Written by: Jim Hansen
Tuesday, June 05, 2007

University of Idaho's college of Law (my alma mater) showed another stroke of brilliance by asking Deborah Leff, President of the Public Welfare Foundation, to be its commencement speaker. Ms. Leff has also been the Director of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, and former CEO of America’s Second Harvest -- the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief organization. I had to be in Idaho Falls on May 12 and could not attend, so I am glad the College of Law noted her remarks in its monthly newsletter.

Ms. Leff, an honors graduate of Princeton University and the University of Chicago Law School, urged the Class of ’07 to make time for public service, and she congratulated law students from Idaho and elsewhere who donated time to helping victims of Hurricane Katrina. Public Welfare Foundation supports the movement for social change by investing in grassroots organizations throughout the country. Idaho Women's Network is one of the organizations the Public Welfare Foundation has supported in Idaho for many years and the difference they have made is profound.

In her remarks, Ms. Leff recalled that she had been invited to address the College of Law graduation in 2003, but had been forced to cancel while she battled a life-threatening illness. In an emotional moment, she held aloft a personally signed get-well message she had received from University of Idaho law students four years ago, saying it contributed to her recovery and created a feeling of special affection for Idaho.

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