Touched with Fire

Morris B. Abram had one hell of a career. Rising from humble origins in the small Georgia town of Fitzgerald, by the end of his life his resume included participation in the prosecution of Nazi war criminals; service as the first General Counsel of the Peace Corps; the presidency of the American Jewish Committee and Brandeis University; and chairmanship of the United Negro College Fund, the Moreland Commission investigation of nursing homes in the state of New York, and the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations-all while gaining prominence as a highly successful trial lawyer. Remembered most for his fight in the civil rights movement and establishing the "one man, one vote" law, Abram's career was not without fault. His reputation took a turn during his presidency at Brandeis University when his frustration with the politicization of the university alienated students, faculty, and trustees, and he eventually became a pariah in the very movement he helped to shape. A major source of contention was over the establishment of a Black Studies Department, which exposed Abram to what he regarded as the ills of racial separatism. When the leadership of what remained of the civil rights movement moved away from opposition to racial discrimination to the promotion of racial preference, Abram warned that what they were advocating was the mirror image of the racism he spent most of his life fighting. In Touched with Fire, David Lowe chronicles the professional and personal life of this larger-than-life man. With a unique personal connection to Abram's presidency at Brandeis, Lowe adds a rare contextual perspective on the events that transpired. Having dealt with many of the contentious issues we still face today, Abram's varied career sheds light on current affairs, such as legislative apportionment, affirmative action, campus unrest, and the enforcement of international human rights.