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Charles Houston died much too soon, at the age of 54 in 1950, but as his former student, Thurgood Marshall, then attorney and subsequently Supreme Court justice noted, Brown v. Board of Education would not have been decided favorably in 1954 if Charles Hamilton Houston had not prepared the young lawyers in the 1930s to 1950 to press on in his absence. They did, and we have achieved so much because of Houston's leadership. Like Houston, you were always teaching those around you, and making sure that we saw, in the distance, the bigger picture, and were prepared to pay the cost, through hard work, to achieve the victory. Like Houston, you have left behind a powerful legacy and made an indelible mark on the legal system. Those of us who follow your lead will carry on the struggle for racial justice and equality using the road map that you have drafted for us. There is no other way to proceed.

I remember when Ted Shaw resigned in 2008 from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund after many years of impressive work, and during the search for a new president and director-counsel, our law school classmate Ted Wells wondered whether we, at our comfortable jobs at Wilmer Hale and Harvard Law School, respectively, would throw our hats in the ring. Although you were a prominent partner and involved in many national and international matters through the law firm and your work with your wife Gay McDougall, with Gay's support you agreed to be considered. Not to leave me off the hook, you urged me to join the LDF's board of directors, which I did. I can't recall a week that we have not talked about law and politics, the Supreme Court or our local schools, or encouraging more young people to consider careers in law and public service.

While the law occupied much of our time over the past 37 years, we also found time to simply enjoy each other's company. We were not always focused on civil rights and racial justice. We had both fun times and sobering dialogues. I remember our annual fishing trips each August, when we were joined by former D.C. Circuit Chief Judge Harry Edwards, The Root's editor-in-chief professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and occasionally professor David Wilkins or my college classmate Ken Bacon. I have never seen more trash-talking among grown men, nor the immediate bragging rights for catching the biggest striped bass, or laughing at the person who caught no or very few fish. We would talk about anything and everything, with the dialogue starting and ending on the boat. We had even scheduled our 2012 summer charter fishing trip with Captain Buddy Vanderhoop, anxiously planning for good times on Martha's Vineyard. We would always stop by Vernon Jordan's house for wonderful food and drinks before heading to our respective venues.

Every occasion was precious. I remember well the blunt and insightful advice about politics and the legal system. You invited me to your Vineyard home in 2008, and I was grilled by about a dozen close friends about this guy named Obama and why I was so committed to him. It was a sobering conversation, and though at times it felt painful, it was out of love and respect. I recall when you and Gay invited me and my wife Pam to your home following the inauguration of President Obama in 2009, and we celebrated his election with a champagne toast. I recall this past summer when you and Gay came to my house on the Vineyard, and you had a frank and candid discussion with the president, always being direct and insightful. I know that we all hoped to continue that dialogue this year. I promise you that I will continue the dialogue, privately and publicly, on the issues that mattered most to you.