Members of the Emory University Law School faculty look upon the scholarly achievements of their colleague, Dr. David Bederman, with something approaching awe.
Over a 20-year span, Dr. Bederman taught 4,000-plus students in 15 different courses, wrote 12 books and 125 scholarly articles, gave 80 public lectures and held three prestigious visiting professorships, and was counsel of record in 52 federal court cases, four of them before the U.S. Supreme Court, said Professor John Witte Jr., director of Emory’s Center for the Study of Law and Religion.
“But these numbers do not capture adequately David’s leadership in shaping his chosen fields of international law, admiralty law, constitutional law and legal history,” Witte said. “His treatises on international law, admiralty law and international claims are standard sources in classrooms and courtrooms across the country.”
Dr. David J. Bederman, 50, of Atlanta died last Sunday at Emory University Hospital from complications of appendiceal cancer. His memorial service will be held at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday at Emory University’s Cannon Chapel. Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care is in charge of arrangements.
Robert Schapiro, the interim dean of the law school, said Dr. Bederman’s record of scholarly accomplishment was impressive to the point of being improbable.
“David was the model for what law professors aspire to be,” Schapiro continued. “He was blessed with an unusual ability to understand complex matters and explain them in terms anyone could comprehend. He was also a warm and gentle person. His presence was a great gift.”
Schapiro noted that in one of Dr. Bederman’s appearances before the Supreme Court he finished his presentation before his allotted time was up, something the justices rarely witness.
“David knew that there is a time to speak and a time to sit down,” Schapiro went on. “This maxim applied to his style of quiet leadership at Emory. When David chose to speak, everyone knew it was time to listen.”
In 2006 Dr. Bederman joined the board of Odyssey Marine Exploration Inc., which conducts extensive search and archaeological recovery operations on deep-ocean shipwrecks around the world. Last year he became its chairman.
Odyssey’s CEO, Greg Stemm of Tampa, Fla., said Dr. Bederman had a passion for the company’s mission -- that is, to discover and share the riches of the ocean. “David’s unparalleled sense of fairness and understanding of international law has guided us through many situations that had no legal precedent, “Stemm added.
“David was one of the best legal minds in the country, and his contributions to international and admiralty law were monumental,” said Melinda MacConnel, Odyssey’s vice president and general counsel.
His wife, Lorre Cuzze, also an Atlanta attorney, said Dr. Bederman loved to travel, but his favorite getaway was where the shore meets the Atlantic at Fernandina Beach, Fla.
His cancer was diagnosed in 2005. Despite the debilitating treatments that followed, his wife said, he remained completely engaged both academically and professionally. “These were activities that he considered more a privilege than a duty,” she added.
Also surviving are a daughter, Annelise Bederman of Atlanta, and his parents, Dr. Sanford and Mrs. Jolayne Bederman of Johns Creek.
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