Sally Levin ‘24
Staff Editor
Pictured: Celebration of Continuing Life
Photo Credit: Kailey Boatright
This is a story of what happens when nature collides with the good-natured community at UVA Law. On Friday, November 10, before the last prospective student had even left the building for the day, the UVA Law Admissions team as well as other faculty, staff, and students, met on the steps in front of the Law School for a special gathering that didn’t ruffle any feathers. They celebrated the release of a rehabilitated American Robin that had been injured outside of the Admissions Office two days earlier.
On Wednesday, Kate Granruth ’24 was working at the front desk of the Admissions Office when she noticed a bird on the ground outside in Purcell Garden. The robin was injured; it hadn’t moved for many hours after flying into a glass window and its head was slightly cocked to one side. Granruth said she “could see the bird wanted help.” At the end of her shift, she found two pieces of cardboard, gently pushed the bird into a box, and drove it to the Wildlife Center of Virginia, which is thirty minutes away in Waynesboro.
After dropping off the bird, Granruth and the Admissions team couldn’t help but wonder how the patient was doing. Assistant Dean of Admissions Natalie Blazer ’08, who had seen the injured bird during her daily lap around the Law School, said, “I was asking for bird updates pretty regularly.” Granruth sent an email to the Wildlife Center inquiring about the robin. Fearing the worst, everyone was relieved when they read the first line of the Wildlife Center’s response, learning that the bird was still an active patient in care.
Although the bird wasn’t out of the woods from the head trauma just yet, the report from the Wildlife Center suggested that the extensive medical care it was receiving was helping.[1] The patient received oxygen therapy, pain medication, antibiotics, and supportive fluids. Once the bird was stable, it underwent anesthesia for radiographs to assess the trauma. The Wildlife Center promised to provide further updates about the bird’s rehabilitation.
Pictured: The injured robin in Purcell Garden.
Photo Credit Kailey Boatright
By Friday morning, Granruth learned the bird was ready to be released back at the Law School. She offered to drive back to Waynesboro to pick it up. She said, “I was so happy we were able to release the bird at the Law School. I truly didn’t expect this great of an outcome. When I got the call this morning that I could come and pick up the bird, I was elated. This was the best possible outcome.”
Admissions Office Coordinator Kailey Cox Boatright shared an email with the subject line “Huge Bird Update” with the other faculty, staff, and students who had all been asking about the bird. Professor Cale Jaffe ’01 and Senior Assistant Dean Kevin Donovan both replied with bird-themed song suggestions for the celebration, so Boatright created a playlist.[2] Later, Boatright sent another email with a formal invitation to a Collision Recovery Celebration that afternoon. Despite their busy schedules, everyone wanted to be there. “I had a 2:00 p.m. meeting that I had to be at, and I would have been upset if I’d had to miss it,” said Dean Blazer.
Fourteen people gathered on the front steps on the chilly, overcast Friday afternoon, and welcomed the bird, carried in a box by Granruth, back home. Just before the release, Boatright started playing the inspiring song, “I Believe I Can Fly” on the speaker. Granruth carefully set the box on the ground, opened the lid, and the bird dramatically flew out across the Holcombe Green Lawn towards the beautiful fall foliage on the side of the Law School.
It was a powerful moment. At least two people shed tears, including the author of this article and Dean Blazer, who said, “I was not emotional ahead of time. I was excited that the bird had recovered, and I liked that a lot of people around the whole Law School were invested. But then, I don’t know what happened, but the second the bird flew in the air, tears instantly came in my eyes. I was overcome that we had all come together to take care of this little bird, and that it worked. This bird, who could barely move when I saw it originally, burst out of the box and flew away into this gray sky. It was the togetherness and compassion too. It was a really special moment.”
Professor Jaffe was proud of his former Environmental Law clinic student and her commitment to helping others, including animals. He said, “I think there is a metaphor here. A lot of people would walk by [the injured bird] and not notice or say they are too busy. Kate cared and did something about it. How cool that we’ve got students in the community who care and do something.”
---
ezn3yy@virginia.edu