MARLBORO-I recently read a fascinating article in Smithsonian about Robert H. Jackson, a chief prosecutor for the United States in the 1940s and later a Supreme Court justice.
He is most well-known for his role in the Nuremberg trials, during which he addressed the International Military Tribunal about the atrocities committed by the Nazis in World War II. He made the case to the international panel of judges at war's end in 1945–46 and helped to draft the charter that ultimately created the legal basis for the historical trial.
Jackson "remains the only person in U.S. history to serve as solicitor general, attorney general and Supreme Court justice," according to the article. Thanks to his leadership, "a new standard in international law was established, and the worst criminal conspiracy in human history exposed […]." He was a truly remarkable man who also worked closely with President Roosevelt as an advisor.
But this piece is not intended as a history lesson; believe it or not, I am writing in defense of small schools as we here in Marlboro, where we are on the brink of closing ours down after more than two centuries of educating our students in our own town.
What does the Honorable Judge Jackson have to do with any of this? Just this: He graduated at the top of his high school class of three.
It's not how small the student body is that matters, it's what you do with it.
Sophie Lampard Dennis
Marlboro
This letter to the editor was submitted to The Commons.
This piece, published in print in the Voices section or as a column in the news sections, represents the opinion of the writer. In the newspaper and on this website, we strive to ensure that opinions are based on fair expression of established fact. In the spirit of transparency and accountability, The Commons is reviewing and developing more precise policies about editing of opinions and our role and our responsibility and standards in fact-checking our own work and the contributions to the newspaper. In the meantime, we heartily encourage civil and productive responses at voices@commonsnews.org.