Introduction

Many people knew Thomas Wälde, his reputation as a scholar, his razor sharp intellect and his wonderful sense of humor. Thomas was a fellow student at the Harvard Law School who influenced me a great deal in my career, as he did so many others. I admired him a great deal. It was not only that he had talents that few others have. What was remarkable was that no achievement was beyond Thomas' grasp. Once he attained his goal, he was alert to the next one. But despite his driving energy and self-discipline, Thomas' charm was in not taking himself too seriously. He was ambitious, ...