Rennard Strickland, former University of Oregon School of Law Dean, passed away January 5, 2021, in Norman, Oklahoma.
Oregon Law invites all those who knew Dean Strickland to leave a personal memory or tribute in the comments below.
Remembering the Legacy of Rennard Strickland
Because he had retired, I only met Rennard a couple of times as a visiting professor at Oregon, but his influence on the trajectory of the School of Law cannot be overstated. I offer my sympathies and deep respect to his family and friends.
I arrived as an assistant professor of Native studies at U of Oregon in 2003 and was so glad to have Rennard here. He led a tour of his Native film poster collection that was on display at the Hult Center for my Intro to Native American Studies class, and I learned so much information that I still use. He had a great big beautiful poster from the 1920s or 1930s with a Native man in a headdress but no name on the movie yet– Indians were such a generic prop that it could be used for a thousand movies. So interesting! And some students had the good fortune to take a class with Rennard and Wilma Mankiller during her visiting position with the Wayne Morse Center. So lucky! I’m sure Rennard and Wilma are teaching classes again on the other side. A happy reunion for them, sad for us.
I was honored to be part of the editorial board for the 1982 edition of Cohen’s Handbook of Federal Indian Law. Recall that work on the 1982 edition of “Cohen” began before the Burger Court’s assault on tribal sovereignty. As our research and writing were underway in the mid- to late 1970s, we witnessed an onslaught of deeply disappointing Supreme Court decisions, including Oliphant and Moe. In his roles of Editor-in-Chief and (informally) chief morale officer, Rennard would not allow us to become discouraged. We should, he insisted, take the long view. Native peoples long predated the United States and its court systems, and would persist as sovereign Indigenous nations no matter what some alien court system pronounced. After all, Native nations had sustained that status in the face of colonization and even genocide. Rennard’s own deep cultural grounding and knowledge underscored his point, and we all took it to heart. My own heart is full of exquisite Rennard memories, from the beautiful art books he published and sent to me to the indelible gift of several private dinners with him in Eugene, Oregon, on the occasion of my presenting the 2016 Rennard Strickland Lecture at University of Oregon Law School. What a blessing to have been his friend and colleague!
I first met Rennard when I was on an alumni committee interviewing candidates for the deanship. Through the years, we had many discussions of Indian and First Nations issues and art. While in Phoenix to see a UO football game, my wife and I visited the Heard Museum, which houses one of the great collections of Indian and First Nations art. Rennard was a benefactor to the Heard, donating many valuable pieces. When I told him of my visit, he was overjoyed, and we had a wonderful discussion of the genocide of native peoples by the Canadian Potlatch Laws and the American Indian Schools. We would visit every year at the Strickland Lecture. He was a great, warm, generous, humorous, and scholarly man.
I had the honor of being a student during Rennard’s first year as Dean and I remember so well the excitement and enthusiasm that he brought to Oregon Law. When he arrived he hosted a dinner for a group of students at his house – it was warm, engaging, fun and just such a soul-filling experience for me as a law student. I then joined him on the faculty at Oregon Law and learned that he is the most generous, thoughtful, humorous and downright strategic colleague one could ask for. I honestly don’t know how I would have survived joining the “academy” with Rennard. His stories and lessons still animate and inform my life. Plus he loved martinis, he loved the name Adelle (his mother’s name) and he loved art – one of the most incredible conversations I ever had with him was about an exhibit I had seen in DC – “The Quilts of Gees Bend” If you don’t know about the quilts of Gees Bend, you should look it up -you wont’ be sorry. And it says so much about him that this exhibit moved him so deeply. THANK YOU Rennard. I will miss you something fierce – may peace be with you on your journey now. Adell
A little known fact is that I first met Rennard in 1982 when he offered me a position at the University of Tulsa Law School which I turned down to take a tenured position at UO Law. The next time I met him was when he was considered for dean at the UO Law. I am glad I got to have him as my dean after all. He was kind, funny, wise, and a credit to our profession. We greatly benefited from his leadership and from his connections to the Native American community and the art community. I will miss him..
While Rennard was Dean my son was in elementary school, second grade I think. His class was studying American Indians in history, and I wanted the class to understand that Indians were not just part of history but were part of our present. I talked with Rennard about it, and he graciously agreed to come meet with the class. One of my favorite memories is of Rennard sitting on the floor with the students, showing them some artifacts he had collected and sharing stories. He was so caring in his teaching, not only with law students but everywhere he went.