It’s sad the way two men’s paths can go into totally different directions. While John Roberts enjoys his post as U.S. Chief Justice, one of his classmates haunts downtown Washington.

You’d have trouble finding a more decorated homeless man than Alfred Postell.

Alfred Postell graduated from Harvard Law School in 1979, he holds three degrees: one in accounting, one in economics, and one in law. He worked at a respected law firm, Shaw Pittman Potts & Trowbridge. He was doing well.

Sadly these days he suffers from Schizophrenia, has been arrested for unlawful entry on many times and can be seen shuffling around downtown. Sometimes his stories are elegant, sometimes jumbled. He knows the man he once was but also has delusions, saying at one point he worked on a cotton field.

This is an incredibly sad fall from grace and shows just how the grip of mental illness can pull even the strong down into the gutter.

His mother has been trying to scrape money together to get him off the street but she lives in poor conditions herself. Luckily earlier this year he was just starting to get some help with his illness and maybe there is hope for a respectful life for him yet.

If you know anything of this man’s current condition we would love to hear from you.

Read more of his sad yet incedible story in the Washington Post here.