KU News Release

Law school honors three outstanding graduates as distinguished alumni

From left: Lydia Beebe, Barry Halpern and John Jurcyk Jr.

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas School of Law has bestowed three of its most accomplished graduates with Distinguished Alumnus Awards.

Lydia Beebe, Class of 1977, Barry Halpern, Class of 1973, and John Jurcyk Jr., Class of 1957, received the awards during a ceremony May 2 at the Adams Alumni Center in Lawrence. The awards — the highest honor given by the School of Law — are presented annually to graduates who have distinguished themselves through exemplary service to the legal profession, their community, KU and the state or country.

Gail Agrawal, dean of the law school, said the recipients’ diverse areas of practice and practice settings showcase the range of opportunities available to KU law students and alumni.

“Each has excelled as a legal professional, exemplifying the highest ideals of the legal profession and practicing law as ‘a learned profession in the public interest,’” she said. “They have been recognized by their peers in the legal profession as among the best lawyers in America. With highly successful and very busy careers, they have also found time to give back through service to their communities, including their legal alma mater.

“Our distinguished alumni are an inspiration to our students and a source of great pride to their teachers. They are important participants in the great enduring legacy of the KU School of Law.”

Also recognized at the ceremony were new recipients of the James Woods Green Medallion, named in honor of the law school’s first dean. The school presents medallions to its major financial contributors. This year’s honorees were: Mike and Faye Davis; Michael Delaney, Class of 1976, and Kathleen Delaney; Barry Halpern, Class of 1973, and Cynthia Halpern; Larry Keenan, Class of 1954; Holly Nielsen, Class of 1982; and Joan Ruff and Dennis Wilbert, both Class of 1973.

Lydia Beebe
A McPherson native, Lydia Beebe received her journalism degree in 1974 and her law degree in 1977, both from KU. She also received a master’s in business administration in tax from Golden Gate University. Following graduation from law school, Beebe joined the Chevron legal department, where she has held a variety of legal and government affairs positions. Appointed by President George W. Bush, Beebe served on the board of directors of the Presidio Trust from 2003 until 2008. She is president of the Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Officers and a member of the KU Law Alumni Board of Governors. Beebe is past president and current advisory board member of the Professional Business Women of California, who presented her with the Breakthrough Award in 1996 for her lasting and vital contributions to business and the community. The San Francisco Business Times has named her one of “the most influential businesswomen in the Bay Area” for nine consecutive years.

Barry Halpern
Barry Halpern received his bachelor’s with honors from KU in 1971 and his law degree through the school’s two-year accelerated program in 1973. Following graduation, Halpern served in the U.S. Air Force Office of the Judge Advocate General. He joined the Phoenix office of Snell & Wilmer in 1978, becoming the second KU alumnus at the firm founded by Frank Snell, a distinguished KU graduate for whom the law school’s courtroom is named. His practice focuses on business and professional litigation, including antitrust, health care and legislative matters. Halpern has established close ties with the law school, bringing a long line of KU law graduates to Snell offices. While maintaining an active trial practice, he also played a key role in spearheading Snell & Wilmer’s growth from a mid-sized Phoenix firm to one of the nation’s best-known regional law firms with eight offices, including the Northern Mexico office opened in 2008 and the early 2009 expansion into downtown Los Angeles. Halpern has balanced his practice with service to the legal community and his legal alma mater, including sitting on the school’s Board of Governors. He has been named in The Best Lawyers in America for more than a decade.

John Jurcyk Jr.
A native of Kansas City, Kan., John Jurcyk graduated from Rockhurst College in 1952 and then served with the U.S. Army in Korea from 1952-1954. He received his law degree in 1957 from KU, where he also served as editor-in-chief of the Kansas Law Review. Jurcyk clerked for the late Arthur J. Mellott, chief judge of the U.S. District Court of Kansas, prior to joining McAnany, Van Cleave & Phillips in 1958. He became a partner in 1963 and held many leadership roles through the years, including president, vice president and director. A skilled trial lawyer, Jurcyk tried commercial, employment, negligence, railroad and product liability cases. After 47 years with the firm, he retired in 2005 to serve in the Joe Reardon mayoral administration as senior policy adviser to the mayor/CEO and county administrator for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County, Kansas City, Kan. Jurcyk is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the American Bar Foundation and the Kansas Bar Foundation, and a member of several local bar associations. He was president of the KU Law Alumni Association of Greater Kansas City and a member of the law school’s Board of Governors. He has received several awards, including the Outstanding Service Award and the Professionalism Award from the Kansas Bar Association.

-30-

The University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university. University Relations is the central public relations office for KU's Lawrence campus.