Thank you, Dick Komer!

After 25 years of working for liberty at IJ and helping countless families obtain greater choice to meet their educational needs, the one and only Dick Komer retired this May.

Dick is known throughout the educational choice movement as the consummate expert on crafting choice programs that can withstand the inevitable lawsuits from our opponents. And once those programs were passed and challenged, Dick passionately defended them in court. As he explains in this issue of Liberty & Law, just one month before his retirement, Dick was before the Montana Supreme Court fighting for educational choice. In that argument, as in so many others, Dick explained every facet of the law, masterfully answered every question, and was simply the most knowledgeable person in the courtroom on the issues confronting the court.

In addition to his erudition and commitment to choice, Dick is also known for his—how to say this politely?—irreverent wit. In all, he is a man beloved by his colleagues and peers, and one who made a lasting impact on the Institute for Justice. I know one of Dick’s proudest accomplishments is the strong team he put together here at IJ that will carry on his work to expand educational choice. Thank you, Dick, for your friendship, humor, and dedication, both to IJ and to the thousands of parents and kids who have benefitted from the programs you helped create and defend.