Connors Replaces Steiner

Frank J. Connors, a University attorney who won a case allowing Harvard to gain possession of Tennessee Williams' papers, has been named acting General Counsel.

Connors will be the University's top lawyer beginning July 1 and will continue to serve in that capacity until President Neil L. Rudenstine finds a permanent replacement for Daniel Steiner '54, general counsel for more than 20 years.

Connors, 47, said in an interview this week that he is not a candidate for the permanent position of vice president and general counsel. He said he expects to serve only through the end of the summer, and at the most through a transition period in the fall.

As acting general counsel, Connors will have to deal with a number of issues, including allegations of racial discrimination in the security department and in the faculty hiring process at the Law School. He said he is already learning about the security controversy and has met with University Police Chief Paul E. Johnson.

Rudenstine said the search for a permanent general counsel has been delayed because of the number of other searches currently in progress and because of the large number of applicants for the job.

In six and a half year as a lawyer for Harvard, Connors has handled a variety of work, including many cases involving intellectual property law. He said his favorite case at Harvard was the Williams case, where he went to probate court in Key West, Florida to obtain the late play wright's papers for the Harvard Theater Collection. "People really gained intellectually from that," he said.