The lawyers, judges, WVU officials, business leaders and members of the general public in attendance were treated to humorous stories, photographs and jokes about Professor Hardesty, after which the Professor had the opportunity to respond in kind. The food and the facilities at the Erickson Alumni Center received great praise.

As advertised, it was a Good Time for a Good Cause!

LUNCH AND LAUGHS SPONSORS

The Lunch and Laughs program received outstanding support and participation by a diverse group of lawyers, law offices, businesses, individuals and organizations. These entities demonstrated their commitment to philanthropic activities, including providing the opportunity for numerous WVU Law School students to attend this excellent endeavor.

The Sponsors, who are to be commended for their good work, are:

J. F. ALLEN COMPANY
BOWLES, RICE, MCDAVID, GRAFF AND LOVE

CHESAPEAKE ENERGY
CONSOL ENERGY

JACKSON KELLY
McNEER, HIGHLAND, McMUNN AND VARNER
STEPTOE AND JOHNSON
UNITED BANK
WATERFRONT PLACE HOTEL
STEVEN F. WHITE, ESQ.
WV BAR FOUNDATION
WVU HEALTHCARE
WVU PRESIDENT’S OFFICE
WVU COLLEGE OF LAW
JOANNE AND HANK BARNETTE, ESQ.
JUDY AND ROB FISHER, ESQ.
GLENMARK HOLDING

LUNCH AND LAUGHS ROASTERS

The Roasters for the Lunch and Laughs event on October 7 provided the perfect mix of laugh out loud jokes, humorous stories and funny personal anecdotes involving the honored “roastee”, Professor David Hardesty. U.S. District Court Judge Irene Keeley talked about the Professor’s early years in Shinnston, WVU Law School Professor and former Dean John Fisher related the origins of the Hardesty family and Charleston attorney Tom Heywood showed photos from throughout the Professor’s professional career.

Professor Hardesty responded by suggesting that the roasters should be considered as honored roastees in the future and that he would be more than pleased to serve as a roaster at those events.

Bar Foundation President Joe Long (Bluefield) gave welcoming remarks at the beginning of the lunch.

With his well known quick wit, Law School Professor Emeritus Forest “Jack” Bowman served as a superb Master of Ceremonies.

The premiere public broadcast of the highly anticipated documentary film, “A Living Monument-West Virginia’s Courthouses”, will occur on Wednesday, June 8, 2011, at 8:00 PM on the WV Public Broadcasting System television stations in the state. This excellent film depicts the history and the important impact that our county courthouses have had on the lives of our citizens, our 55 counties and our justice system. The WV Association of Counties spearheaded this project in collaboration with the WV Courthouse Facilities Improvement Authority, WV Public Broadcasting and the Walkabout Company. The Bar Foundation was pleased to provide grants for the production and the distribution of this important documentary.

MONONGALIA COUNTY CHILD ADVOCACY CENTER

Recently, the Bar Foundation’s Grants Committee and Board of Directors approved a grant to the Monongalia County Child Advocacy Center in Morgantown. In a letter from the agency’s Executive Director, Laura Capage, Ph.D., she stated that–”this grant will enable us to offer free behavioral therapy sessions to young victims of child abuse and neglect in Monongalia County. These services are essential in helping victims become children again.” In 2010, the agency served over 400 clients and anticipates serving more in 2011.

JUST FOR KIDS

The Just for Kids organization in Beckley received a grant from the Bar Foundation recently. Scott Miller, the Executive Director, sent a personal note which said–”This grant will allow us to provide Stewards of Children training to a wider audience in the three counties that we serve. Your support will help us in our effort to significantly reduce the incidence of child sexual abuse in Southern West Virginia.” The Grants Committee and Board of Directors approved this “generous grant”, as Executive Director Miller characterized it in his note.

Charles M. Love, III (Charleston) and Robert M. Steptoe, Jr. (Clarksburg) were presented
with the Justitia Officium Awards during the commencement and hooding ceremonies at the WVU College of Law earlier this month. The Justitia Officium Award, established in 1978, recognizes outstanding contributions and service to the legal profession and is the highest honor the College of Law bestows on an individual. Both of them have provided their leadership skills to the Bar Foundation and they have both been selected as Bar Foundation Fellows
in the past. They are pictured above with Law School Dean Joyce McConnell, also a Bar Foundation Fellow, with Charles Love on the left and Robert  Steptoe on the right.

GRANTS COMMITTEE

During its meeting this past week, the Bar Foundation’s Grants Committee took action to continue the significant progress that has occurred in the past few years. Since the grantmaking process was initiated in 2004, the Bar
Foundation’s Board of Directors will have reviewed and generated more than $118,000 in funding to improve the administration of justice and the provision of legal services to the state’s citizens. Once the Board approves the
Committee’s recommendations at its upcoming quarterly meeting in June, more than $100,00 of that amount will have been dispersed in just the past three years. The grants application form and information is located on the
Bar Foundation’s website—wvbarfoundation.org

NEW MEMBER

The Bar Foundation is very pleased to announce that James M. Brown (Beckley) has become the newest Regular Member of the organization.

MEMORIAL CONTRIBUTION-
Bar Foundation Lifetime Member Judge Edwin Flowers (Morgantown) and his wife, Ellie, a retired longtime leader at the WVU College of Law, have made a generous contribution to support the programs and activities of the Bar Foundation in memory of Mary Pat Steptoe, the wife of Bob Steptoe (Clarksburg), the first President of the organization. The funds will be utilized for grants to worthwhile charitable West Virginia organizations to improve the administration of justice and the provision of legal services to the state’s citizens. Donations to the Bar Foundation are tax deductible and the grants are distributed by the diverse fifteen member Board of Directors.

NEW LIFETIME MEMBER-
The Bar Foundation is very pleased to announce that Landon Brown, Administrative Law Judge for the WV Public Employees Grievance Board, has become a Lifetime Member of the organization.

“THE CONSPIRATOR”-
      The American Bar Association announces The Conspirator, a new movie directed by Robert Redford (pictured with James McAvoy) that examines justice in the time of a historic crisis. Conspirator or scapegoat? What was Mary Surratt’s role in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln? The legal issues examined in the movie provide an opportunity for the ABA to serve its members, the legal profession and the public by highlighting the importance of due process and competent representation for defendants.The movie focuses on the trial of Surratt, owner of the boarding house where John Wilkes Booth and others planned their assault on the newly reunited federal government and, more particularly, its leaders. A young Union officer, Frederick Aiken, reluctantly accepts the assignment to defend her. His commitment to her defense evolves as the movie unfolds. James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Kevin Kline, Tom Wilkinson, Evan Rachel Wood and Danny Huston lead the cast.  A Special Sneak Preview of this excellent movie was shown during the ABA/NCBF Midyear Meeting in Atlanta. Its national release occurred on April 15 and it is an inspiring movie for lawyers to see.

13th ANNUAL BAR FOUNDATION FELLOWS DINNER-DEADLINE IS APRIL 25
          Seventeen individuals will be honored as Bar Foundation Fellows during the 13th Annual Bar Foundation Fellows Dinner on Thursday, April 28, 2011, at the Marriott Hotel in Charleston. This year’s Fellows are lawyers and members of the judiciary who will join less than 300 other Fellows that have been previously selected from the more than 5, 000 lawyers and judges in the state.  The black tie optional reception and dinner begins at 6:30 PM and the cost is $125 per person or $1,250 for a table of ten persons. Please contact Tom Tinder (304-343-9823 or tom@wvbarfoundation.org) to make reservations. The deadline to make reservations is April 25.
The 2011 Bar Foundation Fellows members are:
                             J. Michael Benninger-Morgantown                                                     
                             Jodie M. Boylen-Parkersburg                                                     
                             Harry L. Buch-Wheeling
                             Robert D. Fisher-Ripley 
                             Michael D. Foster-Charleston                                                   
                             The Honorable John R. Frazier-Princeton  
                             The Honorable John W. Hatcher-Fayetteville  
                             The Honorable Sally G. Jackson-Martinsburg                                                                                            
                             Patrick D. Kelly-Charleston                                                        
                             Stephen M. LaCagnin-Morgantown
                             Donald B. O’Dell-Huntington                              
                             Sharon L. Potter-Wheeling                                                                                    
                             Harry G. Shaffer, III-Madison 
                             Jessica Justice Stolarik-Morgantown                                                       
                             The Honorable Robert B. Stone-Morgantown                                                
                             Charlene A. Vaughan-Charleston                                                       
                             William Douglas Witten-Logan

BAR FOUNDATION ANNUAL MEETING-
          The West Virginia Bar Foundation and its Board of Directors wish to announce its Annual Meeting that will be held on Thursday, June 9, 2011, at 1:30 PM at the law offices of Bowles, Rice, McDavid, Graff and Love, 600 Quarrier Street in Charleston, WV. The agenda for the meeting includes the reading of the Minutes of the 20010 Annual Meeting, the activities of the Bar Foundation, the financial report, the Nominating Committee report and Other Business. The Nominating Committee report will consist of the election of the following persons to serve three year terms as members of the Board of Directors:
          Michael John Aloi-Fairmont
          Dean Joyce McConnell-Morgantown
          Kathy Santa Barbara-Martinsburg
          David Webb-Keyser
          W. Tracey Weber-Weston

In Memory

IN MEMORY-
In the past two weeks, three well known and well respected friends of the Bar Foundation have passed away—Judge John T. Madden (Moundsville), Judge M. Blane Michael (Charleston) and Mary Pat Steptoe (Clarksburg). Judge Madden served in the WV House of Delegates and then as a WV Circuit Court Judge. Judge Michael served in the Governor’s Office and then was appointed by President Clinton as a Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Both of them were selected as Bar Foundation Fellows. Mary Pat Steptoe was the wife of Bob Steptoe, the first President of the Bar Foundation and a Fellow, and she provided him with her support and guidance. All three of these wonderful people lived their lives to the fullest and will never be forgotten by their collegues, friends and family.

MEMORIAL CONTRIBUTION-
Bar Foundation Fellow Kemp Morton (Huntington) and his wife, Susan, have made a generous contribution to support the programs and activities of the Bar Foundation in memory of Mary Pat Steptoe, the wife of Bob Steptoe (Clarksburg), the first President of the organization. The funds will be utilized for grants to worthwhile charitable West Virginia organizations to improve the administration of justice and the provision of legal services to the state’s citizens. Donations to the Bar Foundation are tax deductible and the grants are distributed by the diverse fifteen member Board of Directors.

13th ANNUAL BAR FOUNDATION FELLOWS DINNER-
Seventeen individuals will be honored as Bar Foundation Fellows during the 13th Annual Bar Foundation Fellows Dinner on Thursday, April 28, 2011, at the Marriott Hotel in Charleston. This year’s Fellows are lawyers and members of the judiciary who will join less than 300 other Fellows that have been previously selected from the more than 5, 000 lawyers and judges in the state.  The black tie optional reception and dinner begins at 6:30 PM and the cost is $125 per person or $1,250 for a table of ten persons. Please contact Tom Tinder (304-343-9823 or tom@wvbarfoundation.org) to make reservations.
The 2011 Bar Foundation Fellows members are:
J. Michael Benninger-Morgantown
Jodie M. Boylen-Parkersburg
Harry L. Buch-Wheeling
Robert D. Fisher-Ripley
Michael D. Foster-Charleston
The Honorable John R. Frazier-Princeton
The Honorable John W. Hatcher-Fayetteville
The Honorable Sally G. Jackson-Martinsburg
Patrick D. Kelly-Charleston
Stephen M. LaCagnin-Morgantown
Donald B. O’Dell-Huntington
Sharon L. Potter-Wheeling
Harry G. Shaffer, III-Madison
Jessica Justice Stolarik-Morgantown
The Honorable Robert B. Stone-Morgantown
Charlene A. Vaughan-Charleston
William Douglas Witten-Logan

Bar Foundation Past President Carl Harris and Connie Blessing with State Bar President-elect Gary Nickerson

CONNIE BLESSING RETIREMENT-
          On March 2, the Lawyer Disciplinary Board and the Bar Foundation sponsored a reception to honor Connie Blessing, who has retired after more than 25 years of service to the state’s  legal profession and the justice system. During her career, she was the Executive Assistant for the WV State Bar and the staff person responsible for finances for the Bar Foundation. With her leadership, the Bar Foundation administered more than $13 million in IOLTA funds for civil legal services for low income citizens and more than $1 million in real estate transactions for the legal profession. Connie was well known for her long time commitment to serving  WV’s lawyers and to assisting members of the general public understand the justice system.  Lawyer Disciplinary Board Chairperson David Jividen and State Bar President-elect Gary Nickerson, both of whom are Bar Foundation Fellows, made remarks at the well attended event.

13th ANNUAL BAR FOUNDATION FELLOWS DINNER-
          Eighteen individuals will be honored as Bar Foundation Fellows during the 13th Annual Bar Foundation Fellows Dinner on Thursday, April 28, 2011, at the Marriott Hotel in Charleston. This year’s Fellows are lawyers and members of the judiciary who will join less than 300 other Fellows that have been previously selected from the more than 5, 000 lawyers and judges in the state.  The black tie optional reception and dinner begins at 6:30 PM and the cost is $125 per person or $1,250 for a table of ten persons. Please contact Tom Tinder (304-343-9823 or tom@wvbarfoundation.org) to make reservations.

BAR FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS-
          The Bar Foundation’s Board of Directors met on March 10 at the law offices of Bowles, Rice, McDavid, Graff and Love in Charleston with participation by video and telephone conferencing. The Board took action on its financial report, strategic plans for the future, numerous grant applications, Bar Foundation Fellows and nominations for Board members and Officers for the upcoming year.

Those lawyers whose professional, public and private careers have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the welfare of their communities and honorable service to the legal profession with the individuals selected reflecting the diverse nature of the legal profession in West Virginia.

13th ANNUAL BAR FOUNDATION FELLOWS DINNER-
          Seventeen individuals will be honored as Bar Foundation Fellows during the 13th Annual Bar Foundation Fellows Dinner on Thursday, April 28, 2011, at the Marriott Hotel in Charleston. This year’s Fellows are lawyers and members of the judiciary who will join less than 300 other Fellows that have been previously selected from the more than 5, 000 lawyers and judges in the state.  The black tie optional reception and dinner begins at 6:30 PM and the cost is $125 per person or $1,250 for a table of ten persons. Please contact Tom Tinder (304-343-9823 or tom@wvbarfoundation.org) to make reservations.
          The 2011 Bar Foundation Fellows members are:
                             J. Michael Benninger-Morgantown                                                     
                             Jodie M. Boylen-Parkersburg                                                     
                             Harry L. Buch-Wheeling
                             Robert D. Fisher-Ripley 
                             Michael D. Foster-Charleston                                                   
                             The Honorable John R. Frazier-Princeton  
                             The Honorable John W. Hatcher, Jr.-Fayetteville  
                             The Honorable Sally G. Jackson-Martinsburg                                                                                                   
                             Patrick D. Kelly-Charleston                                                        
                             Stephen M. LaCagnin-Morgantown
                             Donald B. O’Dell-Huntington                              
                             Sharon L. Potter-Wheeling                                                                                    
                             Harry G. Shaffer, III-Madison
                             Jessica Justice Stolarik-Morgantown                                                        
                             The Honorable Robert B. Stone-Morgantown                                                
                             Charlene A. Vaughan-Charleston                                                       
                             William Douglas Witten-Logan

NEW MEMBERS-
          Two lawyers have recently become new members of the WV Bar Foundation. Mr. Terry Schnell of Morgantown and Mr. Douglas Lee of Fairmont joined as regular members of the organization. Welcome to our two newest members! 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS-
          The Bar Foundation’s Board of Directors, a diverse group of fifteen persons from all parts of the state and all types of law practice, will hold its quarterly meeting on March 10. The agenda contains policy matters dealing with finances, grants, governance, the Fellows program and administrative issues. In addition, the Strategic Planning Committee will meet immediately prior to the Board meeting and will present recommendations for future activities for the Board’s consideration.

Attorney General Darrell V. McGraw, Jr. with the judges for the We, the People program.

WE, THE PEOPLE PROGRAM-
          When the final statewide competition for the constitutional program, We, the People, was held at the Robert C. Byrd Federal Courthouse in Charleston last month,  Attorney General, Darrell V. McGraw, Jr., presented remarks to the students from the three Congressional District winning high schools-Keyser (Mineral County), George Washington (Kanawha County) and Shady Spring (Raleigh County). Pictured above with Attorney General McGraw and serving as judges to hear the students’ presentations and discussions was an outstanding group of citizen leaders (Mary Eckerson, Chuck Flannery, Richard Gillespie, Priscilla Haden, Sean Hill, Rob Rupp, Bryan Ward and Joey Wiseman) as well as lawyers and a judge (John Byrd, Bill File, Family Court Judge Mike Kelly, Brittany Ranson, Jim Roncaglione, Ronni Sheets and Cathy Wallace). The Bar Foundation has supported this important national civic education program for several years.

GRANTS COMMITTEE-
          Earlier this week, the Bar Foundation’s Grants Committee held a meeting to review several grant applications which had been received and determine recommendations to make to the Board of Directors at its March meeting. The application requests ranged from $3,500 to $15,000 for beneficial programs at worthwhile organizations involving civic education, child abuse and neglect prevention and alternate dispute resolution. Since initiating its Grants Program just six years ago, the Bar Foundation has made more than 20 grants totalling nearly $90,000. In addition, the Bar Foundation has committed to provide a Public Service Scholarship for a qualified student at the WVU College of Law in Morgantown. 

NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF BAR FOUNDATIONS-
          Last week, the National Conference of Bar Foundations held its Midyear meeting during the American Bar Association event in Atlanta, GA. The WV Bar Foundation is one of more than 100 state, national, local and specialty bar foundations that are NCBF members. The  meeting was attended by the largest number of bar foundations ever for a midyear meeting and excellent seminars were presented on such matters as bar foundation/bar association relationships, endowment campaigns, best practices and planned giving programs.