As I travel this great country of ours, one of the great privileges I have is interacting with and meeting our alumni. It is the absolute best part of my job and the main reason my job exists. Recently, I met a man who embodies everything UVA Law stand for. That man is C. Willis Ritter '65.
Willis began practicing law in 1965. He quickly made a name for himself as a bond lawyer. In 1969, Willis was the original author of the federal tax laws and regulations on tax-exempt bonds and created the very successful State and Local Government Bond Series program for Bureau of Public Debt. He was the founding Member of the American College of Bond Counsel and has written and lectured extensively on legal aspects of government finance. During his career, Willis acted as counsel in approximately 1200 separate public finance transactions totaling more than $50 billion in aggregate principal amount.
In 2004, he was the recipient of the National Association of Bond Lawyers’ Distinguished Service Award in 2004 (1 of only 8 recipients).
In addition to his successes professionally, Willis has found ways to give back to the Law School. In 1995, Willis established the Ritter Scholars Program in memory of his parents, Mary Claiborne and Roy H. Ritter.
The award recognizes the extraordinary “honor, character and integrity” of up to four rising third-year law students and includes a monetary component. Law School students, faculty, staff, and alumni are all eligible to nominate students. Nominations are evaluated by the Ritter Scholars Selection Committee, which is comprised of faculty, students, and alumni.
This year, we are proud to the announce the following students as the 2008 Ritter Scholars: Grace Fu, Scott Jones, Rebecca Vallas, and Joseph Warden.
Each of these students did something (or in most cases many things) without the expectation of recognition or award. In fact, most were not even aware that they had been nominated. That’s what makes this award so great. It’s acting with “honor, character and integrity” at all times and not just when someone else is looking.
Willis and his wife, Anne, made the trip from DC to Charlottesville a few weeks ago to meet this year’s Ritter Scholars at a dinner with Dean Mahoney, members of the faculty and the Foundation. Watching Willis interact with the students, I think he enjoys giving out the awards more than the students enjoy receiving them.
