An Admirable Alumnus Attorney

A number of BHS grads have become well-known and nationally recognized in their field.  Were you aware that the former director of the CDC, Dr. Julie Gerberding, is an alumna of BHS?  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_Gerberding, http://www.notablebiographies.com/news/Ge-La/Gerberding-Julie.html).  Her mother Bette was a student teacher in English for Mrs. Donaldson (Nancy Webbenhurst's sister) during the fall of our sophomore year.  She later taught at the high-school for a number of years.  Not only was she a gifted teacher in the classroom, she was even more appreciated for her leadership in the drama department.  As director of the school plays, she had high expectations from the students; they seldom, if ever, left the school and the community disappointed.   

While our class may not have anyone with the nationally known laurels of Dr. Gerberding, some of our classmates have left their mark in their field of expertise, and have earned the utmost respect of their peers.  It has been brought to our attention recently that Stew Walz of our class has been recognized as a "master in the courtroom" (https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/03/08/master-in-the-courtroom-longtime-utah-federal-prosecutor-retires-after-decades-of-fighting-frauds-and-scams/).  It is not surprising that Stew turned out to be the re-incarnation of Perry Mason. 

Stew was a key member of the debate squad that captured the State "A" Debate championship, qualifying "them to participate in the national in Washington, D. C." during the summer of 1969.  Undoubtedly the skills he learned slaving many long hours profited him greatly in his law practice. 

We all knew how intelligent Stew was during his school days in Brookings.  As the article states, his attention to detail and his memory, as well as his knowledge of the law,  have served him well.  The fine teachers we had undoubtedly had a role in shaping those characteristics.  More importantly, though, were the influences of his family.  Stew's mother was a highly-respected English professor at SDSU.  She was my teacher for a drama class that I needed to satisfy my humanities requirement.  She made the class enjoyable and relevant.  My main recollection was reading some of the morality plays of the Middle Ages.

Stew's father also had a prominent in the community.  I believe he was director of the Chamber of Commerce or had a position similar to that, and was rather influential in helping to shape the future of Brookings.

One vivid memory of Stew in high school was our time in Driver's Ed.  In gym class, Stew was not known for his speed.  However, he possessed an extremely quick reaction time when Mr. Mohlenhoff tested us on the driver's ed simulator.  That contraption had a gas pedal and a brake pedal, just as a typical car would.  It also had a light and a timer.  When the light flashed on, the timer would display how long it took you to take your foot off the gas and step on the brake.   Stew was amazingly quick to react.  That quickness unquestionably helped him achieve so much success as an attorney. 

Congratulations, Stew, on your achievements, and the contributions you have made and are making to BHS.