Mediaboss Marketing

Barack Obama and Michelle Obama she was Michelle Robinson then were among scores of Harvard Law students Ogletree guided and encouraged during his many years at the school.

Through his work as a lawyer and professor, Ogletrees legacy reached beyond the schools Cambridge classrooms. He counseled Anita Hill when she appeared before the US Senate Judiciary Committee, during US Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomass confirmation hearings. In addition, Ogletree counted among his law clients rap artist Tupac Shakur and former agriculture secretary Mike Espy.

Get Today's Headlines

The day's top stories delivered every morning.

After meeting Barack Obama, Ogletree soon became a father figure as well as a mentor. We arent that much different in age, but here was someone he could talk or meet with, Ogletree recalled in a 2009 Globe interview.

Those conversations werent just about what he wanted to do as a young lawyer, Ogletree said of his talks with Obama, but that he, like many students, wanted to do something meaningful.

Ogletree became a lasting friend to the president and his wife, Michelle Obama, whom he also had mentored at Harvard Law School.

In his statement Saturday, Obama reminisced about how Ogletree took time on weekends to run something called Saturday School for Black students who didnt necessarily have the support systems at home to get them through the difficult first years of law school.

Saturday School soon became so popular that students of every background began showing up to hear Charles explain things in a way they could understand, the former president said. It was an example of the kind of person Charles has always been: unfailingly helpful, and driven by a genuine concern for others.

Obama was one of many who shared recollections on social media and elsewhere about Ogletree, who was known to friends by the nickname Tree.

You cannot imagine the influence Tree had on a generation (or three) of lawyers committed to fighting for justice, Sherrilyn Ifill, former president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

His voice had an R&B timbre and his mind was so supple and sharp, Ifill added. I loved listening to him argue.

In an X post, Cornell William Brooks, the Hauser professor of the practice of nonprofit organizations at the Harvard Kennedy School, wrote that it is exceedingly difficult to overstate the stature of legal giant Prof. Charles Ogletree in the minds & hearts of multitudes of lawyers.

Ogletree represented an excellence of practice, pedagogy, & justice. For many, he inspired visions of what we might become, wrote Brooks, who also is professor of the practice of public leadership and social justice at the Kennedy School and a visiting professor at Harvard Divinity School.

Christina Swarns, executive director of the Innocence Project, posted on X that Tree was brilliant and an absolute warrior for justice. He was also incredibly kind, generous with his time, and a mentor to many, including me.

And Janai Nelson, the current president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, wrote that Tree, his friends say, could not have been more aptly nicknamed: He stood tall, offering protection and cover, and he was a force of nature who will continue to bear fruit for generations to come.

In his statement Saturday, Obama said that Michelle and I are heartbroken to hear about the passing of our friend and mentor Charles Ogletree, adding that their thoughts were with Ogletrees wife, Pamela, the rest of the family, and everyone who knew and loved this remarkable man.

In the 2009 Globe interview, two months after Obama was elected, Ogletree said that theres something special about trying to prepare for calling Barack Mr. President. And he predicted that his former student might object to such formality.

Hes going to say, Come on, Tree, Ogletree said. The point will be, Dont go so upscale on me.

Bryan Marquard can be reached at bryan.marquard@globe.com.

Read more here:
Obama recalls the lasting influence of Harvard Law professor Charles Ogletree - The Boston Globe