From the beginning of freshman year, Roberts told his roommates he planned to study European intellectual history and then go on to be a history professor—although law, he said, was a possibility, too.

But Bush and Ross knew better, and constantly joked with him that he was going to be “a big lawyer,” Bush says.

Bush says that he does not remember exactly when Roberts made his choice. “He talked about possibly pursuing a law career from freshman year, and somewhere it just seemed to have shifted from ‘possibly’ to ‘probably,” Bush says, adding that “even during his last undergraduate year he verbally entertained the possibility of studying history instead of law.”

According to Bush, in the end Roberts turned down a scholarship to Harvard’s Ph.D. program in favor of enrolling at the Harvard Law School (HLS), which he chose over Stanford because, as Bush recalls, his Stanford interviewer wore sandals and no tie.

But despite his strong academic drive, Roberts did have a fun and lighthearted side. “There are some people who are only focused on their studies,” Hirsch says, “and that was not him.”

Hirsch says Roberts was “sociable and friendly,” and a great person to converse with. Bush remembers that although they studied diligently and never partied, they always joked around in their room.

In particular, Bush spoke fondly of “fraise-bagel,” a game that Roberts developed that involved keeping a Nerf football from hitting the ground.

Roberts was also known to his roommates for keeping bottles of Pepto-Bismol constantly within reach.

LEGALLY BOUND

After leaving Leverett in June 1976, Roberts moved north of the Yard to HLS, where he quickly established himself as a star—his grades were impeccable, and he served as managing editor of The Harvard Law Review.

Scherer, who was in Roberts’ first year section, remembers that Roberts, who became a fast friend, thrived at HLS.

“He loved studying law and the rule of law,” says Scherer, “and he’s the smartest guy I’ve ever met.”

In particular, Scherer remembers being frightened when he studied for his first exams at law school with Roberts.

“He was so far ahead of me that I thought I could flunk out of Harvard Law School,” Scherer says. “Fortunately, I realized that he was not just way ahead of me but also way ahead of everyone else.”