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�鶹ֱ�� & Lardner LLP partner Claude Treece is featured for his decades-long leadership of the firm’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Oratory Competition.

Treece, a partner and 29-year chair and emcee of �鶹ֱ��’s Houston MLK Jr. Oratory competion, was profiled in The Texas Lawyer article, “.”

“I’m obviously real passionate about it and care about the event — and people know it has kind of been my thing,” Treece explained, recalling how he was inspired by watching Dr. King speak on television during the height of the civil rights movement.

“For me, this was really less about a passion for speech contests, or debates. For me it was really more of a passion about King and the civil rights movement,” he said.

Appearing on the talk show to describe his passion for the competition, Treece was asked to reflect on his 29-year involvement as he approaches retirement.

“People have talked to me about retirement, and what are some highlights of your career. You think about that, and you think about being a lawyer,” Treece said, “but then I think about the MLK event – I guess I would say that’s the highlight of my career.”

“Doing it 29 times and being down there seeing how fantastic the kids are, what a great day it is, and then all the excitement that flows out of it,” Treece continued. “So yeah, I’ll miss it.”

Treece discussed the origins of �鶹ֱ��’s MLK Jr. Oratory Competition, highlighting the firm’s desire to create an event that commemorated Dr. King and the initial enthusiasm that has inspired continued growth of the event over the years.

Asked about what kids can learn by reciting the words of Martin Luther King Jr., Treece highlighted two significant impacts of the competition.

“In 1963, I watched the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. I grew up, and that was part of me. This is 56 years now since he’s been gone, coming up on 57, it’s not the same for them,” Treece said. “It’s important for them to go back and read about him and learn and understand better why we have a national holiday that’s named after him. Secondly, they get this place where they can showcase their talents, get some self-esteem, learn about maybe a direction that they can go in their education or their interests.”

Looking ahead to the next 30 years of the competition, Treece added, “My hope would be to do it in more and more cities, and to have it achieve greater and greater recognition in the public of the kids who are involved with this and passionate about showcasing their talent.”