A night of great music and warm revelry welcomed Massachusetts
Bar Association President Robert L. Holloway Jr. as more than 100
colleagues and friends gathered at the Regattabar at the Charles
Hotel on Sept. 13 in Cambridge to celebrate the opening of the
2012-13 association year.
Following a jazz and blues infused set from a band of musicians,
including Grammy-nominated blues musician Duke Robillard.
President-elect Douglas K. Sheff offered a retrospective
introduction of the MBA's newest president, eliciting hearty
laughter from the crowd.
Including photos from his time as a rugby player at Amherst
College, Sheff regaled the group with vignettes from Holloway's
life as a sportsman, musician, family man and lawyer. Family
members, including Holloway's wife, Peg, watched from the
sidelines. Clearly entertained by the photo of himself and his
grandfather projected on the big screen, Holloway's two-year-old
grandson Thomas grinned and clapped often.
"When Holmes and Brandeis started the MBA 101 years ago, they
wanted to create a diverse membership," Sheff said. "So it makes
sense that the president of our great organization should be
well-rounded, versatile and able to lead such a diverse
membership."
Sheff proclaimed Holloway a "tough guy," explaining that while
playing rugby in college - when he "had more hair," Holloway was
knocked out cold but insisted on finishing the game when he
regained consciousness.
Holloway said he was humbled by Sheff's remarks. "As rare as it
may be, I'm rendered virtually speechless," he said.
Always the self-effacing jokester, Holloway shared with the
group that he learned something new about himself from reading a
Lawyers Journal article with him as the focus. "I discovered I'm
short," Holloway dead-panned. "When did that happen?"
The MBA's membership and education programming will be the
central focus of Holloway's year, which he hopes will be a year of
coming together. "We're all in this profession together. We're all
in this society together," Holloway said. "That's what we're
committed to," he said of the officers and himself, "working
together to address the issues of our profession."