American Debate Association Award Ceremony
Speech by Alex Berger
March 10, 2002

Keynote Speech by Alex Berger, Dartmouth '02
Copeland Award and NDT Top Speaker 2002

I'd like to thank Ron Bratt and everyone else responsible for this award's creation for giving me the chance to be a part of this presentation. I'd also like to extend my deepest gratitude to Marilyn Burke, who has was generous enough to bring me here to participate in this special event.

I understand that many of you did not know Julia, which is why I am glad to have the chance to speak with you about her. As it's aptly been said, Julia was a young woman of substance. I remember her as a gifted debater, a passionate thinker, a caring friend, and a person who became interested in everything she encountered.

Julia dedicated her time to a remarkable variety of activities. In addition to debating in high school, she was the coxswain on her crew team and a photographer for her yearbook. She also played soccer, figure skated competitively, participated on the swim team, played the flute, and was an alter server at her church.

Of course, this impressive array of commitments does not begin to explain why Julia has such a lasting effect on her family and many friends. Instead, I'd like to share with you two of my favorite anecdotes about Julia. Whenever I think of these stories, I remember why she so easily endeared herself in the hearts of those who knew her.

The first occurred when Julia went to pick up some debate evidence at the house of her team member, Eliot Tarloff. When she arrived at the door, she saw an older man ringing the doorbell. He explained that he was there to have dinner with Elliot's mother, Laura. Julia told him that she was on the debate team with Elliot, and asked the man whether he knew Laura from her days in Washington as the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors under Clinton, or from her current work at UC Berkeley as the head of the business school. "Washington," he answered. Julia commented that things must be pretty hectic back there with the devaluation of the Russian ruble and the Asian financial crisis. She expounded on her views of the potential solutions to the economic trouble, discussing the ins and outs of Alan Greenspan's impact on interest rates. Before she could finish her explanation, the man introduced himself. "I'm Alan Greenspan," he said.

After expressing some embarrassment about not recognizing him, she said goodbye and wished him "good luck on the interest rates."

The second anecdote revolves around what Julia and I referred to as "our ninth floor chats." I first met Julia when I worked as a library supervisor at the Dartmouth Debate Institute during the summer that she attended as a student. My job as a librarian was fairly mundane, consisting mostly of answering the students' challenging questions like "where in a book do you find the index?" Of the three and a half hours I was slated to work in the library each day, answering these questions occupied a grueling twenty minutes. The rest of the time I spent wandering the stacks.

A few days into the camp, I realized I could almost always find Julia on the library's top floor, reading books by Nietzsche or Aristotle or Kant. During our first few conversations, we talked about debate arguments or what she was reading, but as the summer progressed, our range of topics widened. We recounted tales of our childhood; we discussed the meaning of friendship; we crafted imaginary stories about Freudian fish.

Every once in a while, I'd go to the ninth floor to vent about some preoccupation of mine. I knew Julia would be willing to listen and provide sound advice. Yet, before I would begin my rant, Julia would smile with her infectious Julia smile and laugh with her infectious Julia laugh, and I'd forget why exactly I came to rant in the first place. No matter what my disposition was when I first saw her, I always left won over by her warm and compassionate personality.
While I know that these two anecdotes cannot fully encapsulate what made Julia such an incredible young woman, I hope that they at least begin to give you a feeling for why she was so dearly loved and why this award means so much. Julia approached every task she encountered with a fervent desire to learn and discover new things; Julia approached every person she encountered with thoughtful and caring affection.

It was in the spirit of recognizing these characteristics that the Julia Burke award was established. As the description explains, the award is designed to acknowledge an individual who shows a passion for debate, a commitment to others, a love for the community, and a dedication to friendships despite the pressures of competition. One of the things I'll remember most about debate when I leave this activity is that we take time out at tournaments to recognize the individuals who have excelled in their debate rounds. What makes the Julia Burke award so significant is that it provides us a chance to acknowledge a debater whose impact reaches beyond individual debates and into the very spirit of our community.

2002 RECIPIENT:
Elizabeth Wiley
Smith College

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