National University - Docket Yearbook (Washington, DC)

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NATIONAL UNIVERSITY CHARLES PERGLER Dean of Law School

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THE 1937 DOCKET The Dean’s Message T he class of 1937 is about to enter the ranks of the legal profession at a time when the mission and the functions of lawyers are very much discus- sed and the very profession is subjected to much questioning. This is noth- ing new in its history, and it is a phenomenon which merely indicates that today more than ever lawyers have exceptional opportunities of leadership by the very nature of their activities before the courts and in legislative bodies. When so much is being questioned, and when old values are being revalued, a lawyer, to be at his best, must understand the trend of the times ; he must know something, indeed much, of present-day economic and social needs. A lawyer may know all the statutes and all the decisions of courts, but if he looks upon them and uses them merely as rules of a game he is still a poor lawyer. Decisions have value and are of real importance only in so far as they apply living principles. Law is and must be a stabilizing factor in society; but law, if we are to avoid disaster, must not make for pertification. Of all classes graduating from the National University I have been associated with, for obvious reasons the class of 1937 will always stand out in my memory. May all of its members be successful in their chosen walk of life, and may they rise to the opportunities beckoning to them. Charles Pergler

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THE 1937 DOCKET - Historical Sketch T he history of National University presents an enviable record of achievement, dating from 1869, when the school was first chartered, to the present time. Five Presidents of The United States have served as Chancellors Ex-Officio of Na- tional University during its existence; namely Presidents Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Arthur and Cleveland. Among the more than seven thousand graduates of National will be found many who have done honor to themselves, their school and their country in many and various capacities. The Alumni of National is represented in num- erous state and federal courts, in Congress, in the cabinet and in other high offices. The high regard which the local bar has for Na- tional graduates is manifested by the fact that the last four presi- dents of the District of Columbia Bar Association have been alum- ni of National University. The practical and efficient methods of teaching the law begun by W. B. Wedgewood, Arthur MacArthur, Eugene Carusi, Richard H. Alvey, and their eight associates is still prevailing at National University, and the hopes of George Washington are being fulfilled. National University is one of the oldest law schools in the United States and enjoys an unusually high standing among the legal profession.