Tribute to Lehan Kent Tunks

I first heard the name of Lehan Kent Tunks from Myres McDougal, who was then Yale University Law School's shepherd of its students who were candidates for law teaching positions. I hadlearned that Mason Ladd, Dean of the University of Iowa College of Law, was scheduled to make an early visit to the Yale campus to interview prospects for an appointment to the Iowa faculty for the academic year 1940-41, and I sought advice from Professor McDougal with respect to the opportunity to teach at Iowa. He responded by observing that Lehan Tunks, the best teaching prospect at Yale the previous year, had been invited by Dean Ladd to come to Iowa, and Lehan had accepted. Professor McDougal spoke glowingly of a tour de force struck off by Lee Tunks in his year of law study, the writing and publication of the seminal article, Categorization and Federalism: Substance and Procedure after Erie Railroad v. Tompkins.

When I later informed Professor McDougal of an offer of an appointment from Iowa, he recommended that I accept promptly and embrace the opportunity to serve on the same faculty with so able and stimulating a young colleague as Lee Tunks. I took the advice and was the grateful beneficiary of that wise counsel.