If social justice champion Louis D. Brandeis were alive today, he might have felt it was "nice, but slightly unnerving" to have a U.S. postal stamp dedicated to him, said his grandson, Walter Raushenbush.
"He would hope it would do something for social justice" that he fought so hard for, Raushenbush said following a stamp dedication at Brandeis University yesterday.
The U.S. Postal Service's Stamp Advisory Committee chose Brandeis, a United States Supreme Court justice from 1916 to 1939, and Supreme Court Justices Joseph Story, Felix Frankfurter, and William J. Brennan Jr., out of "thousands and thousands" of suggestions for its 2009 commemorative stamp program, said James J. Holland, Boston's postmaster.
The post office issued "the Brandeis stamp" on Tuesday in Washington, D.C., but wanted its New England unveiling at Brandeis University yesterday, said Holland, who dedicated the stamp with Brandeis President Jehuda Reinharz.
"Only people who have widespread, national appeal, can be commemorated on the stamp. Louis Brandeis was the associate justice most responsible for helping the Supreme Court shape the tools it needed to interpret the Constitution," said Holland.
"He defended the right of every citizen to speak freely, and his groundbreaking conception of the right to privacy continues to impact legal thought today," said Holland.
Brandeis was a man of "impeccable moral fiber, integrity, and social conscience," he said.
"As our country learns more about Louis Brandeis through the new stamp and biography ("Louis D. Brandeis: A Life," by Melvin Urofsky), it's important that we reflect on the life of a man who was committed to the ideals of intellectual inquiry, social justice, and a fully functioning democracy," said Reinharz, a Ph.D. and 1972 Brandeis alum.
"(This) is an opportunity for the university community to show pride in its namesake," said Reinharz.
About 300 people gathered to honor Brandeis, and were treated a live musical performance by the university's "singing postman," William Bowen, who sang the show-stopper, "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter."
While Louis Brandeis may have shied away from the attention, Raushenbush and two of Brandeis' other grandchildren, Alice Brandeis Popkin and Frank Gilbert, said they were proud of the occasion - and of the university named in his honor.
"This may not have been his thing, but it's striking to have the ceremony. It means a great deal to the family to have this living memorial to his words," said Gilbert.
"The stamp reminds us now of his words and his thoughts," Gilbert said.
He was a pioneer in establishing the right to privacy, the right to free speech - at all times - and believed that individual states should be "laboratories of democracy, with the ability to experiment in good and bad."
Brandeis also worked to ensure government officials do not break the law while trying to achieve their objectives, he said.
"It means a great deal to us his words and opinions are of great value today," said Gilbert.
Said Popkin, "It's wonderful and exciting to have a stamp named after him."
"I started coming here in 1948, so I knew it when it was much smaller, and it has risen to become an excellent university, and I know my grandfather would be very proud of it," Popkin said.
Raushenbush called yesterday's dedication "a very pleasant and memorable affair."
"It's been pleasing over the years to see this university develop into a high-class, high-ranking, and high-aspiring university," Raushenbush said.
Quoting Brandeis, Holland said, "If we would guide by the light of reason, we must let our minds be bold."
Joyce Kelly can be reached at 781-398-8005 or jkelly@cnc.com.
