Bob Mundheim Honored with John Phillips Award

Lawyer and law professor Bob Mundheim, a member of the Class of 1950, won the coveted John Phillips Award and was subsequently honored at Assembly on Friday.According to Exeter’s website, the John Phillips Award is given to an alumni “whose life demonstrates founder John Phillips’ ideal of goodness and knowledge united in noble character and usefulness to mankind.”At last Friday’s assembly, Academy Trustee and President of the General Alumni Association David Horn ’85 echoed these ideals in an introduction, citing Mundheim’s “inspirational practice of the law and for a lifetime marked by allegiance to the highest ethical standards.”Through his career in law and legal affairs that has spanned decades, Mundheim has managed to consistently devote his work to non sibi, as evidenced by his efforts to help those across the nation and across the globe.Among other selfless acts, during his tenure as the General Counsel to the United States Treasury, Mundheim aided the Carter administration in securing the release of American hostages in Iran during the Iranian Hostage Crisis in 1979-1980.At the time of negotiations, Mundheim was faced with countless international complications, especially regarding jurisdiction.“The fact that many Iranian bank deposits were held in the British subsidiaries of US banks created very substantial legal problems, because, for example, we did not know if the United Kingdom would recognize the freeze order of the United States government that would effect those deposits,” Mundheim said.Eventually, after 444 days of ongoing discussion, Mundheim helped work out a plan to free the 52 hostages.In addition to having a major role in the American government, Mundheim also revolutionized the American legal education scene. As a Dean of University of Pennsylvania’s Law School, Mundheim implemented a policy requiring students to engage in pro bono work.Although Mundheim’s experiences collectively span eras as well as cultures throughout the world, he emphasized the value of the Exeter education and the Harkness pedagogy as he experienced it when he was a student at the Academy.“I really focus on the Harkness table because it promoted a frame of mind that fits very comfortably with being a lawyer, an unwillingness to simply take what someone says as right,” Mundheim said. “The Harkness table makes you listen to other people, and listen to your contemporaries, and that’s an important lesson.”In addition, Mundheim believed that the Harkness method was central to shaping his career.  “The Harkness table—getting into the habit of questioning, and listening and making up my mind based on the discussion—really was the most valuable aspect of the education, rather than any specific facts which I learned.”Many people held high praises for Mundheim’s dedication to his career and the world around him. “Bob's long and illustrious career has bridged government, the private sector and academia.  He has moved effortlessly from one leadership role to the next, always with the goal of making difference in the world,” Director of Alumni and Parent Relations Harold Brown said.Horn agreed wholeheartedly. “In your many roles, you have inspired colleagues and impressed upon future generations the value of broad understanding, careful analysis and integrity,” he said, addressing Mundheim directly at Assembly.Mundheim offered genuine advice for the students at the Academy, as well.“I think really valuing your education is important, which is for Exonians very important, because education is increasingly valuable to success in our complex world,” he said. “I think another piece of advice I have is to say that you have privilege, so you have to lead, and you have to give back and I think that is important both for society and for yourself,” he said.For Mundheim, “giving back means to give time to these things. Giving back also expands your horizons, as we often think that when we have successes it is all because of us, but in fact often luck plays a role.”