Closing
Enriching the Intellectual Community Margaret Thrower, wife of Randolph Thrower 34C 37L, led the way in creating the Thrower Symposium at Emory Law to honor her husband
M
argaret Thrower, 93, died Feb. 17 at the William Breman Jewish Home, where she was rehabilitating from complications following a fall and a broken hip suffered in January. She was the wife of Randolph Thrower 34c 37l. Twenty-six years ago, Margaret Thrower was asked to contribute money for books for the law library in honor of her husband. “She responded, ‘we can do better than that,’” says daughter Patricia Thrower Barmeyer. “She wanted us to make a gift that would have an impact on the life of the law school — something that would be enriching for the intellectual community,” Barmeyer says. “It was a Christmas present for Dad. We surprised him. “At first, it was a visiting professor in residence,” Barmeyer says. “Later, it was elevated into a symposium when students took responMargaret Thrower dances with her husband, Randolph Thrower 34C 37L. sibility for it. My mother attended every lecture and symposium except 2002, when she and my father were out of the country, and this year.” The Thrower Symposium is the “highlight of Emory’s scholarly year each year,” Professor of Law Bill Buzbee says. Symposium papers and lectures are published each year in the Emory Law Journal, which presents the event. A graduate of Wesleyan College in Macon, Thrower served on the symposium committee and offered suggestions for topics and speakers, her daughter says. “Her favorite symposium was on genetics and the human genome and the issues 40
emory lawyer
surrounding it,” Barmeyer says. “She encouraged us to do the program on immigration as well as the science symposium last year, which included global warming.”
“They were wonderful together, so romantic and supportive. He loved her passionately, and she loved him too. She was always involved in whatever he was doing.” —Patricia Thrower Barmeyer, daughter of Margaret and Randolph Thrower 34C 37L
“The Thrower Symposium stands as a lasting tribute to the life of Margaret Thrower,” says David F. Partlett, Dean and Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Law. “Her commitment to enriching the intellectual life of the school each year is a testament to her family’s support for Emory Law.” Barmeyer says her mother was an avid gardener, world traveler and artist, though she never sold her paintings. “When she showed in exhibits, Daddy would insist that she put red dots on her paintings,” Barmeyer says. “He didn’t want any to get away, so she didn’t sell her paintings. She painted her farm, places she’d been, people she loved, always things that meant something to her.” Barmeyer describes her parents’ 70 years together as one of the world’s great romances. Born in Quincy, Fla., Margaret Logan Munroe married Randolph Thrower in 1939. “They were wonderful together,” Barmeyer says, “so romantic and supportive. He loved her passionately, and she loved him too. She was always involved in whatever he was doing. “They were magical as a couple.” — Wendy R. Cromwell