Law Students Create Fellowships in Classmates’ Memory
The memory of two deceased law students will be forever preserved, thanks to new fellowships begun by their classmates.
“These were tragic circumstances that shook the Classes of 2007 and 2008 to the core,” says Katherine Kirkpatrick (’09 JD), president of the Student Bar Association.
In 2007, Ryan Rudd, 31, died after being diagnosed with cancer only weeks earlier. In his final year of law school, Rudd was also only weeks from graduation. Then the following year, heartbreak again, when Tim Aher, 25, a second-year student, died while studying abroad through the London Programme.
It was befitting that these classes designate their class gifts for fellowships—establishing a legacy to both honor their classmates and support future law students. However, the effort didn’t reach its apex until the spring of 2009, when the Class of 2009 rallied in support.
Hoping to bring the Rudd and Aher Fellowships to the $50,000 endowed level, the Class of 2009—led by Kirkpatrick—began raising funds from classmates and alumni. Kirkpatrick says she was “shocked” by what she found out next.
The late Frank Eck Sr. (’44), a longstanding and extraordinarily generous Notre Dame benefactor who passed away in December 2007, left $5 million in his estate for fellowships in the Notre Dame Law School. At his behest, the funds are being used as a challenge to leverage additional contributions: the Eck estate will match, dollar-for-dollar, each new gift and pledge designated for endowed law fellowships.
Inspired by the news, Kirkpatrick soon discovered another boon: revenue from sales of “The Shirt” each football season is used to subsidize student organizations and efforts, including memorial scholarships and fellowships. She wrote to the Shirt Financial Management Board and was delighted to receive every penny she requested.
With contributions from classmates and alumni, revenue from the Shirt, and matching funds from the Eck estate, these fellowships have grown quickly: the Aher Fellowship stands at $84,000, and the Rudd Fellowship, at $59,000, with contributions continuing to come in. Their impact will thus be felt for as long as there is a Notre Dame Law School.
“In these circumstances, people give because they want to honor these students, their families, the work they put into their education, and keep their memory alive,” says Kirkpatrick. “I know Tim and Ryan both would have been first-rate attorneys and a true benefit to society.”
The Aher and Rudd Fellowships are a part of the Spirit of Notre Dame campaign’s $17 million goal for law fellowships.
