Post #5: King Sol

Judge Blatt and me, a picture I keep on my desk

"Guvnah," a soft voice starts out on the other end of the phone. It's Judge Solomon "Sol" Blatt, Jr., he's been calling me by that name for 20 years, and that specific day isn't going to get any better for me.

Long before I came along, the Judge has been a member of my family. He and my grandfather were roommates at the University of South Carolina; their fathers served in the Legislature together, his dad the legendary Speaker; his wife Carolyn and my grandmother were great friends; his son Greg and my uncle "B" were fraternity brothers and dear friends; his other son Brian was my grandfather's godson; his grandson Lee and I have now become friends, and my dog's name is "Sol"... you get the point. My grandfather was an only child, but he would never feel like an only child because of friends like Sol Blatt, and our family has always cherished the special relationship with the Blatts.

A post on Judge Blatt deserves much more deliberation than it is getting here, but I received a call earlier today from a mutual friend of ours, and he was calling to tell me how nice of a note he had received from Judge Blatt: "He certainly did not have to do that... He talked about my how much he loved my parents... It sure meant a lot."

That's the type of man Judge Blatt truly is-- a gentleman of the highest order. He found himself unable to help this certain individual and he felt just terrible about it, to the point where he sent the man a note explaining himself. How many federal judges, at any age, but at 93 for crying out loud, do you think feel as though they owe someone an explanation? One comes to my mind.

There is only one "Sol Jr."

(There will certainly be a longer post in the future about this great man.)