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Find out how the pocket watch once owned by the first dean of ������Ƶ ended up in the law school’s possession.

Originally printed in the Winter 1993 edition of Profile, a publication by the ������Ƶ and the ������Ƶ Alumni Association.

By Professor Marjorie D. Rombauer ’60

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Here’s the story of how I acquired the John T. Condon watch.

When I was serving as acting dean, I received a call from a Seattle auction house. The caller told me that they had received a watch that had a presentation engraving to Dean Condon. I told him that I might be interested in buying it for donation to the Law School. Then he told me that it was appraised at $1,675, and I said that I couldn’t afford that. He said I needn’t worry; it would probably go for $700–$800.

I went to the auction house on the evening of the auction. I had a chance to see the watch and to meet an auctioneer. Then I sat for more than three hours, waiting for the watch to come on the block. Finally, around 11:00, it did. The auctioneer described it and read the presentation engraving. A man in front was the first bidder, and I reopened by raising the bid by $100. He responded with a $100 raise. So, it went until I bid $800, hoping that the other bidder would back off. He didn’t. He immediately bid $850. At almost the same time, the auctioneer slammed down the hammer and said, “Sold to the woman in the back for $800.”

The other bidder shouted, “You can’t do that.” The auctioneer responded, “I just did.” “But,” the other bidder shouted, “I just bid $850.” The auctioneer said, “Listen, that woman back there is the present dean of the Law School. She wants to buy the watch to donate it to the Law School, and that’s where this watch should be. Sold for $800.” There was still a large crowd of people, and they all burst into applause. That was the end of it, although I ended up paying almost $1,000 for the watch.

The watch is a treasure. It is a thin Hamilton, white gold with nineteen jewels, with a hinged back and inside dust cover. On the dust cover is engraved, “Presented by a group of friends and former students to John T. Condon founder and Dean of the Law School of University of Washington on completion of 25 years of service 1900-1925.” It has a white gold chain with an attached Order of Coif key, engraved “John T. Condon” and “Univ. of Wash – 1924 – Univ Mich., N.W. Univ.”

In my absence on leave, Professor William B. Stoebuck presented the watch to the Law School at the time of the first Condon-Falknor lecture in November 1990.