Law school musical shows changing attitude toward Nixon

The Duke School of Law is finally warming up to one of its most infamous alumni.

For years, faculty and students at the law school have expressed ambivalence toward Richard Nixon—who graduated third in his class at the law school in 1937 and served as president of the Duke Bar Association—especially after the Watergate scandal was exposed in the early 1970s.

But perceptions are changing.

“At the time of Nixon’s resignation, the law school community felt embarrassed,” said Justin Becker, Duke Law’s student body president. “[But now] the whole school, including both past and present students, more openly embraces Nixon as an alumnus.”

Becker recently directed the play “Tricky Dick,” which premiered April 1 at a sold-out Durham Arts Center. The play—which portrays a young Nixon as a morally-troubled Duke law student running for president of the student body—was performed last year, but with fewer cast members, a different script and not much recognition from the University’s administration, according to a recent New York Times article. However, after glowing reviews from attendees, Duke Law Drama Society won the “Most Active in Law Student Life” award, and “Tricky Dick” became an eagerly anticipated event.

Becker said that before “Tricky Dick,” law students mostly kept any goodwill they felt toward Nixon secret. As a result of the play, however, he said he thinks the law school will begin to embrace Nixon more. As a sign of the former president’s rising popularity at Duke, the musical starred about 50 professors, students and administrators.

Slavik Gabinsky, who graduated from the School of Law last year, was one of the students most involved in creating the play.

“I was the president of the Duke Law Drama Society and I wanted to do something sexy and risque for my last show,” he said. “When going through the potential central themes, Nixon was unavoidable as a linchpin.”

Even today, no University building has been named in honor of Nixon, and his portrait­—the only painting of the former president Duke owns—remains locked away in a vault, for fear of vandalism.

The painting was briefly brought out for display April 1, in anticipation of the musical, before being promptly locked up again.

Still, faculty may not be ready yet to put the portrait on display, said William Reppy Jr., Charles L.B. Lowndes Emeritus professor of law.

“As for hanging the Nixon portrait once again, I cannot guess how the governing faculty would vote today,” he wrote in an email. “There are sure to be concerns of vandalism or theft if we do hang it again.”

However, Theresa Newman, clinical professor of law, said she believes now students would be interested in learning more about Nixon and his legacy at Duke.

“The Duke Law students are understandably interested in Richard Nixon as an alum of the school,” she said. “Although their program, ‘Tricky Dick,’ spoofs his time at Duke, I think many students would welcome a program that explored President Nixon’s contributions at Duke and throughout his life.”

In fact, the law school is already considering doing more to commemorate Nixon. There have been discussions about one day putting his portrait on permanent display with a plaque emphasizing the successes of Nixon’s career, which include opening relations with China.

“While we do not have wild celebrations in honor of him, this step to publicly display him again, though tiny, exhibits a general warming to the idea that he is one of us,” Becker said.