WASHBURN VOLUME 48, ISSUE 1 Lawyer FALL 2010 Swearing-in Washburn Law Alumni Sworn in to U.S. Supreme Court WASHBURN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW ALUMNI MAGAZINE DEAN Thomas J. Romig Dear Alumni and Friends: I am pleased to have this opportunity to share with you some of the exciting things happening at Washburn Law. This fall, the law school welcomed the best-credentialed incoming class in our history. The incoming Class of 2010 is comprised of 169 students, including the fall and January 2010 starters. The total number of applications increased signifi cantly, as did the LSAT scores of the admitted students. These improvements were due, in part, to the re-establishment of the Spring Start Program, allowing for recruiting opportunities in two separate cycles. We were able to be more selective than any time in the recent history of the law school. Our recruiting strategy and our use of scholarships have been very effective and enabled us to retain the most talented applicants. We appreciate your support of our scholarship efforts, and with your ongoing assistance, we will be able to continue to recruit the best students. We know that prospective students weigh law school rankings when deciding which school to attend. Washburn Law moved up in the U.S. News and World Report’s 2011 law school rankings, and our Legal Analysis, Research, and Writing Program was ranked 17th among all U.S. law schools. We recognize that legal writing is a critically important skill for successful lawyers, and it is a strength of Washburn Law. We continue to maintain an excellent student-faculty ratio: 12.9 to 1. We have been very successful in our faculty recruitment over the last couple of years. We have been able to hire our top choices, and this has enabled us to maintain and expand our highly qualifi ed faculty. Our Washburn Law Library was ranked number 40 out of nearly 200 law schools by the National Jurist magazine. This ranking is a tribute to the work of our great library staff and legal technology group. Washburn Law continues to compete on a national level, and our current facility plays a role in our ability to recruit the best and brightest students. The law school building, which was built in 1969, does not lend itself well to the changing style of law teaching. We are hard-pressed to fi nd space for current needs, let alone innovate for the future. Classrooms are not suitable for smaller groups of students. Gathering spaces for study and conversation are virtually nonexistent. There are too few faculty offi ces, the library is too small, and because no single venue can accommodate more than 90 people, we can’t have each entering class together in one room. I am happy to announce that, in coordination with the University Vice President, Administration and Treasurer’s offi ce, we are about to engage in an architectural design “charette” process to develop proposed conceptual designs and associated costs both for an expansion of the existing law school building and for a new law school building. We believe this process will likely culminate before May 2011. With your support, we will meet our space challenges and move Washburn Law ahead as a premier leader in legal education and a highly competitive national law school. We believe a new or improved home for the law school will signal to prospective students, faculty, friends and alumni that Washburn continues to offer the highest quality legal education to the people of Kansas and our great nation. We will continue to make you proud of our distinguished law school. Sincerely, Thomas J. Romig Dean and Professor of Law [email protected] LWASHBURNawyer CONTENTS Fall 2010 VOLUME 48, ISSUE 1 FALL 2010 FEATURES DEAN Thomas J. Romig 3-8 40-43 Commencement Advancement EDITORS 3 Class of 2010 Planned Giving Carolyn Barnes Director, Alumni Services Legacies Recent Endowments Honorary Degree Marsha Boswell Director, Marketing Communications 9-11 44-57 Vicki Estes Alumni Association Awards Donor Honor Roll Marketing Assistant Distinguished Service Award PHOTOGRAPHERS 9 Honorary Life Membership Award Carolyn Barnes Lifetime Achievement Awards Bruce Mathews, Mathews Communications Martin E. Wisneski 34-39 DESIGNER ON THE COVER: Pam Besler Kaufman, Create, Inc. Supreme Court Swearing-in Ceremony UPDATE YOUR ADDRESS: 34 E-mail: [email protected] Phone: (785) 670-1011 CONTACT US: We welcome your comments to this publication. Please write, telephone, e-mail, or visit our website. Letters to the editor and news of jobs, honors, weddings, anniversaries, and births are always welcome. Please include your name, class year, address, and daytime telephone number. SIGNATURE PROGRAMS IN EVERY ISSUE Letters to the editor may be edited for length and clarity. 12 Centers for Excellence 2 President’s Letter Center for Law and Government 29 In Memoriam Center for Excellence in Advocacy 30 Class Actions WRITE TO: 58 Editor: Washburn Lawyer Children and Family Law Center Faculty News Washburn University School of Law Business and Transactional Law Center 64 Alumni News and Events Alumni Services 24 Washburn Law Clinic 70 Upcoming Events 1700 SW College Ave. 26 Externship Program Topeka, KS 66621 Telephone: (785) 670-2013 Fax: (785) 670-3249 E-mail: [email protected] LEGAL BRIEFS Web: www.washburnlaw.edu/alumni/ 27 Professional Development 28 Fall 2010 Entering Class 29 Legal Writing Program Ranked 17th Washburn Lawyer is published twice yearly by Washburn University School of Law, Topeka, Kan. Opinions expressed and positions advocated herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily 20 represent the policies of the school. © 2010 Washburn University School of Law. All rights reserved. WASHBURN LAWYER | FALL 2010 | 1 PRESIDENT’S LETTER Alumni Association s my two-year term as president of the Washburn University School Aof Law Alumni Association gets under way, it has been impossible for me to avoid thinking of the amazing changes that have occurred during these many years since I graduated. When I began my studies at PRESIDENT Washburn Law in the summer of 1965, the school’s enrollment was 149, led by Dean John Howe, one librarian, eight full-time professors, and 20 Winton M. Hinkle, ’68 adjunct lecturers. The school was housed in the small Carnegie building. Washburn University A year later, Carnegie was gone with the wind and replaced by eight School of Law trailers, which were later replaced by our present-day building in 1969. Alumni Association While today’s building has undergone substantial additions in 1978 and 1992, plus several remodeling projects over the years, it now appears to OFFICERS Winton M. Hinkle, ’68, President be at peak capacity. This poses a serious concern. Wichita Paul R. Hoferer, ’75, President-Elect This fall the law school welcomed an entering class of 169 students, Topeka Sabrina Standifer, ’99, Vice President thereby bringing the total number of law students to 453. The faculty Wichita and staff consists of Dean Thomas J. Romig, three associate deans, 34 Ward Loyd, ’68, Treasurer full-time and visiting professors, eight librarians, more than 50 adjunct Topeka Jeffrey D. Jackson, ’92, Secretary instructors, and 36 staff members. The breadth and depth of the Lawrence, Kan. course offerings, Clinic, Centers for Excellence, and other programs are Stephen W. Cavanaugh, ’80, Past President staggering. And, the faculty is now continuously engaged in a strategic Topeka Steven G. Cooper, ’73, Foundation President planning process to develop and implement improvements in every Manhattan, Kan. aspect of the law school’s programming. William D. Bunten, ’56, Foundation Treasurer Topeka The history of Washburn has been a story of challenges met and BOARD OF GOVERNORS challenges overcome. The limitations of the present building offer yet TERM ENDING JUNE 30, 2011 another challenge. The university has completed a year-long strategic Christina I. Apperson, ’97, Chapel Hill, N.C. Saul Nikar Arceo, ’94, Richardson, Texas planning process, and one of the principal conclusions is the need to Marck R. Cobb, ’89, Galva, Kan. examine how to improve the facilities for the law school. Many of us Richmond M. Enochs, ’63, Shawnee Mission, Kan. rightfully share a great debt of gratitude to the law school because of the Eric S. Heath, ’96, San Francisco, Calif. impact it has had on our lives, and the opportunity to repay what we can John D. Jurcyk, ’84, Fairway, Kan. Kelly K. Mahoney, ’02, Boone, Iowa of that debt is approaching. Terry L. Mann, ’86, Wichita Stephen L. Martino, ’02, Baltimore, Md. Financial support is only one of many ways the alumni can support Carol Duffy McDowell, ’75, Topeka Manuel B. Mendoza, ’58, Bloomington, Ill. and participate in the law school’s long-term growth and development. Linda S. Parks, ’83, Wichita You are invited to learn more about those opportunities by contacting Calvin K. Williams, ’78, Colby, Kan. Carolyn Barnes, director of Alumni Services at (785) 670-2013 or TERM ENDING JUNE 30, 2012 [email protected]. Dana E. Brewer, ’77, Concordia, Kan. John R. Dietrick, ’84, Topeka Sincerely, Thomas A. Loftus, ’80, Houston, Texas Lynn S. McCreary, ’94, Brookfi eld, Wis. Frank C. Norton, ’56, Salina, Kan. Timothy P. O’Sullivan, ’75, Wichita Cailin M. Ringelman, ’02, Southlake, Texas Keith L. Roberts, ’80, Woodbridge, Va. James C. Slattery, ’75, Topeka and McLean, Va. M. Kathryn Webb, ’83, Wichita Angel R. Zimmerman, ’06, Topeka 2 | FALL 2010 | WWW.WASHBURNLAW.EDU CLASS OF 2010 Washburn University School of Law th 105 Commencement he 105th Washburn University School of Law TCommencement was held on the evening of Saturday, May 15, in Lee Arena, on the Washburn campus. The Kansas Territorial Pipes and Drums, Topeka, led the processional with Professor Jeffrey D.