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A distinguished graduate of the College
of Law Class of 1947, John Cribbet went on
to teach three generations of students.
He founded the University of Illinois Law
Forum, which is today's Illinois Law Review.
He mentored students and faculty members
in ways that vastly enriched the experiences
of both. He wrote books on property law that
have had a significant influence on the
development of the entire property law field.
He became the College's seventh dean in
1967, then was asked in 1979 to lead
this campus as Chancellor. After five years,
it was our good fortune to have him return
to active teaching at the College as the
Richard W. and Marie L. Corman Professor.
Continuing his generosity, he endowed the
John E. Cribbet Excellence in Teaching Award
to recognize a College of Law professor's
outstanding achievement in the classroom.
A renowned legal educator, Professor Cribbet
also served as president of the Association of
American Law Schools and chaired the Illinois
Supreme Court Committee on Judicial Ethics.
In 1989, the year after Professor Cribbet
retired — and for those of you who don't already
know this... he continued to teach parttime
until just a few years ago — he agreed to
film a video. We wanted to preserve,
for those who would not have the gift of
experiencing his classroom teaching,
and to stir the memories of those who had,
the essence of the Cribbet method.
The remainder of this book consists entirely
of John Cribbet's words transcribed from the
video made in 1989, including the last few
pages where he describes legal education
and explains how he first went into teaching.
Enjoy and cherish these timeless stories
and lifelong lessons.
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