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Alumni News


Recent Alumni Notes

Items were received or collected between May 1 and Oct. 16, 2009. Alumni news items may be submitted by e-mail to patti@ku.edu or by clicking here and filling out the form. We rely on our alumni for the accuracy of information submitted.

1950s

J. Eugene Balloun, L’54, received the Alliance for Children and Families’ National Family Week Advocacy Award in May. The award is presented to individuals who significantly contribute to state and local advocacy efforts on behalf of vulnerable children and families. In honoring Balloun, the organization recognized his more than 10-year commitment to supporting TLC, as well as his more than 20-year commitment to helping foster families throughout the Kansas City area. Balloun is a partner in the Kansas City, Mo., office of Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP.

1960s

Morgan Metcalf, L’65, became the 35th Paul Harris Fellow in the El Dorado Rotary Club at its June 24 meeting. The fellowship honors service to Rotary, profession, community and military. Metcalf served three years in the U.S. Naval Reserves (1965-1968) and as a lieutenant in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) division. He served as Butler County attorney during his legal career and later became a district court judge. Metcalf continues to be active in his community, where he is a member of the Trinity Episcopal Church, president of the Friends of Bradford Memorial Library, and serves on the boards of the El Dorado Community Concert Association and the El Dorado branch of the YMCA. He is also a life member of the KU Alumni Association. Metcalf is the only Rotarian to serve two terms as president of the El Dorado club, with his most recent term being from 2006 to 2007. He has participated in numerous Rotary projects and regularly attends the meetings.

Donald A. Johnston, L’66, is a recipient of the University of Kansas Alumni Association 2009 Fred Ellsworth Medallion. He was honored for his service to the university at a private dinner in September in Lawrence. Johnston is executive vice president of Intrust Bank’s Northeast Kansas region.

Judge J. C. Irvin, L’67, Shenandoah, Iowa, retired from his full-time duties in the Fourth Judicial District Court in September. Irvin will still preside over the court as a senior judge and will continue to hear court cases periodically over the next couple of years. He was appointed to the court in 1980 and began hearing cases in 1981. Irvin said he was looking forward to having more free time to pursue his interests in photography and travel.

1970s

Lawrence E. (Larry) Meyers, L’73, is the longest serving judge on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. He was elected to the court in 1992 and was the first Republican and Court of Appeals justice to be elected to the court, having previously served as an associate justice on the Second Court of Appeals in Fort Worth from 1989 to 1992. During 20 years on the bench, Meyers has authored the second most appellate opinions in Texas, including Elizondo v. State of Texas, which recognized for the first time in non-death penalty cases the concept of “actual innocence.” Meyers will run for re-election in the March Republican primary and, if successful, would stand for re-election in November. He is board certified in criminal law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and currently serves as the board’s director and test commissioner in criminal law. He is also a court liaison to the State Bar of Texas’ board of directors.

Paul T. Moxley, L’73, has been selected as the Distinguished Lawyer of the Year for 2009 by the Utah State Bar. Moxley has also been appointed to the American Bar Association Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary. He will serve a three-year term focusing on complex civil litigation and white-collar crime. Moxley practices with the law firm of Parsons Kinghorn Harris in Salt Lake City.

Deana S. Peck, L’75, was one of 152 attorneys from the national law firm of Quarles & Brady selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2010. Peck is in the firm’s Phoenix office and practices in the areas of antitrust law and commercial litigation.

Mary Kathleen Babcock, L’76, is with the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas. She was ordained a transitional deacon in the Episcopal Church in June and is to be ordained to the priesthood in 2010.

Ronald M. Johnson, L’76, has joined the Washington, D.C., office of Jones Day as a partner in the firm’s labor and employment practice. Johnson is a nationally prominent labor and employment lawyer representing railroads in litigation and regulatory matters, and is one of the leading Railway Labor Act practitioners in the country.

Ross Hollander, L’76, has been selected as one of the country’s most outstanding labor and employment lawyers by Chambers USA 2009. Inclusion in Chambers USA is based on the publication’s independent interviews with both lawyers and clients — with greater emphasis given to client evaluations. Hollander enters the 2009 list “due to his excellent track record and commendable feedback from clients,” according to Chambers USA. Hollander is a partner and shareholder in the Wichita firm of Joseph & Hollander, PA, where his practice focuses primarily on employment law, acting for either plaintiff or defense in discrimination and unlawful discharge cases.

Robert M. Fillmore, L’77, has been appointed justice of the Fifth Court of Appeals by Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Fillmore’s term will expire at the next general election. The court presides over Hunt, Kaufman, Dallas, Colin, Rockwall and Grayson counties and handles appeals in all civil, family and criminal cases.

Julie Levin, L’77, of Legal Aid of Western Missouri in Kansas City has been named the 2009 Kutak-Dodds Prize winner by the National Legal Aid and Defender Association. The award goes to one legal aid attorney nationally every year whose work has promoted the enhancement of human dignity and quality of life for people unable to afford legal representation. Levin was awarded the prize for her groundbreaking work in transforming public housing in Kansas City, Mo.

Jan Sheldon, L’77, professor of applied behavioral science and courtesy professor of law, received a KU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ J. Michael Young Academic Advisor Award. The award honors exemplary advising by a faculty member in each of the three divisions of the College: humanities, natural sciences and social sciences.

David L. Wing, L’78, as been elected as a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. Election as a Fellow is the highest recognition by ones colleagues of sustained outstanding performance in the profession, exemplifying integrity, dedication and excellence. Wing is a partner at Spencer Fane Britt & Browne LLP in Kansas City.

1980s

Irma Russell, L’80, a national leader in environmental and energy law and professional responsibility, became the first female dean at the University of Montana School of Law in July. Russell was a visiting professor at KU Law for the spring 2009 semester.

Wendell W. Wurst, L’80, of Garden City, has been appointed as a district judge of Kansas’ 25th Judicial District by Gov. Mark Parkinson. Wurst began his career as an attorney at the Calihan Law Firm in Garden City, where he has remained a top attorney for nearly three decades. Wurst practiced in the areas of insurance defense, personal injury, workers’ compensation, criminal law and domestic litigation. He and his wife, Rhonda, have three grown children and are the proud grandparents of a 1-year-old grandson.

Anne E. Burke, L’81, of Manson & Karbank, Overland Park, was elected chair of the Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission in a statewide election. The commission is charged with the responsibility for evaluating applicants for vacancies on the Kansas Court of Appeals and the Kansas Supreme Court. Burke is the seventh chairperson of the commission and its first female chair. The chair is selected by a statewide vote of all lawyers practicing in Kansas.

Mark B. Knowles, L’81, has joined the Dallas law firm of Shackelford, Melton & McKinley LLP, where he is of counsel and will work in the firm’s banking, corporate and public finance, bankruptcy, energy, and real estate groups. In addition to his legal practice, Knowles currently serves on the Legal Opinions Committee for the State Bar of Texas Business Law Section.

Bill Colby, L’82, has become general counsel of Truman Medical Center. He was previously a senior fellow at the Center for Practical Bioethics. Colby represented the family of Nancy Cruzan, who lapsed into a persistent vegetative state after a car accident in January 1983. Four years later, her parents sought to have the feeding tubes that kept her alive removed. The case eventually went to the U.S. Supreme Court. After evidence was offered that Cruzan would not have wanted to live “like a vegetable,” the tubes were removed and she died 11 days later. Colby wrote a book about the case and another that addresses end-of-life issues. Colby’s plea before the court ultimately led to the federal constitutional right by patients to refuse unwanted medical treatment.

Brig. Gen. Clyde J. “Butch” Tate, L’82, has been selected for promotion to the rank of Major General in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps and appointment as Deputy Judge Advocate General. Tate and his wife, Lynn, live in Fort Belvoir, Va.

U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, L’83, received Kansas State University’s College of Agriculture 2009 Distinguished Alumnus Award. Brownback earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from K-State in 1979. He has been actively engaged in re-opening U.S. beef trade in Asia and increasing markets for Kansas agriculture products. He is also encouraging measures to protect American farmers and food supplies, promoting new energy sources and biotechnologies, and working to revitalize the rural heartland
with tax incentives and job creation.

Timothy M. O’Brien, L’83, was sworn in as president of the Kansas Bar Association in June at the KBA Board of Governors meeting during the association’s annual meeting in Overland Park. O’Brien is the clerk for the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas. Prior to joining the court in 2008, he was a partner at the law firm of Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP at its offices in Overland Park and Kansas City, Mo.

Michele Ticknor Gildner, L’84, and Gary Gildner were married in May. They make their home in Idaho’s Clearwater Mountains.

Janet Murguia, L’85, received the Kansas and Western Missouri ACLU’s Kurtenbach Racial Justice Award at the Liberty Awards Dinner in October. Murguia is president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza in Washington, D.C.

Scott J. Bloch, L’86, is a partner with Tarone & McLaughlin LLP in Washington, D.C., and a principal with SmithBloch PLCC in Kansas City, practicing in complex litigation, class actions, employment and government contracts law.

Paula E. Drungole, L’86, was appointed youth court judge, Oktibbeha County, Starkville, Miss., in July.

Robert P. Harris, L’87, was one of 152 attorneys from the national law firm of Quarles & Brady selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2010. Harris is in the firm’s Phoenix office and practices in the areas of bankruptcy and creditor-debtor rights law.

Mark Bannister, L’88, has become dean of the College of Business at Fort Hays State University. He remains a senior policy fellow at the Docking Institute of Public Affairs and teaches and writes on technology and telecommunications legal issues. For the last 10 years, he has been chair of the department of information networking and telecommunications at Fort Hays State University.

Kathy Greenlee, L’88, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on June 24 to be the new assistant secretary for aging at the Department of Health and Human Services. She will work closely with secretary Kathleen Sebelius, former governor of Kansas, who appointed Greenlee to head the Kansas Department of Aging in 2006. Sebelius said of Greenlee, “I am pleased the Senate has confirmed her today as assistant secretary of aging. She will be an outstanding advocate for older Americans across the country and a valued leader at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.”

1990s

Larry Swall, L’90, was recently honored by the Missouri Bar Association as the recipient of two prestigious awards: the 2009 Roger Krumm Family Law Practitioner of the Year Award and the Missouri Bar President’s Award for excellence in the practice of law. Swall was the first and only executive director of the MARCH Mediation Program in Missouri. He was involved in starting and building the Missouri Bar Family Law Conference and was a founding member and past president of the Missouri Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. He is currently chair of the Missouri Bar Family Law Section.

John T. Bullock, L’91, Lawrence, has joined Stevens & Brand LLP as a partner. His areas of concentration will be commercial litigation, real estate and construction, regulated industries, constitutional rights, and personal injury. Bullock was previously a partner in the law firm of Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass LLP San Francisco, Calif.

Kurt Level, L’92, has returned to Wichita and Koch, where he is associate general counsel for labor and employment, Koch Companies Public Sector LLC. Level moved to Las Vegas in November 2008. He reports that he is happy to be back in Kansas, where it is far more convenient to watch the KU football and basketball games than it was in Las Vegas. Kurt, his wife, Elaine, and their two children live in Andover.

R. Patrick Riordan, L’92, is practicing with the newly formed law firm of Riordan, Fincher & Munson PA in Topeka. He is specializing in commercial litigation, business and banking, and contracts.

Kyle Elliott, L’93, was appointed chairman of the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corp. at its June board of directors meeting. Elliott is with the law firm of Spencer Fane Britt & Browne LLP in Kansas City, Mo.

Harry H. Herington Jr., L’93, has embarked on a mission to raise awareness of the dangers that law enforcement officers face and the sacrifices made by the families of fallen officers. Herington was a law enforcement officer in Midland, Texas, and Wichita prior to attending law school. He is currently CEO of Olathe-based NIC Inc., which manages Web sites and online services for more than 3,000 government agencies in 23 states. A combination of his work-related visits to state capitals, his respect for law enforcement officers and his purchase of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle led Herington to come up with the idea for a nationwide ride: Ride4Cops. He plans to ride his motorcycle to each state capital over the next three years. He began his ride in July in Texas and has since visited five capitals, including Topeka. You can follow the progress of Herington’s nationwide ride at www.ride4cops.com.

Brandee L. Caswell, L’98, a partner in the Denver office of Faegre & Benson LLP, has been honored as a prestigious “Forty Under 40” recipient by the Denver Business Journal. The award highlights business leaders under the age of 40 whose professional and community contributions are shaping the future of the Denver area. Caswell was recognized for her business leadership, accomplishments and community involvement.

Blake H. Reeves, L’98, has been selected as an “Up and Coming Lawyer” for 2009 by Missouri Lawyers Weekly. Reeves is a senior associate at Polsinelli Shughart, where he is in the Kansas City firm’s health care litigation practice.

Patrick Johnson, L’99, and wife, Kristan Bina, are pleased to announce the birth of their son, Seth Patrick Johnson, in September 2008. They make their home in Austin, Texas.

2000s

Darron C. Farha, L’01, Valparaiso, Ind., joined Valparaiso University’s senior leadership team as vice president and its first university general counsel in the fall of 2009. Farha has extensive experience addressing legal issues in a higher education setting. He was general counsel for Pittsburg State University in Kansas for six years prior to joining Valparaiso. As chief legal counsel, Farha will work closely with the president, board of directors and university administrators on law-related and policymaking issues affecting the institution. He will also have supervisory responsibilities over compliance, risk management and internal auditing functions within Valparaiso University.

Jarod Goff, L’01, has been named a member of Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice LLC, Kansas City, Mo. Goff practices in the areas of aviation, toxic tort, product liability defense, trucking defense, premises liability, civil litigation and complex commercial litigation.

Christopher P. Sobba, L’01, has been selected as an “Up and Coming Lawyer” for 2009 by Missouri Lawyers Weekly. Sobba is a partner at Polsinelli Shughart, where he is in the Kansas City firm’s construction litigation practice.

Andrew Steinberg, L’01, is the new vice president-revenue for the Kansas City Wizards. Steinberg will oversee all aspects of revenue generation and brand development for the Wizards. The previous seven years, he was with the University of Kansas athletics department, most recently as the associate athletics director for marketing and revenue development. He is a member of the State Bar of Kansas and the U.S. Federal District Court for Kansas.

Tim Glassco, L’02, has accepted a position as principal at the Podesta Group, the fastest-growing public policy firm in Washington, D.C.

Jennifer Knapp Riggs, L’02, and Peter Riggs, L’04, welcomed their second daughter, Riley Elizabeth, in December 2008. Jennifer is practicing with Shook, Hardy & Bacon. Peter left private practice to work for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission in Kansas City, Mo.

John E. Rapp, L’03, graduated from the National College for DUI Defense at Harvard in July. Rapp is practicing with Hulnick, Stang & Rapp in Wichita.

Malissa L. (Hawn) Walden, L’03, and Cassie Pfannenstiel Rodriguez, L’04, opened a new law firm, Walden & Pfannenstiel LLC, in October. The firm is located in Lenexa and is concentrating on bankruptcy, estate planning and domestic issues.

Muneer Ahmad, L’04, is an associate with Riling, Burkhead & Nitcher Chtd. in Lawrence.

Marcos Barbosa, L’04, has been named a member of Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice LLC, Kansas City, Mo. Barbosa practices in the areas of product liability, general civil and commercial litigation, as well as toxic tort litigation.

Brooke Robinson Yoder, L’05, completed her work with the John McCain 2008 campaign in June. She served as the lead advance
representative for Cindy McCain. Yoder traveled with the campaign, organized and executed political and financial events for the senator and his wife, and served as a liaison to congressional surrogates, state and local party officials, and senior staff. She played a role in major events such as the Presidential Debates, foreign travel and the Republican National Convention.

Aidan Loveland Koster, JD/MPA ’06, and her husband, Dr. Chris Koster, welcomed their second child, Claire Edwyna Koster, in April. Claire joins an older sister, Emma, 5. The Kosters recently relocated from Kansas City, Kan., to Great Bend, where Aidan is executive director of Central Kansas CASA (20th Judicial District), and Chris is a pediatrician with the Great Bend Children’s Clinic.

Sean O’Hara, L’06, and Amy O’Hara are proud to announce the birth of a baby girl, Ellen Ann, in August in Scottsdale, Ariz. Sean is an associate with the law firm of Snell & Wilmer LLP.

David C. Roby, L’06, joined the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Programs Branch, in Washington, D.C., as part of the Attorney General’s Honors Program.

Xiaomeng Zhang, L’06, recently graduated from the University of Michigan School of Information and is now a reference librarian at the University of Michigan Law Library.

Michael Payne, L’07, and wife, Brooke, are pleased to announce the birth of their first child, daughter Beatrix June, in May. Michael is practicing with Otis, Coan & Peters LLC in Greeley, Colo.

Liz Rogers, L’07, is practicing with the law firm of Manson & Karbank in Overland Park.

Amanda S. Vogelsberg, L’07, has joined the law firm of Henson, Hutton, Mudrick & Gragson LLP in Topeka as an associate attorney.
Vogelsberg practices in the areas of general civil litigation, employment discrimination, landlord and tenant law, personal injury, corporate law and criminal law.

Luke P. Sinclair, L’08, is practicing with the newly formed law firm of Riordan, Fincher & Munson PA in Topeka. His practice areas include general civil, contracts and commercial law.

Daniel Yoza, L’08, and Natalie Stoker, L’07, were married in August. Yoza is an assistant revisor with the office of the Kansas Revisor
of Statutes. Stoker is a clerk for Kansas Supreme Court Justice Dan Biles. Yoza reports that he and Stoker first met at an SBA-sponsored Halloween party.

Trinia Arellano, L’09, has been selected to serve as the first fellow to KU Law’s Family Health Care Legal Services Clinic. The post-graduate fellowship program was established with a three-year grant from the Sunflower Foundation of Topeka to enable the law school to participate in efforts to expand and enhance the medical-legal partnership model in Kansas.

Brian Hardouin, L’09, Broomfield, Colo., and Kim Duensing are pleased to announce their engagement. They met while attending graduate school at KU and returned to the Broomfield area following their wedding in August.

Beau Jackson, L’09, is practicing with the law firm of Adduci, Mastriani & Schaumberg LLP in Washington, D.C.

Charles Daniel Miller, L’09, is practicing with The Law Offices of Smith Coonrod LLC in Overland Park.

Daniel Moskowitz, L’09, accepted a position at Schulman, Treem, Kamikow and Gilden PC in Baltimore, Md.

In Memoriam

Thomas E. Allen, L’55, La Quinta, Calif., June 15, 2009
Richard L. Ankerholz, L’54, Lyons, Kan., July 9, 2009
William A. Bonwell Jr., L’52, Wichita, Kan., Sept. 1, 2009
Charles A. Chartier, L’63, Denver, Colo., June 17, 2009
Elmer E. Harvey, L’48, Duluth, Minn., May 28, 2009
Gerald E. Hertach, L’71, Kansas City, Mo., July 20, 2009
Walter Hiersteiner, Shawnee Mission, Kan., May 2, 2009
Dick R. Jones, L’62, Wichita, Kan., Oct. 13, 2009
The Hon. Harold B. “Hal” Malone, L’58, Wichita, Kan., May 5, 2009
Deanna L. “Dea” Lieber, L’98, Lawrence, Kan., July 17, 2009
Robert H. Miller, L’43, Topeka, Kan., Sept. 9, 2009
David W. Norburg, L’91, Leawood, Kan., Aug. 6, 2009
Max C. Opperman, L’89, Topeka, Kan., May 17, 2009
John E. Scurlock, L’45, Kansas City, Mo., Sept. 5, 2009
Jack C. Stewart, L’52, Wichita, Kan., July 12, 2009
Redford J. Wedel, L’55, Springfield, Va., July 28, 2009