November 21, 2004
Kim Barry, Furman Fellow, 1969-2004
A memorandum from Dean Revesz to the NYU School of Law
Community
With great sorrow, I share with you the tragic news that late yesterday
afternoon, Kim Barry died as a result of severe head injuries that
she sustained last Wednesday when hit by a truck backing up on a
one-way street. The NYU School of Law community has been stunned
by this tragedy, and our thoughts are with her family, loved ones
and friends as they attempt to cope with this tremendous loss.
Kim had a long affiliation with New York University and was a cherished
member of our community. After receiving a B.Sc. from Georgetown
University, an M.A. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
at Tufts University, and a certificate in international studies
from the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva,
Switzerland, Kim graduated magna cum laude from the NYU School of
Law in 1998 and was elected to the Order of the Coif. She was an
articles editor of NYU Law Review, a Dean's Scholar, and an Arthur
Garfield Hays Civil Liberties Fellow. By any measure, she was one
of the stars of her class.
After graduation, Kim was a law clerk to Judge Betty Fletcher of
the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and then
an associate at Perkins Coie LLP in Seattle. She returned to NYU
as the Katz Fellow and associate counsel at the Brennan Center for
Justice, and then served as Special Assistant to Diane Yu, the Chief
of Staff and Deputy to University President John Sexton.
In 2003, Kim was named the first Furman Fellow at the Law School.
The Furman Fellows program provides our most promising young law
school graduates an opportunity to do research as a pathway into
an academic career. Kim spent her time at the Law School writing
about the legal and political dimensions of citizenship and international
migration, and had teaching interviews lined up with many top law
schools around the country. She was preparing to give her first
job talk at Tulane when the accident happened. She had a very bright
future ahead of her, and promised to be an inspirational teacher
and accomplished scholar.
Kim truly was an extraordinary woman. Not only was she a gifted
intellectual, but she was also a generous colleague and a devoted
daughter, sister, aunt, and friend. Kim touched the lives of everyone
she knew. Kim's natural curiosity and effusiveness for life carried
her around the world, infusing her work, her friendships, and her
sensibility with a truly global outlook. Passionate and hard-working,
Kim was deeply involved in issues of social justice and earned the
deep respect and admiration of the countless people whose lives
she touched. Her smile lit up a room, and her laughter was contagious.
Kim's indomitable spirit made her a joy to be around. We will miss
her terribly.
Kim's mother, Brenda Barry, her two sisters, Tracy and Tina, and
many close friends have converged from far and wide to keep vigil
with Kim at St. Vincent's Hospital in these final days. I know that
I speak for us all when I say that our thoughts are very much with
Kim's family and loved ones as they work through the grief of losing
such an incredible young woman so tragically.
We will hold a memorial service here at the Law School on Tuesday,
November 23, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. in Greenberg Lounge of Vanderbilt
Hall, 40 Washington Square South. The family has asked that donations
on Kim's behalf be sent in lieu of flowers, but have not yet decided
on the cause. We will forward the details as soon as we have them.
In terrible times like this, the special warmth and character of
the Law School family becomes apparent. Thank you all for your help
and support to Kim during her all too brief time with us, and to
Kim's family and friends during this tragedy.
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