The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

I first met Bill in the early 1990s when, as an attorney in AJC's New York offices, I began work on a proposed amendment to Title VII's religious accommodation provisions. On the advice of a number of people, I sought a meeting with Bill, whom I was told was well known for his grasp of the intricacies of civil rights law. When I came down from New York, I found that he was exactly as knowledgeable as people had said. I also found that he was generous with his time, willing to sit and talk at length with me, and that he was both kind and passionate about the fight for equal opportunity in all of its facets. It was only after I moved to DC that I began to understand how crucial a role Bill had played, and continued to play, in the battle for civil rights, and what a privilege it was to have the benefit of his counsel. I am thankful that I had the chance to meet him, and to continue to know him as a colleague. -- by Richard Foltin on December 1, 2010