Distinguished Service Award Recipients
The Distinguished Service Award is bestowed on graduates of the School of Law who have particularly distinguished themselves and brought recognition to the school through their service to the Washburn University School of Law, the legal profession, their community, or public service.
2011 Distinguished Service Award Recipient
Paul Hoferer, 1975, Topeka, joined the Kansas City office of Lathrop & Gage after retiring as vice president and general counsel for BNSF Railway Company, Fort Worth, Texas, in 2008.
He began his legal career in 1975 when he joined The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway as a trial attorney. He was later promoted to assistant general counsel and managed the regional law office in Topeka. Following the merger of Burlington Northern Railroad and the Santa Fe Railway Company in 1995, he was promoted to assistant vice president-claims and litigation counsel. In 2000, he became general counsel, and in 2002 was named vice president and general counsel.
He served in the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1969 as an infantry platoon leader in Vietnam, where he was awarded the Purple Heart.
He received a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, Missouri, and a juris doctor from Washburn Law. He attended the Institute of Business Economics and Management at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
Hoferer serves on the Washburn University School of Law Board of Governors and is a member of the Dean's Circle. He shares with Washburn Law his business acumen by serving as an advisor to the Business and Transactional Law Center. He and his wife, Jeanne, established the Paul & Jeanne Hoferer Law Scholarship.
See also:
(D indicates Deceased)
- 2011 — Paul Hoferer '75
- 2010 — The Honorable Marla J. Luckert, '80
- 2009 — William D. "Bill" Bunten, '56
- 2008 — D. Duke Dupre '73
- 2007 — Bernard Bianchino '74
- 2006 — H. Allan Caldwell '73
- 2005 — James R. Roth '66
- 2004 — David L. Ryan '65
- 2003 — Delano E. Lewis '63
- 2002 — The Honorable Christel Marquardt '74
- 2001 — Lynn R. Johnson '70
- 2000 — The Honorable Sam A. Crow '52
- 1999 — William Kurtis '66
- 1998 — W. Terrence Kilroy '77
- 1997 — The Honorable E. Newton Vickers (D) '50; Gerald L. Michaud (D) '51
- 1996 — Wayne T. Stratton '58
- 1995 — Harold Herd (D) '42
- 1994 — Richard Hite '53
- 1993 — Glenn Archer (D) '46
- 1992 — Ronald K. Richey '51 (D)
- 1991 — Herbert A. Marshall (D) '43; Patrick F. Kelly (D) '53
- 1990 — No award given
- 1989 — Richard Hrdlicka '55
- 1988 — Bob Abbott (D) '60
- 1987 — Raymond L. Spring (D) '59; Dale E. Saffels (D) '49
- 1986 — Linda Elrod '71
- 1985 — Jim Barnett '59
- 1984 — Mike Barbara '53
- 1983 — Joe Morris '47
- 1982 — Gerald L. Goodell '58
- 1981 — Robert Dole '52
- 1980 — Warren Shaw (D) '31
- 1979 — Perry Owsley (D) '38
- 1978 — Howard Harper (D) '40
- 1977 — Jerome Harman (D) '35
- 1976 — Meyer Ueoka '49
- 1975 — Alex Fromme (D) '39
- 1974 — J.C. Tillotson (D) '32
- 1973 — Jack Wertz (D) '47
- 1972 — Jay Kyle (D) '38
- 1971 — Roy Bartlett (D) '49
- 1970 — D.A. Hindman (D) '27; John Shamberg (D) '49
- 1969 — Donald Moyers (D) '34; Stanley Garrity (D) '27
- 1968 — Earl Hatcher (D) '23
- 1967 — Alex Hotchkiss (D) '27; George Templar (D) '27; Harold Fatzer (D) '33
- 1966 — Phil Lewis (D) '35
- 1965 — Lester Goodell (D) '25
- 1964 — Delmas Hill (D) '29; Howard Jones (D) '28
- 1963 — Marie Russell (D) '25
