Burrus "Buzz" Carnahan, a dedicated educator, passed away on September 9, 2022, at the age of 78.
Professor Carnahan proudly served in the United States Air Force as a Judge Advocate from 1969 to 1989, specializing in international law and retiring with the rank of Lt. Colonel. His service included a tour of duty as Associate Professor of Law at the US Air Force Academy from 1974-1978. Mr. Carnahan was the first recipient of the Outstanding Academy Educator, receiving this award in 1977, an award that is presented to the Department of Law educator who best embodies the model of Teaching, Service, and Scholarship, from the perspective of both faculty and cadets. This honor is viewed as one of the two highest honors a faculty member can receive while assigned to the Dean of Faculty at USAFA. During his military career, Mr. Carnahan also served in the Air Staff and Joint Staff in the Pentagon, participating in International Negotiations on arms control.
Professor Carnahan served as an Adjunct Professor at GW Law where he dedicated 25 years of his life, and recently received the "Dedication in Teaching" award on May 10, 2022. Before passing away, he was teaching a course on the Law of War at GW Law for which he created the syllabus and course materials. Along with another Adjunct Professor, he had previously taught a course on The Law of Non-Proliferation, Counter-Terrorism and Arms Control Law. He was recognized by his colleagues as having made a transformative difference in the legal education of generations of students there. "Professorial Lecturer Buzz Carnahan impacted generations of law students and was one of the key adjunct professors in the law school's national security program. His passing is being deeply felt by our students and faculty alike," said Aram A. Gavoor, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
Professor Carnahan was the author of two books: “Act of Justice: Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and the Law of War” (2007) and “Lincoln on Trial: Southern Civilians and the Law of War.” (2010) Both books were published by the University Press of Kentucky and analyzed how President Lincoln applied international law precedents to the conduct of the American Civil War. "Professorial Lecturer in Law Carnahan, a retired Air Force Officer and Department of State Foreign Affairs Officer, was also an esteemed book author who created and taught key national security law courses including Arms Control and Law of War. He made tremendous contributions to our programs and will be missed by the GW Law community, said Lisa M. Schenck, Associate Dean for National Security, Cybersecurity, and Foreign Relations Law.
Professor Carnahan was born on May 2, 1944. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Government at Drake University, earned a JD from Northwestern University cum laude in Political Science, and earned a Master of Laws (LLM) in International law and Legal Stujdies from the University of Michigan Law School. He is survived by his wife of 22 years, Lucinda "Cindy" Stewart, his children, Dr. Jennifer Carnahan (Julia VanDeren) and Ms. Erin Belenky, his granddaughter, Ms. Ada Carnahan-VanDeren, and his cat, Blackie. He is also survived by Mr. Carnahan's first wife, Cheryl "Kay" Carnahan, mother of Jennifer and Erin and grandmother of Ada.
A full obituary can be found here.