LANDON ALUMNI
Profile
Righting a Historical Wrong
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magine: you answer the phone and the after defending his now law partner in a title person on the other end tells you they can dispute over such a painting, hamilton and Lloyd P. prove your parents owned a $3 million Goldenberg realized that purchasing stolen art was a painting stolen during the holocaust. The huge liability for art collectors and that little was caller tells you he can help you get it back and being done to address it. Together they created Translegally own it. Would you want the painting? art international to provide a potential owner with a Tom Hamilton ’72 hopes you would because record of due diligence. Trans-art researches the he specializes in just that – reclaiming art that history and provides proof that the buyer attempted was stolen from Jewish families by the nazis – to determine the art wasn’t stolen. and he’d like to help you get it back. Today, hamilton’s work is conducted through his in the 1990s, the archives of items confislaw firm, Byrne, Goldenberg and hamilton where his cated by the nazis were opened to the public, current challenge is to convince the courts to place which made tracking lost art from the era less equity and fairness ahead of the statute of limitadifficult. however, the process still isn’t easy, tions, usually two to six years. The u.S. State according to hamilton. The crimes occurred department stresses the importance of recovering decades ago, the original witnesses are nazi-era stolen items and supports the prosecuTom hamilton ’72 recovers nazi-era stolen art. deceased, the documents are limited and in tion of these cases disregarding the statute of limiGerman (which hamilton doesn’t speak), and then there’s a big legal tations. despite these proclamations, hamilton notes, most courts have issue. yet to see past the statue of limitations and still rule in favor of current “on an event that occurred 75 years ago, the statute of limitations has owners (over descendants of the people from whom the art was stolen). expired. on the other hand, the holocaust was a major historical injushamilton, who is based in Washington, d.c., has had the most suctice, and it’s known that these paintings were forced from the hands of cess in new york jurisdictions because new york law takes into account Jewish collectors,” says hamilton, who has degrees from yale, the factors such as the hardship to the parties. one of hamilton’s biggest university of Virginia Law School and the Georgetown Law center. cases, involving several Picassos, was settled against the Museum of hamilton got into the art recovery business trying to protect art colModern of art and the Guggenheim foundation. lectors who might unknowingly purchase a stolen piece. even if an art “There is little doubt that when you can recover a painting, or comcollector legally purchases a painting that was stolen from a previous pensation for it, you know you’ve helped right a historical wrong,” says owner, current u.S. law favors the person from whom the painting was hamilton. “it’s a challenge that involves justice and fairness.” — Mary cunningham originally taken. 1974 continued Jim Bullion ’74 is director of the Task Force for Business and Stability Operations at the Department of Defense, reporting Jim Bullion ’74 in to the Undersecretary for Policy. afghanistan for business. His team helps the Afghan Ministry of Mines tender its mineral and oil and gas properties to international investors and identifies opportunities and vehicles for investors. 32 Landon Magazine
Michael Sapourn ’74 is practicing law in Florida and D.C., specifically insurance litigation. His daughter, Shannon, is a Florida Gator, and his son, Paul, just finished his fourth form and is a tight end on the varsity football team at Holy Trinity. Michael writes, “Glad we moved to Florida.”
1975 Class Agents/Secretaries: Stephen Gordon, Hunt Mitchell
1976 Class Agent/Secretary: Dek Potts Dek Potts reports that his son, Stephen ’09, successfully completed his second grueling six week Officer Candidate School course at Quantico this summer. He will be commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Marine Corps upon graduation in May 2013. Dek also shared that fellow classmate and long time Delta Captain, Jimmy Hodges ’76, has given Stephen advice and encouragement along the way