Lecture. I’m am deeply honored to be the successor in holding this Chair from my friend and colleague Nick Robinson.

Pace Law School established the Gilbert and Sarah Kerlin Lecture on Environmental Law to expand the School’s programs of research, education, professional and scholarly activity and publications in environmental law. The Kerlin endowment funds also a named professorship at Pace in Environmental Law. Professor Nicholas A. Robinson, founder of Pace Law School’s environmental programs, was named the Gilbert and Sarah Kerlin Distinguished Professor in Environmental Law in 1999. The first Kerlin Lecture titled, "Selling the Common Heritage? Commerce, Property, and the Protection of the Environment" was given by Professor Carol Rose in 2000. Mr. Kerlin was a distinguished lawyer and was of counsel to Shearman & Sterling in New York City. He was a founder and chairman of the Riverdale Community Planning Association, an organization that spearheaded the rezoning of the entire West Bronx to preserve the greenbelt area of that section of the City of New York. Also, he was a leader in protecting the natural environment of the Hudson River and its greenbelt area. Mr. Kerlin was the founding chairman of Wave Hill, the outstanding public garden and cultural institution in Riverdale, New York. Mrs. Kerlin, a long-time trustee of the Bank Street College of Education, was responsible for creating and supporting environmental and educational programs at Wave Hill for teachers and public school students. Mr. Gilbert Kerlin passed away at the age of 94 in 2004; his wife of 60 years, Sarah, died in 2001. The Gilbert and Sarah Kerlin Lecture and Chair of Environmental Law continue in their honor.

Advertisement