That Further Shore

A memoir of a respected constitutional scholar, dedicated public servant, political reformer, and facilitator of peace in the land of his ancestors.

John D. Feerick’s life has all the elements of a modern Horatio Alger story: the poor boy who achieves success by dint of his hard work. But Feerick brought other elements to that classic American success story: his deep religious faith, his integrity, and his paramount concern for social justice. In That Further Shore, Feerick shares his inspiring story. Born to immigrant parents in the South Bronx, he went on to practice law, help frame the US Constitution’s Twenty-Fifth Amendment, serve as dean of Fordham Law, and serve as president of the New York City Bar Association and chair of state commissions on government integrity.

Beginning with Feerick’s ancestry and early life experiences, including a detailed genealogical description of Feerick’s Irish ancestors in County Mayo and his quest to identify them and their relationships with one another, the book then presents a survey of the now-vanished world of a working-class Irish Catholic neighborhood in the South Bronx. Feerick’s account of how he financed his education from elementary school through law school is a moving tribute to the immigrant work ethic that he inherited from his parents and shared with many young Americans of his generation. The book then traces Feerick’s career as a lawyer and how he gave up a lucrative partnership in a prestigious New York City law firm at an early age to accept the office of Dean of the Fordham School of Law at a fraction of his previous income because he felt it was time to give back something to the world.

John Feerick has consistently shown his commitment to the law as a vocation as well as a profession by his efforts to protect the rights of the poor, to enable minorities to achieve their rightful places in American society, and to combat political corruption. That Further Shore is an inspiring memoir of how one man helped to make America a more just and equitable society.

Praise for That Further Shore

“An exceptionally well written book and a compelling story of one Irish-American lawyer who loves his Irish heritage, his family, his Church and the law. It took Feerick 18 years to write the book and it was certainly worth the effort.” —Steve Fearon, Irish America

“That Further Shore proves that a great man can be a good man. While living a life of the highest achievement on the world stage?and even changing history a time or two?Dean John Feerick stays rooted in his family, faith, Irish heritage and his commitment to social justice. Inspiring!” —Mary Pat Kelly, PhD, author of Galway Bay, Of Irish Blood, and Irish Above All