{"id":99531,"date":"2023-03-31T14:28:39","date_gmt":"2023-03-31T18:28:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=99531"},"modified":"2023-11-13T12:25:32","modified_gmt":"2023-11-13T17:25:32","slug":"torruella-scholarship","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2023\/torruella-scholarship\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Law Clerks Honor Judge Torruella by Funding a Memorial Scholarship"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin record-block-editorial-leadin is-style-text-over-image has-media has-box has-media-focus-center-middle has-text-position-x-left has-secondary-theme\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1500\" height=\"1200\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2020\/10\/judge-juan-torruella.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"Judge Juan R. Torruella (&#039;57)\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/10\/judge-juan-torruella.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/10\/judge-juan-torruella-636x509.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/10\/judge-juan-torruella-1024x819.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/10\/judge-juan-torruella-768x614.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/10\/judge-juan-torruella-1033x826.jpg 1033w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/10\/judge-juan-torruella-853x682.jpg 853w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/10\/judge-juan-torruella-1290x1032.jpg 1290w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/10\/judge-juan-torruella-430x344.jpg 430w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/10\/judge-juan-torruella-661x529.jpg 661w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/10\/judge-juan-torruella-860x688.jpg 860w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/10\/judge-juan-torruella-1323x1058.jpg 1323w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/10\/judge-juan-torruella-1250x1000.jpg 1250w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">Giving<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFormer Law Clerks Honor Judge Torruella by Funding a Memorial Scholarship\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar record-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">March 31, 2023<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/authors\/june-d-bell\/\">June D. Bell<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-introparagraph record-block-editorial-introparagraph is-style-dropcap-default has-dropcap has-dropcap-color-secondary\"><div class=\"wp-block-editorial-introparagraph-content\"><p>First Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Juan R. Torruella (\u201957) was partial to BU Law graduates when selecting his law clerks. Those grateful former clerks, who cherish memories of the judge\u2019s warmth and wisdom, are enshrining his legacy by spearheading the endowment of <a href=\"https:\/\/trusted.bu.edu\/s\/1759\/2-bu\/giving\/interior.aspx?sid=1759&amp;gid=2&amp;pgid=420&amp;cid=1057&amp;appealcode=WEBLAW\">a scholarship in his honor<\/a>.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-rounded alignfarright\"><figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/Peter-Levitt.jpg\" alt=\"Peter Levitt ('93)\" class=\"wp-image-99539\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/Peter-Levitt.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/Peter-Levitt-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/Peter-Levitt-344x344.jpg 344w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/Peter-Levitt-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/Peter-Levitt-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption>Peter Levitt (&#8217;93)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHe always had an appreciation for those starting their legal careers and devoted much of his time to helping them be successful. So I think that helping people afford a law education would be something he would relish and appreciate,\u201d says Peter Levitt (&#8217;93), who clerked for Torruella in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1994\u201395 and is a partner at Donnelly, Conroy &amp; Gelhaar in Boston.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Torruella, who spent 36 years on the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, was the first Puerto Rican to serve on that panel and was its chief judge from 1994 to 2001. Before that, he was appointed to the US District Court for Puerto Rico. The unpretentious judge, who had homes in San Juan and Massachusetts, was a longtime supporter of his alma mater, mentoring students and holding summer barbecues at his Duxbury home that drew dozens of his former law clerks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of those clerks was Levitt, who spoke at Barristers Hall last fall at a ceremony unveiling watercolor portraits of three distinguished alumni, all judges on the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit: Torruella, Sandra Lynch (LAW\u201971, Hon.\u201912), and O. Rogeriee Thompson (\u201976). The event was a bittersweet moment for Torruella\u2019s clerks and family. The judge had died in October 2020, during many occupancy restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so his mourners were unable to gather then to grieve his loss and celebrate his legacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-photoessay record-block-editorial-photoessay alignwide wp-block-photoessay js-block-editorial-photoessay\"><div class=\"photo-row-full-f\">\n<div class=\"photo-f\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/Torruella-family-with-portrait-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Judge Juan Torruella's family in front of his portrait in Barristers Hall\" class=\"wp-image-99537\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/Torruella-family-with-portrait-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/Torruella-family-with-portrait-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/Torruella-family-with-portrait-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/Torruella-family-with-portrait-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/Torruella-family-with-portrait-992x661.jpg 992w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/Torruella-family-with-portrait-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/Torruella-family-with-portrait-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/Torruella-family-with-portrait-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/Torruella-family-with-portrait-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/Torruella-family-with-portrait-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/Torruella-family-with-portrait.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><p class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">Judge Torruella&#8217;s family stand in front of his portrait in Barristers Hall. | Photo by John Gillooly<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-caption\">Judge Torruella&#8217;s family stand in front of his portrait in Barristers Hall. | Photo by John Gillooly<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A scholarship, Levitt thought, would be an ideal way to honor him. More than 30 of Torruella\u2019s clerks, 10 of them BU Law alumni, have donated to meet the $100,000 goal. <a href=\"https:\/\/trusted.bu.edu\/s\/1759\/2-bu\/giving\/interior.aspx?sid=1759&amp;gid=2&amp;pgid=420&amp;cid=1057&amp;appealcode=WEBLAW\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fundraising efforts are continuing<\/a>, and the first scholarship will be awarded in fall 2023. Gerry Cohen (\u201962)\u2014a friend of Torruella, CEO of Western Carriers Inc., and a longtime member of the Dean\u2019s Advisory Board at the School of Law\u2014contributed $25,000. Other non-alumni donors include Asha Rangappa, a legal and national security analyst for CNN and former associate dean at Yale Law School, and Andrew T. Guzman, dean of the USC Gould School of Law and a professor of law and political science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"aligncenter\"><a class=\"wp-block-button wp-block-bu-button record-block-button has-secondary-theme icon-navigateright align-icon-left is-style-accent\" href=\"https:\/\/trusted.bu.edu\/s\/1759\/2-bu\/giving\/interior.aspx?sid=1759&amp;gid=2&amp;pgid=420&amp;cid=1057&amp;appealcode=WEBLAW\">Support the Judge Juan R. Torruella Scholarship Fund<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first scholarship recipients, who will be selected based on need, are expected to receive about $4,000 each, but future recipients will receive larger gifts as the endowment grows, says Zachary Dubin, BU Law\u2019s assistant dean for development &amp; alumni relations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Karen Katz (\u201989) contributed to the scholarship fund in appreciation for her 1989\u201390 clerkship with Torruella. She learned so much about evidentiary matters and criminal appeals that \u201cit felt like another year of law school,\u201d says Katz, a clinician at Advocates Community Counseling and the former deputy director of the Office of Behavioral Health in Massachusetts\u2019 Executive Office of Health and Human Services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-rounded alignfarleft\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/Karen-Katz.jpg\" alt=\"Karen Katz ('89)\" class=\"wp-image-99538\" width=\"250\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/Karen-Katz.jpg 415w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/03\/Karen-Katz-286x344.jpg 286w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><figcaption>Karen Katz (&#8217;89)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was a young woman with no work experience and no professional background in law,\u201d so receiving the clerkship was especially meaningful, she says. Katz fondly remembers Torruella and his wife, Judy, dancing the merengue in his office. Affable and kind, Torruella was not only a jurist and legal scholar but also an avid painter, an accomplished sailor, and the embodiment of joie de vivre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-end-of-article\">\u201cWhatever he was doing, he was doing it with full exuberance and enthusiasm,\u201d Levitt says. \u201cI think that was a great lesson for his law clerks about how to live your life both professionally and personally\u2026. He was a quintessential Renaissance person, so his legacy is multifaceted. He was a great mentor and friend to a whole generation of lawyers. He had a really broad impact, and he was very loyal to BU and thankful for his time there. That connection to BU was really important to him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-medium is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-495x636.jpg\" alt=\"The Record, spring 2023 magazine cover: An orange snap model kit with gavels, jury seats, law graduates, and other items related to the practice of law sit against a blue background.\" class=\"wp-image-101193\" width=\"136\" height=\"174\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-495x636.jpg 495w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-797x1024.jpg 797w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-768x987.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-1195x1536.jpg 1195w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-1593x2048.jpg 1593w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-643x826.jpg 643w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-531x682.jpg 531w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-803x1032.jpg 803w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-1028x1321.jpg 1028w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-268x344.jpg 268w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-412x529.jpg 412w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-535x688.jpg 535w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-823x1058.jpg 823w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-1061x1364.jpg 1061w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-1285x1652.jpg 1285w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-1606x2064.jpg 1606w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-778x1000.jpg 778w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-scaled.jpg 1991w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 136px) 100vw, 136px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>FEATURED IN<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><em>The Record<\/em>, Spring 2023<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/news-stories\/issues\/spring-2023\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">See all stories<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>First Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Juan R. Torruella (\u201957) was partial to BU Law graduates when selecting his law clerks. Those grateful former clerks, who cherish memories of the judge\u2019s warmth and wisdom, are enshrining his legacy by spearheading the endowment of a scholarship in his honor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11260,"featured_media":74410,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"{\"post_id\":98430,\"hed\":\"Headed to the High Court\",\"dek\":\"Next Article\",\"class\":\"wp-block-editorial-billboard record-block-editorial-billboard is-style-half-photo has-light-overlay is-layout-align-left has-media\",\"backgroundId\":\"98447\",\"backgroundUrl\":\"\\\/law\\\/files\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/Cesar-Lopez-Morales-SCOTUS-landscape-970x456.jpg\",\"backgroundType\":\"image\",\"backgroundOpacity\":\"100\"}","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"Giving","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"tags":[2220,786,4137],"bu-publication":[3742],"record-article-category":[3744,3753,4135,3786],"record-topic":[3914,4283],"bu_edition":[],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/99531"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11260"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99531"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/99531\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":101420,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/99531\/revisions\/101420"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99531"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=99531"},{"taxonomy":"record-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/record-article-category?post=99531"},{"taxonomy":"record-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/record-topic?post=99531"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=99531"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=99531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}