there is regrettably only one jon paul stevens. he may in fact be the only person that has ever shared a stage with two of my other personal heroes, for thurgood marshall and bob dylan. he wasn't playing in the band. he was awarded the presidential medal of freedom. justice stevens has valiantly served as the nation for over 70 years earning a star in world war ii. president nixon nominated him to the u.s. court of appeals for the second circuit and after he was nominated by president ford to the united states supreme court he served over 34 years, the third longest tenure in american history. upon his retirement in 2010, the commentator argued convincingly that justice stevens was the greatest associate supreme court justice in american history. in light of the numerous and diverse areas of law in which his left in a profound mark. and in addition to the wisdom expressed in his opinions, his writing is a model of clarity and elegance and wait. -- whit. he inspires us to strive for a more perfect nation and to do so with a civility