A Note From Souter

In late Dec. '02, while a reporter for the Concord Monitor in NH, I was assigned to write a profile of Dudley Orr, a prominent local atty who had co-founded one of the state's most well-respected law firms, Orr & Reno.

Orr, who five days before Christmas died at 95, was born in Concord and graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy, Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School. He was a fixture in the legal community, having served as assistant AG, among other positions. He also helped establish the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, and under his guidance as head of Dartmouth College's board of trustees, officials decided to admit women. Despite his stature and bonafides, he thought nothing of engaging in a public letter writing campaign with Concord's mayor about local leash laws, an effort he waged on behalf of his dog, Sam.

Orr was also mentor to many attys, including David Souter, who worked for his firm in the late '60s.

I requested an interview with the notoriously press averse Souter via his SCOTUS office. Expecting full well that he wouldn't want to talk, I continued with my reporting. Orr, I discovered, was a character. He wore three piece suits routinely, and sports jackets as a more casual look on weekends. He played gin and cribbage regularly with his wife; the loser would deposit $20 in each of the grandchildren's bank accounts. He was beloved across political lines.

And then came the call. I was told Souter would phone me at a particular time on Christmas Eve. It snowed the day of our planned interview. As I drove up Mountain Road en route to the Monitor, leaving enough time to journey carefully through the weather, I marveled that a year out of graduate school, I would have the opportunity to interview a sitting SCOTUS justice. It was -- and is -- one of the miracles of the Monitor. Access to wonderful people and politicians and newsmakers -- even for a neophyte journalist.

Souter called at the agreed upon time. I cradled the phone against my ear and tried not to tremble. His remarks seemed to be reflective not only of Orr's values but, I surmised, of Souter's as well.

"He was a man who, in my experience, never allowed his emotions to cloud his judgement in the service of prudence," Souter said of Orr in our telephone interview.

Souter on his discussions with Orr about life: "His father used to sum up the universal obligation. Your obligation is to give the other fella a hand. I think Dudley would like to be remembered as somebody who gave the other fella a hand."

Two months later, I headed into the newsroom, stopping at my mailbox, as I often did, at the start of the day. In it, I found a small white envelope. The notecard inside was inscribed "Supreme Court of the United States, Washington, D.C. 20543, Chambers of Justice David H. Souter."

His longform writing was almost indecipherable. But as I read the scrawl once, twice, a third time, I found these kind words:

Dear Ms. Skalka,

Ron Snow sent me a copy of your Monitor essay on Dudley Orr, on which we spoke when I was home at Christmas. It must have been hard to write, since you hadn't known Dudley, but you did a very fine job, and I enjoyed reading it.

Yours sincerely,

David Souter

After 19 years on the high court, Souter heads home to Weare, NH, this summer to hike and read and enjoy the quieter life -- and the blessed anonymity -- that the Granite State provides. I have his framed note on my desk at home. I read it often as a reminder of the many reasons I entered journalism as well as of the gentleness and generosity that many of my sources and interviewees -- public and private -- have shown me. I know Souter phoned as tribute to Orr, but it marked a moment of growth for me. And I remain grateful.

For those of us lucky enough to spend time in Souter's state, it's not hard to imagine why he'd be willing to relinquish his historic post to resume life in a place where such gestures are valued.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)