InsideGSBA Online
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GARDEN STATE BAR ASSOCIATION
When I assumed the mantel as President of this organization, I did so humbly. As I complete my tenure, I continue to be humbled by the both the challenges and successes we have observed over the past year. When you think of a president, you think of a person. But being president involves being part of a team. The Garden State Bar Association is a wonderful team and each of you is a member. I owe a debt of gratitude to all of my team members for your support during my term. Each of you is important to this organization. I wish I had the time to recognize each of you individually. But, my time is limited so I can identify only a few. My officers' team, President-elect, Michael Rambert, Vice President Sharon Price-Cates, Secretary, Lori Caughman and Treasurer, Anthony Higgins and all of the members of this year's board of trustees. Nothing could have been accomplished without them. I am also grateful for the service of each of our committee chairs. Especially, Scott Pennington for his work as Membership Chair; Robert Pickett for chairing our gala event, Carolyn Ryan Reed for steering the Scholarship Committee; Tiffany Williams for organizing our black history program; and Marisa Slaten for revitalizing our Young Lawyers Division. I would also like to thank Lisa James-Beavers for maintaining our email group and coordinating with our webmaster. My thanks also goes to Brenda Stafford for serving as my press secretary. I would be remiss if I did not thank Sharon McGahee, who served as my designated representative at the National Bar Association meeting in Detroit in August. I am privileged to have been able to represent the Garden State Bar Association at a host of events this past year. I accepted, on your behalf, our Life Membership in the NAACP. For those who have not seen it, the plaque is on display tonight. As president of GSBA, I found myself eating a lot of meals out. There was the ABWL Jazz Brunch; the Hispanic Bar Association 25th Anniversary Scholarship Gala; the Rutgers Law School - Newark Minority Student Program banquet; the Asian-Pacific American Lawyers Association Annual Dinner and installation of Officers; and the Installation Ceremony of the newly formed Caribbean Bar Association of New Jersey. Copies of the souvenir journals from each event are available here tonight. As your president, I continued to work with the coalition among the Hispanic and Asian-Pacific Bars and ABWL begun during Pam Miller's term. During this past year, we welcomed the Korean-American and Caribbean Bar Associations into the Minority Bar Counsel as we currently identify ourselves. The Counsel meets roughly each quarter to discuss common issues and strategize. I believe the potential of this coalition has yet to be fully realized. Our Young Lawyers Division has held several events designed to attract newly admitted attorneys. They have, at my request, become the liaison to the BALSA or ABLS student organizations at the three law schools. YLD established a mentoring program that was well received and welcomed by the students. Regretfully, I must report that there are significantly more mentees than mentors. I want to encourage each of you to contact Marisa and offer your services as a mentor. Our law students need to see that people that look like them have a life after law school. We had a successful Black History Month event planned and presented under the leadership of Tiffany Williams, committee chair. Our keynote speaker was historian Prof. Clement Price of Rutgers University. Prof. Price enlightened all who attended with his knowledgeable presentation. Our Membership Committee chair, Scott Pennington has revised our membership application. If you completed an application tonight, you used the new form. We hope to have it up on our website shortly. Once it's on the site, the application can be completed electronically using Adobe Acrobat. Hopefully, everyone will find this version more user-friendly. For those of you who could not attend our scholarship gala in June please know that we had a parteeee! We thank Robert Pickett for securing Robert Gray, former American Bar Association President, to be our keynote speaker. This year's theme "Reflections and Visions" was aptly represented by our award recipients who are representative of those who have contributed to the legacy of this organization and by our scholars who are representative of the limitless potential of African American attorneys. We were honored to be able to recognize Judge William Walls, Judge Betty Lester, Stafford Thompson, Brenda Saunders Hampden and Al Slocum. We also able to continue our tradition of presenting scholarships to students at New Jersey law schools. This year we awarded seven scholarships. As I reflect back over the 358 days that have passed since we last gathered here, I am reminded of the frailty of things we often take for granted. Security, reputation, health, career can all be lost in an instant. When it happened within our ranks this past year GSBA had the opportunity to demonstrate its fidelity, offering assistance and support. Without question, there is no reason for this organization to exist if we do not stand firmly with our intelligent, committed and righteous members who have been here for us, so often in the past. Let's continue to work and pray that God continues to bless them with fortitude and faith. Our founders created this organization in response to certain challenges facing them at the time. I submit that despite progress many of those same challenges exist today. We must continue to stand firmly with our intelligent, committed and righteous members who are facing one or more of those challenges. The fact of the matter is that the role of Garden State Bar Association has never been more important or relevant than it is today. We must ensure the continued existence of the Garden State Bar Association so that we can pass the reins onto the next generation of legal advocates with the same degree of pride with which we accepted them. In closing, I want to thank you; again, for the confidence you placed in me. I am privileged to have been your president. I believe we can look back on our labors and say that the GSBA has faced another year of challenges, has met them and is as ready as ever to continue the legacy of our founders. I look forward to continuing that legacy under the leadership of my successor, Michael Rambert. I wish him much success in the coming year Thank you. Edna Y. Baugh, Esq.
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