The Holy Cross Fraternity

They are two of the most important men in American law: Clarence Thomas, arguably the most controversial member of the U.S. Supreme Court; and Theodore V. Wells Jr., the star litigator who is currently representing I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, on charges of lying in the Valerie Plamecia leak investigation. Thomas is a Republican; Wells, a lifelong Democrat. Both are African American, but Thomas famously condemns affirmative action while Wells vigorously supports it in his capacity as co-chair of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund Board of Directors.

What binds them together is the experience they shared as students at the College of the Holy Cross and, in particular, the influence of the man who brought them there: the Reverend John E. Brooks. The men's bond with the Boston-born priest, now 83 and president emeritus, began almost four decades ago and remains strong to this day. "I love Father Brooks," says Thomas. "He's a great man." While Thomas "never liked school," the affection he feels for Brooks is so strong that he was willing to break a long-standing silence in the media to talk about him and the impact of that formative experience on his life. "Father Brooks realized we needed to be nurtured; that we were going to have unique problems," Thomas recalls.