Closing
Friends Remember Law Professor’s Life by Matt Tamul
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“Mel was my coach, my cheerleader, my sports agent. He reveled in the success of his friends and family. Mel really understood how to be happy.” — Bruce Maloy, Adjunct Professor of Law
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emory lawyer
ven decades after the late Professor of Gutterman’s wife, Judy, expressed her Law Melvin Gutterman began teaching appreciation for the immense support the at Emory, he would call fellow Professor Emory community has shown her family durMorgan Cloud into his office when assigning a ing this difficult time in her life. student a low grade to get a second opinion. “We were truly blessed by the Emory comSharing recollections of Gutterman at munity,” Judy Gutterman said. Her family a memorial service this spring, Cloud said received more than 250 letters of support durGutterman’s doubt that it was the student ing Gutterman’s illness. His friends’ thoughts — and not the professor — who had erred and words of encouragement made his days in revealed his “immense love” for his students. the hospital a little more bearable, she said. “He was still afraid he would not do his Gutterman received his law degree from students justice,” Cloud said. “It hurt him, the Northwestern University in 1967 and taught thought that people were treated unjustly. I briefly at Michigan State University and just don’t have the words to describe his heart, Pennsylvania State University before joinhis courage, his relentless hope.” ing the faculty at Emory in 1969. He was a Friends, family, and former colleagues gathtwo-time recipient of the law school’s Most ered to remember Gutterman, who died of can- Outstanding Professor Award, chosen by the cer on Jan. 28 at seventy. His legal scholarship graduating class each year. spanned nearly four decades at Emory, and he He also received the Ben F. Johnson was one of the law school’s most popular and Excellence in Teaching Award recognizing his beloved professors. contribution to teaching and service to the School of Law Dean David F. Partlett spoke Emory Law community. of the indelible stamp Gutterman imprinted Gutterman’s sabbatical to France in 1985 upon Emory Law alumni. and his trip to Germany in 2001 to study their “As I travel around the country visiting with prison systems while lecturing on a comour alumni and friends, rarely do I go anyparative understanding of the criminal justice where without Professor Gutterman’s name system were among the highlights of his distinbeing mentioned in the most affectionate way,” guished career. Partlett said. “He will always be remembered His scholarly inquiry focused on criminal as one of the greatest teachers at Emory Law.” law procedure and prisoner rights, but in the Partlett estimated that while Gutterman late 1990s, Gutterman expanded his horitaught at Emory, he had had the opportunity zons and ventured into the realm of film. He to instruct nearly 4,000 students — more than proposed a new interdisciplinary course called half of the school’s living alumni — in criminal “Criminal Justice and Film” which quickly law and prisoner rights. grew to become one the most popular course Adjunct Professor of Law Bruce Maloy offerings at Emory Law. 78l, a former student of Gutterman’s, remiNicolette Waldon 78l said Gutterman pronisced on the days he spent under Gutterman’s foundly affected her career path as well as the tutelage. paths of his other students. “The enthusiasm in his class was palpable,” “His enthusiasm planted seeds that encourMaloy said. “You just wanted to rush to his aged us to pursue criminal law as a career,” class every morning as soon as you woke up.” Waldon said. Gutterman was intimately involved with his students’ well-being and future, Maloy said. Matthew Tamul 11c, an English major and “He was my coach, my cheerleader, my first-year student at Emory College, is from sports agent. He reveled in the success of his Guyton, Georgia. This story first ran March friends and family. His pride was in others’ 3, 2008, in the Emory University student accomplishments,” Maloy said. “Mel really newspaper, Emory Wheel, and is reprinted understood how to be happy.” here with permission from the editors. Partlett said of Gutterman, “Jaded was not part of his lexicon.”