Oral History Project on full display
Launch Party on April 17 in O’Brian Hall
Words may be fleeting, but once captured, they become a legacy—one that speaks across generations. That spirit animates the law school’s ambitious Harry A. Rachlin (1926) Oral History Project, which preserves the voices of hundreds of distinguished members of the UB Law community. Now, the project is stepping into the spotlight with the debut of a new Oral History display in the lobby of John Lord O’Brian Hall.
On April 17, the law school will honor the faculty, staff, alumni, and friends whose stories form the heart of this collection. Beginning at 4:30 p.m., guests will gather for brief remarks, a ceremonial toast, and the unveiling of the commemorative display. The festivities will continue with a Blue Friday celebration—complete with drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and fun giveaways. It’s an open invitation to reconnect with the people and moments that have shaped UB Law.
The unveiling marks the official public launch of the Oral History Project, a collaboration between the law school and the UB Law Alumni Association. The new display brings the project’s mission front and center: to remind every visitor to O’Brian Hall that today’s students stand on the shoulders of remarkable individuals who helped build the law school’s legacy.
Ilene R. Fleischmann
The project has been made possible through generous support from the Law Alumni Association and from the late Lauren Rachlin and his wife, Jean, in honor of Lauren’s father, Harry A. Rachlin, a UB Law graduate. Alumni volunteers and members of the association’s Oral History Committee have spent years conducting interviews, coordinating schedules, and curating stories—true behind‑the‑scenes dedication.
“We started this as a way to engage our alumni, and to preserve the memories and perspectives of previous generations, in their own voices and words, for future generations,” says Ilene R. Fleischmann, vice dean emerita for alumni. She began the project in 1999 in her former role as executive director of the UB Law Alumni Association. “We wanted to fill in the gaps of written records, to capture people’s feelings, motivations, experiences and relationships. And we also looked at it as a way to reflect historical events from the perspective of our alumni and other leaders in the community.”
Interviewers follow a curated set of questions, but the conversations often wander into unexpected and delightful territory. These unscripted moments reveal the human side of legal education and practice.
As just one example, visitors can hear the late U.S. District Court Judge John T. Curtin ’49 reminisce with Hon. Denise O’Donnell ’82 about his days on the Eagle Street campus and professors including the late Professor Albert R. Mugel ’41. “On Saturdays for taxation, we had Al Mugel. He was a chain smoker, and he was one of those acrobatic smokers who could have a cigarette in his mouth, light it and talk, and have the ash continue to extend. Sometimes we were so engrossed in the ash on the cigarette that the point he was making would go right out the window.”
With more than 175 recordings—and counting—the Oral History Project is a treasure trove of insight, humor, and institutional memory. The new O’Brian Hall display brings that richness into public view, transforming decades of quiet work into a shared celebration of UB Law’s past, present, and future.