Bob Wise Was Wise

One of my best memories of living and practicing law in Lycoming County is Robert C. Wise.  He deserved to live to a ripe old age, and he was indeed rewarded.  He was blessed not only with long life and a loving attentive family, but also with the respect that a true professional deserves.

When I came to town, he was wrapping up his service as an elected representative to the General Assembly.  Immediately I found him to be not only a good listener, a rare commodity among politicians, and extremely amiable, but also an individual of high integrity.  He is not the only politician that I came to know in the area, but without question, he set the gold standard of what it meant to be honorable.

When Bob became head the Legislative Reference Bureau in Harrisburg, I had many occasions to reach out to him in connection with legislative drafting.  At the time that he worked for the Legislative Reference Bureau, I worked for the President Pro Temp of the Pennsylvania Senate, Henry “Merc” Hager.  While they served different parties, I never heard either one of them speak negatively of the other, only positive comments.  Imagine how rare that it is in today’s world.

One of the most thoughtful lawyers that I knew, Nathan Stuart, ultimately completed his years of practice with Bob Wise. It was a perfect combination of two kind, well respected professionals.

When, as a young lawyer, I was asked not to represent a prominent businessman because I was Jewish, it was Nate who told the lawyer making the request he was a “stupid man.”  Both the lawyer and, some years later, his client, apologized to me.

Bob Wise was cut from the same mold as the Nathan Stuarts of the world.  He did not know how to do harm; he only knew how to serve his people.

In later years when I would walk my dog past his house, I would frequently see him working out in the yard.  There was no such thing as stopping for a second or two or just waving “hello.”  Rather, every trip down the road resulted in a long, pleasant, and informative conversation.

Bob was so respected that even though he never served as a judge, he frequently served as an arbitrator in underinsured motorist cases.  At that time, most insurance policies required that underinsurance claims be privately arbitrated.  It was difficult to find people in the community who had no connection either to the insurance industry or to the plaintiff’s bar.  As a result, Bob Wise was called into action very often.  He was the first person who I, and many others, called when an underinsurance claim needed to be arbitrated.  He was just fair.  That’s all there was too it, he was just a capable decent, fair, and honorable lawyer.

Bob Wise was no pushover.  He understood politics, managed to get elected as a Democrat in a Republican area, and served in a government agency.  Aside from his military record, Bob Wise was the punctilio of what it meant to serve one’s community, country, and co-professionals.

The Bob Wises of the world have not disappeared in the legal profession, but mining them takes a bit more work.  Perhaps the example that Bob Wise set for others in the community will be an inspiration for what it means to be both successful and likeable.  A man who always wore a smile, and knew how to regulate his opinions in a way that was not obnoxious to others should certainly serve as a model to the up and coming generation of lawyers and other professionals in our community.

May Bob Wise rest in eternal peace.