Alan R.A. Merson
Alan Merson, a native of Ellon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland delivered the
Immortal Memory at the Robert Burns Supper on January 26, 2002 at the
Seventh Regiment Armory, New York City. At 24 years of age, he may be
the youngest presenter in 145 years since the New York Caledonian Club
has held this annual event. He became interested in Burns through his
father, a Burns scholar and frequent speaker in northeast Scotland.
Merson attended Glasgow University School of Law and received the Saint
Andrew's Society of the State of New York Scholarship in January 2000.
While at Glasgow University, he followed his interests in debating and
represented the university at the World Debating Championships in
Sydney in 2000. Just two weeks ago [Jan., 2002], he represented New
York University School of Law at the World Debating Championships in
Toronto. He won the tournament, beating 228 teams from 90 universities
in 30 countries. This was only the third time a US team had won the
competition in its 22 year history. In May 2002 Alan will complete his
Masters (LLM) in International Legal Studies at NYU School of Law. He
is currently interning part-time at the United Nations while studying,
courtesy of the Fulbright Scholarship Program, a joint initiative
between the United States and the United Kingdom. Alan Merson currently
practices law in London, England.