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Ralph D. Semerad was
salutatorian of the last
graduating class from the
original Schenectady High
School. A star
centerfielder on the
school's first undefeated
baseball team, he was the
only athlete in his class to
be awarded varsity letters
in three sports. A
scholar, he was awarded four
prizes for academic
excellence ad won the Hi-Y
Prize for most nearly
exemplifying, in the opinion
of his classmates, the
traits of the "All-around
American Boy."
He attended Union College
where he became a legendary
scholar-athlete who managed
to be president of his class
and the student council,
earn varsity letters in
three sports, be named to
the Little All-American
Football Team, win countless
prizes, and be elected to
Phi Beta Kappa for his
academic achievements.
He received his Juris
Doctorate from Harvard Law
School in 1938 and began a
distinguished law career
while continuing to play
semi-pro basketball and
baseball throughout the
Capital District. From
1943 - 45, he was a special
agent in the FBI after which
he started his 30-year
career as a well-respected
and popular professor at
Albany Law School. In
1975 he was named Dean of
the Law School.
Ralph was considered a
lawyer's lawyer. An
expert on constitutional
law, trusts and estates, and
contracts, he was a
sought-after speaker,
lecturer, and editor.
He lent his considerable
research talents to a long
list of important
initiatives including the
Rockefeller Commission on
the Constitutional
Convention, the Bill of
Rights Committee of the NYS
Constitutional Convention,
the New York State Law
Revision Commission, the
Commission on the Revision
of the Law of Estates, the
NYS Bar Association's
Committee on Automobile
Accident Reparation.
Throughout his life he
maintained his love of
sports, playing scratch golf
and competitive tennis up
until his sudden death in
1977. He always sought
excellence in himself and
others. Through his
teaching, his generosity of
spirit, and his many
activities, he touched and
enhanced the lives of many
and thus left a long-lasting
legacy of respect and
goodwill. His
induction into our Hall of
Fame is a fitting capstone
on a remarkable life.
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