Nice Classmate Succeeds; Depression Grips Class of ’96

July 15, 2007 | by Dan | 1 Comment

By Dan Wheeler

Connecticut – Anne Hennigar, 1996 graduate of NYU School of Law and 11-year staff attorney in Connecticut’s Office of the Attorney General, was promoted two days ago and is now the state’s youngest Attorney General ever. Apparently the whole dang state government recognized Anne’s hard work, incredible legal talent and overall virtue. Even her peers acknowledged that if anyone deserved the top job, it was Anne. In a press conference today announcing the promotion, Connecticut Governor John DeVine gushed about how much he looked forward to working with Anne, what an inspiration she was to the nation’s children and blah blah blah.

Ms. Hennigar will assume responsibility for a department with over 8,000 talented attorneys, paralegals and staff. Her job will involve numerous meetings with powerful people, business trips with a posse of staff and complicated strategic decisions affecting the lives of countless thousands if not millions. Much of it will have to remain secret, it is that important. Most people wouldn’t be able to understand what Anne will be doing let alone do it. As important and frankly exciting as her job is, it will be far from the most important thing she does in the rest of her career. Even bigger things await.

We interviewed a few of Hennegar’s classmates by telephone, usually after long pauses before they took our call. Carlos Antunez, a struggling South Florida probate attorney said quietly, “I’m so happy for her.” We could barely hear him over the sound of the espresso machine in his law office/coffee shop. “Really, congratulations,” he continued. (We heard just then a sharp yelp from a dog before he hung up; it was probably nothing.) We knocked on the door of another classmate, Rose Pendergast. Rose met us at the door in a terry cloth bathrobe stained with melted Ben & Jerry’s cookie dough ice cream. “I haven’t been able to leave the house since I heard the news. The good news of course,” she said in a tired voice.

Mr. Antunez’ colleague, estate planning attorney and Tourette’s Syndrome sufferer George Henry put it bluntly: “Hennigar has been practicing for 9 years fewer than me and I’ll never be what she is. Hennigar makes me hate my F&%$g S*#@!e of a life.”