I didn’t actually know Kelly that well. I didn’t know Kelly that long. That did not stop Kelly from leaving an indelible impression on me that I will never forget. While Kelly passed away a year ago, there has not been a day when I have not thought about her and how she spent her life simply bringing out the best in everyone else.
Among the moments that I think about most frequently took place last October 27th, her last day at work. On that day, she found out she passed the New York bar, her Royals beat my Mets in game one of the World Series and the biography of Justice Ginsburg came out. Knowing her love of Notorious RBG, I went to Barnes & Noble to pick up a copy for her and for her first year colleagues, Stephanie and Phil, not knowing that her lyrics were contained in an appendix. When I handed her the book, she opened the book directly to the page containing her lyrics, without really looking. I will never forget her wry expression when she showed me.
So much has been said and written about Kelly over the past year that I feel there is little more I can retrospectively say at this point. Listening to Justice Tom’s remarks were surreal. Kelly even made an impression on the court.
What I can confirm is that Kelly will live on in my heart and in the hearts of everyone at Duane Morris. Every time we think about doing good for others, we will think of Kelly. Every time we think we are having a bad day, we will think about Kelly to give us perspective.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my affection and appreciation for Jimmie, Mark, Clay and the entire Cosby family. Maybe Kelly even had something to do with Clay attending my other alma mater, Brooklyn Law School. Maybe she didn’t realize that I would continue to stay in regular touch with her family, doing our part to make sure so many more learn about Kelly’s life and what mattered to her, so it can matter to everyone else.