2022 Hon. Sylvia H. Rambo Award Ceremony & Reception
The 27th annual Women’s Law Caucus Hon. Sylvia H. Rambo Award Ceremony and Reception was held at Penn State Dickinson Law on Wednesday, March 16, 2022. This year Laurel S. Terry, Dickinson Law professor emerita and H. Laddie Montague Jr. chair in law emerita, was the 2022 Sylvia H. Rambo Award recipient.
“I was extremely pleased when I was notified of my selection,” said Prof. Terry. “It is an honor to receive an award named for Judge Rambo, whose pathbreaking career has made it easier for the women who followed. Moreover, the past Rambo recipients include not just women I admire, but women who played a significant mentorship role in my life, such as (Professor Emerita) Chris Kellett (class of 1975) and Frances Del Duca (class of 1966). I was especially pleased to receive this award in 2022 because the President and Executive Board of the Women’s Law Caucus were students in the last Civil Procedure class I taught before I retired.”
In remarks prepared for the award ceremony, Hon. Sylvia H. Rambo (class of 1962) shared her support of the Women’s Law Caucus’s selection of Professor Terry as the 2022 Sylvia H. Rambo honoree. “Above all, of interest to me, is [Professor Terry’s] work in mentoring students and alumni over the years… and I encourage her to continue this outside of the law school realm,” said Judge Rambo.
Sarah Donley, Women's Law Caucus president, noted that “The Women’s Law Caucus was thrilled to honor Professor Emerita Laurel Terry as the 27th recipient of the Sylvia H. Rambo Award. Professor Terry positively affected countless law students, myself included, and alumni in her 36 years at Penn State Dickinson Law, and her scholarship continues to have a significant impact on the legal academy and the practice of law.”
The WLC established this award in 1993 when it honored Judge Sylvia H. Rambo as the first recipient, paying tribute to her contributions as a lawyer and jurist and to her interest in promoting the role of women in the law. Judge Rambo graduated cum laude from Dickinson College in 1958 and earned her juris doctor from The Dickinson School of Law in 1962. She served as the Chief Public Defender for Cumberland County, PA, and as an adjunct professor of law. Judge Rambo currently serves as a Senior Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. She was appointed to the Federal Bench by President Jimmy Carter in 1979 and became the first woman to serve as Chief Judge of the Middle District from 1992 to 1999. In 2021, U.S. Senators Bob Casey and Pat Toomey introduced legislation to name the new United States Courthouse in Harrisburg in honor of Judge Sylvia Rambo. The legislation designates the courthouse as the Sylvia H. Rambo United States Courthouse. In so doing, Senator Casey remarked “Judge Rambo’s trailblazing career serves as an ongoing inspiration to countless young women across the Commonwealth... and the entire nation. Her dedication to the judiciary is unparalleled, and there is no better way to honor her service to our nation than by naming the new federal courthouse in Harrisburg after her.”
Marissa LaWall ’18 was the recipient of the 2022 Recent Alumna Award, which was created to recognize a graduate of Dickinson Law within the last ten years who represents exceptional dedication to the school while a law student or exceptional dedication to her current job, a pioneer in her respective field, or someone who has done an extraordinary study, event, or program while a law student, and who promotes the encouragement of women in the legal field. Attorney LaWall is a supervising attorney with the Pennsylvania Health Law Project.
“I am honored to be the 2022 Sylvia H. Rambo recent alumna award recipient. My time at Dickinson Law, whether through classes, extracurricular activities, or experiences, laid the foundation for my young career,” said LaWall.
“Marissa LaWall ’18 is positive proof that law students should follow their passions. While at Penn State Dickinson Law, Ms. LaWall built the foundation for her current career at the intersection of health and the law. We were very impressed with the steps she took to realize her goals as both a law student and recent graduate,” said Donley.
A recording of the award ceremony can be viewed here. View photos from the ceremony below.
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