John W. Wade and the Development of the Vanderbilt Law School

John W. Wade made a decided imprint upon the Vanderbilt Law School in the years before he became Dean in 1952. His contributions to the development of the institution were impressive, not only as a skillful "case-method" teacher in the classroom, but also as Faculty Editor for volumes two through five of the Vanderbilt Law Review at a time when this position entailed responsibilities for all phases of the publication greatly in excess of those imposed upon the Faculty Adviser in later years. Without question he was the person most responsible for the firm and early establishment of the Vanderbilt Law Review as a nationally recognized major legal publication. The reputation of the Review, in turn, constituted a major component in the advancement of the School within the state and throughout the region and nation.