Cavlaw/Clinton McHugh (1980-2012)

[JasonEvans]

I received sad and shocking news a short time ago.

It came in the form of a PM in my inbox from a DBR poster known as Hamster. Hamster is Susan Keeler McHugh in real life. She does not post to the DBR often, but her husband is well known to the DBR Bulletin Boards. His name is Clinton McHugh, but we all knew him as Cavlaw.

Cavlaw was a prominent and well-regarded poster on the DBR going back many years. The folks who owned and ran the DBR showed great wisdom when they made Cavlaw a moderator. I can tell you that he was one of the best of our team.

Susan's email contained shocking news. She and Clinton had moved from Chicago to Colorado a few months ago. About a month ago, Clinton fell while hiking in the Colorado mountains and died. He was just 32 years old. Susan wanted to let me know because she recalled how fondly Clinton/Cavlaw felt about the DBR boards and how much he had loved being a part of the community. In her words--


I was checking the DBR boards today in fond memory of one of his favorite activities, and had the sudden realization that the people on these boards, even those Clint was close to or corresponded with frequently, probably didn't know.
I know that Clint was very involved with DBR, being a moderator at one point in time, and being very active on the boards pretty much always. And he was always a huge fan of Duke and Duke basketball. It felt odd to me when I realized that due to the psuedonyms used on the boards meant that people probably didn't know. I am hoping that you might be able to pass along the news to those that he worked with as a moderator.

Given Clinton/Cavlaw's status as someone so well-known on the boards, I thought I would let more than just the mod community know about his passing. That is why I am posting it here.

A while back all the mods decided that we needed to know each other a little bit better and wrote little bios. Here is what Clinton wrote at that time:


My name is Clinton McHugh (9/18/1980), Trinity '02 (economics and pps).

I grew up in suburban Chicago as a huge Michigan fan (my dad played for Bo). I was a varsity swimmer at Duke as a freshman and sophomore. As a junior and senior I wrote middling sports articles for the Chronicle, was a counsellor for Duke health services and organized volunteer groups for public service work.

Among the worst kept secrets on the board is that while at Duke I served as an aide to a republican US Senator (Peter Fitzgerald, who was succeeded by Obama), though I'm now something of a flaming liberal.

After Duke I attended law school at UVa, then spent 18 months doing private equity mergers and acquisitions at Kirkland & Ellis LLP. I'm now with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, where I do a mix of private equity and public company corporate work (and have also begun doing a fair bit of pro bono work to save my soul).

I'm married to a Dukie (class of '00), who is also an accountant and is now a little over halfway through law school at Northwestern.

In addition to all the time I spend posting here I'm a board game fanatic (I've linked to my collection list on boardgamegeek.com from time to time) and play way too many video games.

Here is a link to his bio page on the DBR. From there you can click on "Find Latest Posts" to read his posts on the DBR... there are more than 2000 of them. More than a few contain nuggets of real insight.
http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/member.php?516-Cavlaw

Here is an article on his passing.
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_21112283/colorado-hiker-who-died-ridgeline-fall-identified

Here is a list of articles he wrote for the Chronicle sports section.
http://www.dukechronicle.com/staff/Clinton-McHugh

And here is his obit, from the Chicago Trib
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/chicagotribune/obituary.aspx?pid=158727042#fbLoggedOut

To merely say that Clinton/Cavlaw will be missed does not do justice to his contributions to making this place the "neighborhood pub" we strive for it to be. He was among our most cherished posters and moderators. Though I never met him in real life, I had a sense that I knew the man. I feel comfortable saying that my world is a lesser place tonight as a result of having heard this news.

Susan, I am sure I speak for the entire Duke community when I say that our thoughts and prayers are with you and with everyone that loved Clinton.

Susan says that memorials in remembrance of Clinton may be directed in his name to Alpine Search & Rescue, P.O. Box 934, Evergreen, CO 80437 or to the Shedd Aquarium at, www.sheddaquarium.org/contribute

-Jason Evans

[hurleyfor3]

This thread on 14ers.com might be of interest. As someone who lived in Chicago for 14 years before moving out here, and who regularly climbs class 3/4 peaks where a wrong move can be fatal, I can certainly relate to his lifestyle choices.

http://www.14ers.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=36339

[throatybeard]

I can't believe this. I loved that guy! I had a chance to see him in Chicago a couple years and passed because we were busy. Crap. He was so nice!

[Bob Green]

This news is terrible. I always admired CAVLAW because his positions were so reasonable. He came across as a really good guy.

[-jk]

I'm very sorry to hear this. I only met him a few times, and really enjoyed his company. He had a knack for building community and consensus.

-jk

[OldPhiKap]

Very sad, I enjoyed discussing legal and other matters with Kim here. Rest in peace, and prayers for the family. OPK

[Indoor66]

It appears that he lived large. Life is so fleeting. Rest in Peace and may his family find solace.

[blazindw]

Wow...I'm at a loss for words. This is just terrible news. Cavlaw was definitely someone that helped me out when I first became a mod, and I also enjoyed chatting with him regarding legal issues, as we both were in the legal field. Nice, great person to talk to on the boards, really knew his stuff and had a passion for both Duke Basketball and DBR. He was a nice person from the few times we interacted in real life (we overlapped at school for a couple years, he graduating 2 years before me). It was very easy to converse with him.

Rest in peace, Clinton. You will definitely be missed.

[allenmurray]

Back in the Pubic Policy Board days he was one of the posters I most respected and learned the most from. We often took our chats beyond the PPB and onto private messages. I had no idea he was so young (20 years my junior) - he was wise and reasoned beyond his years.

[OldPhiKap]

Very sad, I enjoyed discussing legal and other matters with him here. Rest in peace, and prayers for the family. OPK

(reposted to correct auto-correct-inflicted typo).

[Lord Ash]

Oh crap. Terrible news:( Thoughts to his family:(

[Bluedog]

Wow, awful news. I always read Cavlaw's posts as he was a great poster with a lot insight. He will be missed by the DBR community and I'm sure many other communities as well. Sounds like he was very successful in his life and made a large impact on others. Thoughts and prayers to his friends and family.

[weezie]

What a terrible loss for his family. His intelligence definitely was on display through his posts here.
So young...such a shame.

[Blue in the Face]

That's just awful, my thoughts to Susan and the rest of his family and friends.

[moonpie23]

a terrible loss for his family, and ours (duke) as well......

raise a toast....

[BluBones]

A terrible, terrible loss.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Rest In Peace, CAVLAW. You are missed. http://www.crazietalk.net/ourhouse/images/smilies/duke_bluedevil.gif Condolences to his family.

[JasonEvans]

Jay Bilas must have been reading DBR today, because he just tweeted (https://twitter.com/JayBilas/status/237927507482001408) the following...


RIP CavLaw - Clinton McHugh: Lawyer, writer, and one of the good guys.

-Jason

[sagegrouse]

This is a horrific loss. My condolences to Susan and the rest of the family.

sagegrouse

[Wheat/"/"/"]

RIP and best wishes to his family.
He was always a good guy, and fan, to me, passionate and fair minded. He'll certainly be missed.

[DevilAlumna]

Beyond words. Cavlaw always struck me as the quintessential "good guy." My heart hurts for his wife and family, to lose him so unreasonably soon.

[DukieInKansas]

Such sad news. Condolences to his family and friends.

He was generous with his knowledge. A few years ago, I asked for suggestions for restaurants in Chicago while planning a trip to Chicago. He provide many wonderful suggestions and we went with one for the birthday celebration. It was an excellent choice. I've searched for that post more than once when going back to Chicago and shared the information with others. The next trip to Chicago will certainly send me looking for the post again - and I'll think of him as I visit one of his suggested restaurants.

Rest in Peace, Clinton.

[CathyCA]

Such sad news. . .

May perpetual light shine upon him.

[Tom B.]

Damn. So sad. He and I corresponded a bit a while back, bonding over our shared experiences at Duke and UVa Law, but we never met in person and hadn't been in touch for quite some time. This community will miss him.

Peace and condolences to his wife and family.

[MulletMan]

Ugh. What a terrible loss. So sorry to hear this. Our condolences and prayers from our family to his.

[Lavabe]

Sad beyond belief. Thoughts, vibes, and prayers to the Cavlaw family.

[Jim3k]

I join with the others who grieve for this loss. I always thought of him as one of the most reasonable posters on the PPB. I hope his wife and family can get past this tragedy, senseless though it was. He offered a positive outlook on things.

RIP Cav/Clint

[mkline09]

Very sad news. Condolences to the family.

[WillJ]

I'm very sorry to hear about this loss - while it is less important than the loss itself, I'm always particularly touched by the loss of a young person in the midst of what must have been a transcendant experience. I'm also reminded again that while we are largely a virtual community, we are a community nonetheless and have helped each other out on many occasions, as I can personally attest. Obviously, to hear from it, much of the help to the board as a whole came from Cavlaw himself.

[Newton_14]

Very sad. I never had the pleasure of establishing a relationship with CavLaw, but he did leave a positive trident comment on one of my posts awhile back, and I enjoyed reading his posts. Far too young to die. I will definitely keep his wife and family in my thoughts and prayers. From the many comments from those that knew him, it sounds like the world lost a very good man.


Thanks for sharing Jason.

[mph]

Wow. Like AM, what I remember the most about Cav is the quality and tone of his PPB posts. Condolences to Susan and the rest of Clint's family. He will be missed.

[davekay1971]

Such sad news. My heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones. He was, indeed, a great member of the DBR family and will be missed.

[summerwind03]

Damn. That's hard to hear and process. I will really miss his posts.

[Johnboy]

I'm sorry to hear this. As others have already said, Clinton/Cavlaw was a great asset to this community and he will be missed. Condolences to his family and friends.

[juise]

I really enjoyed Clint's posts about board games and his general enthusiasm for sharing ideas in this community. I am so sad to hear of his passing and pray peace for Susan and all his loved ones.

[bjornolf]

This is so sad. A promising life just begin cut too short. I always admired Cavlaw for how reasonable, open-minded, and fair he was as a mod and poster. You will be missed, my friend, but never forgotten.

Thoughts and prayers to him and his family. Duke has lost one of its best and brightest. RIP.

[airowe]

Condolences to his friends and family.

[alteran]

Seemed like Cavlaw always improved a thread when he joined it. I assumed he was significantly older than his real age because of the maturity of his posts.

What a shame.

Condolences to family and friends.

[ChicagoCrazy84]

Very sad news about Clinton. Though I was never able to have conversations over the board with him, I certainly do remember his many contributions to our community. Rest in Peace Cavlaw, you will certainly be missed. My thoughts, vibes, and prayers go out to his family and friends.

And very nice of Jay Bilas to give a shout out to Clinton. I'm sure that would make him smile.

[Billy Dat]

I didn't know Clinton, but reading Jason's message led me to the lists of his DBR posts. I discovered that we were both watching the Harrison Barnes Skype debacle, and if that doesn't make you DBR kin, I don't know what does. I also saw that most of his posts were in threads unrelated to Duke basketball, which shows that he considered this community a group of his friends. I am generally a critic of how technology, especially the internet and social media, have diminished social skills over time, and not brought people together as much as some claim. But, reading the tributes in this thread clearly demonstrate how close people can become to others that they have never met in person or spoken a word to. My condolences to his family and his close friends in this community.

[Mal]

So, so sorry to hear this. Condolences to his wife and family. To think I may have actually crossed paths with Clinton on opposite sides of a transaction or two, and might now be working with former colleagues of his makes this even a little more haunting.

I echo everything alteran said a few posts above. Cavlaw was one of the most respected, persuasive and highly regarded voices on the PPB back in the day, and remarkably, was in his '20's at the time. A terrible loss.

[allenmurray]

Seemed like Cavlaw always improved a thread when he joined it. .

Very well put. I imagine he improved everything he joined.

[devildeac]

Just checking in after a couple days absence. What sad, sad news to read. You know how well respected a poster/mod is when a number of folks who rarely read/post here anymore are reading and offering their condolences. Truly a great loss for our community and worse for his family. Prayers for his family.

[-bdbd]

Rest in peace Clinton. My sincere condolences to his family and friends.

This is such sad, sad news. Cavlaw will most certainly be missed from this DBR family.

[SupaDave]

Hard to believe he was only 32. He brought a maturity and insight to these boards that was useful to all. I shall celebrate his life. Gone too soon.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Cavlaw's passing has been such a shock, it's taken me several days to frame my thoughts.

First, my prayers are for his family during this time of great sorrow. What a sad loss!

Second, I am reminded that life is so very precious and should not be taken for granted by any of us.

[Mike Corey]

This is truly sad and sorry news.

CavLaw's voice was informed and thoughtful, reasoned and reasonable, his knowledge widespread and his passion clear despite being delivered dispassionately.

The ripple effects of loss extend so far, in the real world and the digital world, that we now mourn without having shook hands with the voices that touched us. Here's hoping we can do our small part in helping to ease this tragedy for CavLaw's wife and family, colleagues and friends, by remembering him fondly here.

[billybreen]

RIP CavLaw. As a fellow old-school PPBer, I always respected and admired his ability to present similar positions to mine while being entirely more reasonable and eloquent. He was a model for us all.

What a terrible tragedy.

[CSMDawgDoc]

Thank you all for your kind words regarding my brother, Clint.

His wife, Susan, our parents, Clint's extended family and his friends continue to receive a good measure of comfort in the outpouring of support from so many people in their recognition of the many contributions Clint made in his short time here with us. We have been following this DBR thread, along with many others "out there" on the internet, and (with the rare exception of the obligatory internet troll) our spirits are lifted and we are grateful for your comments.

I will not repeat the circumstances of his passing, other than to say it was just a damn freak accident while doing one of the things he truly loved in his life. (for those interested I summarized what we know about it at the end of the www.14ers.com thread linked in this DBR thread somewhere around the second post)

Despite my obvious bias, I honestly believe Clint was a special kind of person and deserved the type of reflection and introspection his passing has brought upon all of us who knew him in one way or another.

Susan remarked Clint would have been quite pleased, and humbled, by the comments made here on the DBR, as well as the "shout out" from Mr. Bilas on Twitter, as Clint was a fan of his as both a basketball analyst but also, more importantly to Clint, as a man who sees a bigger picture that athletics and academics should play in life. I sent a note of thanks to Jay for the recognition. To my surprise, he responded back in short order with a thoughtful and earnest reply. It turns out he had been aware of the story for some time, but it was the DBR thread (along with similar ones) and more specifically the positive comments from so many people in the different ways that Clint had some impact or influence on others that lead him to comment himself.

As it turns out in this case, my little brother was right once again (in that he was often a very good judge of character in other people), because Jay is a class act of a human being, as are the large majority of those of you he chose to invest some part of himself in over the years. He loved Duke, loved his years on campus, loved the experience, the people he met while there and continued to stay in close touch with a number of Duke people until the day he died. His "Foxtrot" buddies showed up in Chicago at his Remembrance celebration of life, to the man (and woman), and brought with them yet another measure of comfort to his family. As with many things in his life, he did well in where and whom he chose to surround himself. A testament which reaffirms all that I knew and love about him.

There isn't much more I can say but thank you.


Colin

[JasonEvans]

I will not repeat the circumstances of his passing, other than to say it was just a damn freak accident while doing one of the things he truly loved in his life. (for those interested I summarized what we know about it at the end of the www.14ers.com thread linked in this DBR thread somewhere around the second post)

Here is (http://www.14ers.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=36339&start=84#p434443) Colin's post to 14ers.com. It contains some wonderful memories of Clint and is worth reading, for sure.

-Jason "thanks for sharing with us, Colin... our thoughts are with your family at this time" Evans

[Cameron]

A damn shame. Life can be cruel.

Rest in peace, fellow devil.

[hamster]

All

I cannot thank the DBR community enough for their kind words. I am humbled by how well thought of Clint was, and inspired by the outpouring of support.

Words fail me. There is only gratitude.

Susan

[SupaDave]

All

I cannot thank the DBR community enough for their kind words. I am humbled by how well thought of Clint was, and inspired by the outpouring of support.

Words fail me. There is only gratitude.

Susan

bump

[esporque]

I was very fortunate to have been one of Clint's friends from our first week on east campus until my trip to visit him with a few of our "foxtrot brothers" in Colorado shortly before his passing. Being an engineer and not sharing Clint's talents for the written word, I've struggled to capture and share the many ways in which he touched and enriched my life.

One of the many things we shared over the years was our love of duke basketball. Like most of you here on DBR, we watched nearly every game since we stepped on campus 14 years ago. I also recall, in addition to duke basketball, we both began reading DBR (or it's earlier versions) as freshman. Unlike Clint, I have always been more of a passive reader than contributer here. However, everytime we would talk basketball, without fail, we would end up quoting and debating the latest DBR thread on recruiting or how the offense was running.

The reason we invested our time in the DBR community was both the knowledge and the unique thoughtfullness of the people. The many kind words posted in this thread are prime examples of what sets this community apart from many sports forums. It makes me smile knowing that Clint helped contribute to that unique character as a moderator.

This season will feel empty without our post game rundown. However, when I visit DBR and read one of the many well reasoned and balanced post-game posts, I will undoubtubly think fondly of Clint and for that I thank all of you.

[blazindw]

Thank you all for your kind words regarding my brother, Clint.

His wife, Susan, our parents, Clint's extended family and his friends continue to receive a good measure of comfort in the outpouring of support from so many people in their recognition of the many contributions Clint made in his short time here with us. We have been following this DBR thread, along with many others "out there" on the internet, and (with the rare exception of the obligatory internet troll) our spirits are lifted and we are grateful for your comments.

I will not repeat the circumstances of his passing, other than to say it was just a damn freak accident while doing one of the things he truly loved in his life. (for those interested I summarized what we know about it at the end of the www.14ers.com thread linked in this DBR thread somewhere around the second post)

Despite my obvious bias, I honestly believe Clint was a special kind of person and deserved the type of reflection and introspection his passing has brought upon all of us who knew him in one way or another.

Susan remarked Clint would have been quite pleased, and humbled, by the comments made here on the DBR, as well as the "shout out" from Mr. Bilas on Twitter, as Clint was a fan of his as both a basketball analyst but also, more importantly to Clint, as a man who sees a bigger picture that athletics and academics should play in life. I sent a note of thanks to Jay for the recognition. To my surprise, he responded back in short order with a thoughtful and earnest reply. It turns out he had been aware of the story for some time, but it was the DBR thread (along with similar ones) and more specifically the positive comments from so many people in the different ways that Clint had some impact or influence on others that lead him to comment himself.

As it turns out in this case, my little brother was right once again (in that he was often a very good judge of character in other people), because Jay is a class act of a human being, as are the large majority of those of you he chose to invest some part of himself in over the years. He loved Duke, loved his years on campus, loved the experience, the people he met while there and continued to stay in close touch with a number of Duke people until the day he died. His "Foxtrot" buddies showed up in Chicago at his Remembrance celebration of life, to the man (and woman), and brought with them yet another measure of comfort to his family. As with many things in his life, he did well in where and whom he chose to surround himself. A testament which reaffirms all that I knew and love about him.

There isn't much more I can say but thank you.


Colin


All

I cannot thank the DBR community enough for their kind words. I am humbled by how well thought of Clint was, and inspired by the outpouring of support.

Words fail me. There is only gratitude.

Susan

Our thoughts continue to be with you both and the rest of your family.

[throatybeard]

Clint's obit just came out in the print Spring 2013 Duke Alumni Magazine. It indicates that his widow is also a Duke alum, a year earlier. Oh, I just scrolled up, and she's talked about in this thread.

[ArtVandelay]

Wow, I had not seen this or even heard about it until the bump of this post today. Truly sad news. I had the pleasure of knowing Clint ("Sprint") pretty well in college. We were in the same class and swam together on the Duke swim team for two years. I spent the better part of one year riding with him to 6:00 am practice every morning, which is a good way to get to know a person, believe me. Clint was an extremely nice and intelligent guy, and very generous of his time (and SUV). I can't say I had much interaction with him on this message board (I've mostly been a lurker and usually non-poster over the years), but it sounds like by all accounts, everyone here had the same impression.

Coincidentally, I also went to UVA Law, but we only overlapped for one year, and I only really saw Clint in passing then. We had sort of lost touch by then and unfortunately hadn't kept in touch since. I am very saddened to hear of his passing. Really pretty shocking when that happens to one your peers.

Clint was always a class act and will be remembered as such. RIP, buddy.

[Reisen]

Wow, I don't know how I missed this 3.5 years ago, but somehow I did. I was randomly thinking about Cavlaw a few months ago when I was on a board game buying spree. I reflected on his absence, but figured I just wasn't looking in the right threads or something... We didn't know each other at Duke, but were the same year. RIP.

[OldPhiKap]

Wow, I don't know how I missed this 3.5 years ago, but somehow I did. I was randomly thinking about Cavlaw a few months ago when I was on a board game buying spree. I reflected on his absence, but figured I just wasn't looking in the right threads or something... We didn't know each other at Duke, but were the same year. RIP.

Cavlaw is certainly missed.