On The Record - Columbus School of Law

GUESS WHO’S Coming to Lunch?Speakers So Good It’s a CrimeIt’s a well-kept secret, though not onthe fourth floor of the ColumbusSchool of Law. For many years, themonthly faculty luncheon—a convivialsocial occasion cherished by most professors—hasbeen graced by a seriesof speakers of the sort that theSmithsonian might assemble as anevening lecture program for members.Fortunate Catholic University lawprofessors need only show up, fill theirplates, take a seat and listen to sometruly outstanding professionals, courtesyof the vision of Professor DavidLipton who founded the “facultyexplorations luncheon” program in1986. Since then he has devoted enormoustime, energy and creativity toinviting an amazingly diverse array ofguests over that time.Teenage friends, ProfessorMarin Scordato and nationallyrenowned crime fiction writerGeorge Pelecanos (right) werereunited when the novelistspoke informally at a facultyluncheon in September.Renowned crime fiction writerGeorge Pelecanos was the latest professionalstar to drop by and chatwith professors. The nationally knownauthor of more than a dozen novels setin the Washington, D.C., area, as wellas the chief writer for the acclaimedHBO series “The Wire,” Pelecanoswas invited to speak on Sept. 18 by hisold friend Professor Marin Scordato, afaculty member who has assumedresponsibility for the speaker seriesduring the fall 2008 semester and possiblybeyond. Growing up together inthe Maryland suburbs, the two menhave known each other since middleschool.Pelecanos spent 15 minutes talkingabout how the experiences of hisyouth inform his novelistic ideas andcharacters today. He explained to thefaculty audience that when a newnovel is in full bloom, he cannot stepaway from the book until it is finished,even at the cost of having to skip vacationswith his family.Such luncheons have long providedCUA law professors with fascinating,albeit brief, glimpses into otherprofessions and worlds with whichthey normally would have little contact.The Scordato-Pelecanos teenagesocial circle includes another chumfrom those years who was invited tospeak in October, documentary producerand investigative reporter RickYoung, who has had more than 15 ofhis programs air on PBS’s “Frontline.”His work has garnered five Emmynominations, and his stories and commentarieshave appeared on NationalPublic Radio and in The New YorkTimes, The Washington Post and TheBaltimore Sun.36CUALAWYER /Fall–Winter 2008