| IN THE YEAR 1915,
WAS BORN A LOVELY MAN NAMED CONNIE DUBERSTEIN.
CAME INTO THE WORLD DURING WORLD WAR ONE,
FORCED BYT THE TIMES TO GROW UP FAST,
YET HAVING LOTS OF FUN,
MAKING PEOPLE LAUGH.
LEARNING THAT LIFE CAN BE TO CRUEL,
WHEN AT 17, HE LOST HIS FATHER.
IN THE DEPRESSIONDROPPED OUT OF SCHOOL,
TO SUPPORT TWO SISTERS AND HIS MOTHER.
HIS UNCLE CONVINCED HIM THAT THE KEY TO SUCCESS WAS KNOWLEDGE,
BACK TO SCHOOL HE HAD TO GO.
AND AFTER THAT ONTO CITY COLLEGE,
AND TO LAW SCHOOL, TO NOT BE AN AVERAGE JOE.
HIS DEVOTION TO ST. JOHN’S, HIS ALMA MATTA,
WAS ALMOST AS GREAT AS TO HIS FAMILY.
IT WAS THERE THAT HE LEARNED DIVIDENDS PRO RATA,
WHICH LATER HE USED EXTRAORDINARILY.
HE WENT ON TO BECOME A BANKRUPTCY STAR,
AT THE PEAK OF HIS PRACTICE, A HUGE RAIN MAKER.
HE REALLY SET HIMSELF APART,
BECOMING A MOVER AND A SHAKER.
OFF TO THE BENCH HE WENT IN 1981 TO HIS BELOVED BROOKLYN,
TO A MEDITERREAN NEIGHBORHOOD AS ROUGH AS A BAD CUT OF PORK,
WONDERING, HAD HE MADE THE RIGHT DECISION,
BECOMING CHIEF JUDGE OF THE MIDDLEASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK?
HE WATCHED’CROSS THE RIVER THE JUDGES WITH MEGACASES,
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS AT STAKE…AND THOSE WERE ONLY THE FEES,
INSTANDING ROOM ONLY, COUTROOMS WITH NO EMPTY SPACES.
STU BERNSTEIN AND HIS COLLEGUES, ALL BUSY BEES.
YET CONNIE WAS HAPPY, CONNIE WAS CONTENT,
AS BROOKLYN’S KIBBUTZER IN CHIEF.
THE MOVE TO THE BENCH WAS A GREAT EVENT,
WHICH MADE HIS LIFE COMPLETE.
WITH A MANAGEABLE CASELOAF AND IN DEMAND TO EMCEE,
ABLE TO TRAVEL FAR AND WIDE.
THE MOST SENIOR JUDGE EVERYONE WANTED TO SEE,
WITH HIS CHERISHED WIFE, ANNE, BY HIS SIDE.
AND THEN IN HIS 90TH YEAR, HE RECEIVED ANOTHER CALLING,
BY THE GOOD LORD TO BE ELEVATED TO SAITHOOD.
CONNIE KNEW THERE COULD BE NO STALLING,
IT WAS TIME TO GO, HE UNDERSTOOD.
WE REMEMBER HIS PASSION, WIT AND DEMEANOR,
HIS PLAY ON WORDS AND CORNEY JOKS,
OH THAT WONDERFUL HUMOR,
WE LAUGHED SO HARD WE ALMOST CHOED.
WE WILL MISS HIM, FOR SURE,
WE REMEMBER BEING IN HIS WARM EMBRACE.
THE FACT THAT CONNIE WAS HERE AT ALL,
MAKES THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE.
ALBERT TOGUT
NEW YORK, NY
(THE ABOVE POEM WAS PRESENTED AT THE ST. JOHN’S LAW SCHOOL DEDICATION, ON MARCH 18, 2007, OF THE CHIEF JUDGE CONRAD B. DUBERSTEIN MEMORIAL COLLECTION)
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