Title
Gray Thoron - Clip 1
Streaming Media
Interviewee
Gray Thoron
Interviewer
Franklin Fink
Resource Type
Video Interview
Date of Recording
1988
Duration
20:06
Description
From the video archives of the Cornell Law School Heritage Project. The interviewer is Frank Fink; the videographer, Thomas R. Bruce. This video covers Gray Thoron's reflections on the special qualities of the Cornell Law School, the careers of former students, changes in legal education and law practice, and the origins of his Law Practice Dynamics course.
Gray Thoron came to Cornell to serve as Dean of the Law School from 1956 to 1963. He remained at the Law School for over 30 years until his retirement in 1987, teaching criminal law, criminal and civil procedure, professional ethics, and practice.
Prior to joining academia, Gray Thoron worked in private practice with the New York City firm of Sullivan & Cromwell. He also served as assistant to the Solicitor General of the United States, was a member of the Laporte Legislative Ethics Commission in New York, and for one year served as New York State Special Assistant Attorney General. He also served in WWII as a combat infantryman in an armored brigade, becoming Company Commander and sustaining serious injuries leading an assault on the Siegfried Line. He was awarded the Purple Heart and both Bronze and Silver Stars.
As Dean of the Law School he left his mark in many ways, including recruiting distinguished faculty members; substantially increasing the endowment and alumni giving; expanding the school with the construction of the Charles Evans Hughes residence wing; inaugurating guest lecture series that brought speakers from around the globe; and launching the Legal Aid Clinic. Born in 1916, Gray Thoron died in 2015.
Keywords
Cornell Law School, Cornell Law School alumni, Law professors, Law school deans
Disciplines
Legal Education
Recommended Citation
Fink, Franklin E. and Thoron, Gray, "Gray Thoron - Clip 1" (1988). Cornell University Law School Heritage Project. Video 17.
https://scholarship.law.cornell.edu/lawschool_heritage/17
Comments
The initial phase of this project was sponsored by a generous grant from the law firm of Sutherland Asbill and Brennan LLP.