I presented an earlier version of this paper at the University of Missouri School of Law Festschrift in honor of Dale A. Whitman (1)--a great teacher, thinker, and legal scholar. As many already know, Dale Whitman is largely responsible for the creation of the new academic discipline focusing on real estate finance law--once primarily the province of business schools, accountants, and economists. Dale's scholarship and writing has had a significant influence and impact on so many of us, including my own interest in teaching and researching in the area of property law and real estate finance. When I look over Dale's lifetime of scholarship, I see several important and recurring themes, including the following:
