Topeka Bar Association Awards
The Topeka Bar Association recognizes outstanding service by members of the bench and bar each year through the following awards.
Click HERE for the 2023 Nominations Form.
Click HERE for the 2023 Liberty Bell Award Nomination Form.
Nomination deadline EXTENDED to March 15, 2023
Warren W. Shaw Distinguished Service Award
This award recognizes a lawyer or judge for exemplary service to the legal profession or the Topeka Bar Association.
It may be awarded to recognize an especially meritorious deed for service which significantly advances the
administration of justice, the goals of the legal profession or brings honor and recognition to the Topeka Bar
Association or may be awarded to recognize the continuous long-standing service of a recipient to the legal
profession or the Topeka Bar Association.
Warren W. Shaw Distinguished Service Award recipients include:
| 1995 Hon. E. Newton Vickers 1996 Retired Chief Justice David Prager 1997 Carl W. Quarnstrom 1998 Gerald L. Goodell 1999 Elwaine F. Pomeroy 2000 Judge Sam A. Crow 2001 Robert E. Tilton 2002 Wayne T. Stratton 2003 Thomas E Wright 2004 Edward L. Bailey 2005 Arthur Palmer 2006 Judge Terry L. Bullock 2007 Judge Richard Rogers 2008 Chief Justice Kay McFarland |
2009 Donald Patterson 2022 Arthur Glassman |
Honorable E. Newton Vickers Professionalism Award
This award recognizes a member of the Topeka Bar Association who, by his or her conduct, honesty, integrity
and courtesy, best exemplify, represent and encourage other lawyers to follow the highest standards of the legal
profession, including those contained in the Topeka Bar Association Creed of Professional Courtesy.
Honorable E. Newton Vickers Professionalism Award Recipients include:
|
2000 Stephen W. Cavanaugh |
2011 Judy Olander 2022 Danielle Hall |
Outstanding Young Lawyer Award
This award recognizes the outstanding efforts of a Young Lawyer member of the Topeka Bar Association who has
rendered meritorious service to the legal profession, the community, or the Topeka Bar Association.
Outstanding Young Lawyer Award recipients include:
|
1995 Darin M. Conklin |
2009 Scott A. Grosskreutz 2022 Jake Holly |
Past President's Award
Each President of the Topeka Bar Association is recognized at the annual meeting of the TBA and awarded with
a plaque for their service on the TBA Board of Directors after they have finished their term as president.
Past Presidents include:
| 1905-06 R.B. Welch 1906-08 Capt. Joseph G. Waters 1909-10 J.B. Larimer 1910-14 Capt. Joseph G. Waters 1915-17 Hon. Z.T. Hazen 1918-19 Charles Blood Smith 1919-20 Leonard S. Ferry 1920-21 Hon. Otis F. Hungate 1922-23 Thomas F. Doran 1923-24 Col. A.M. Harvey 1924-25 Thomas M. Lillard 1925-26 Robert Stone 1926-27 Hon. James A. McClure 1927-28 W.E. Atchinson 1928-29 David E. Palmer 1929-30 John J. Schenck 1930-31 Col. Clad Hamilton 1931-32 Hugh McFarland 1932-33 Bennett R. Wheeler 1934-35 Edwin A. Austin 1935-36 W.R. Hazen 1936-37 Thomas Amory Lee 1937-38 Hon. George A. Kline 1938-39 Robert L. Webb 1939-40 Walter T. Chaney 1940-41Hon. Paul H. Heinz 1941-42 Tinkham Veale 1942-43 John E. DuMars 1943-44 O.B. Eidson 1944-45 Randal C. Harvey 1945-46 Hon. Dean McElhenny 1946-47 Byron M. Gray 1947-48 M.F. Cosgrove 1948-49 Ralph W. Oman 1949-50 James E. Smith 1950-51 Lester M. Goodell 1951-52 Frank E. Miller 1952-53 John S. Dean, Jr. 1953-54 Howard A. Jones 1954-55 Phil H. Lewis 1955-56 Robert E. Russell 1956-57 A. Harry Crane 1957-58 Barton E. Griffith 1958-59 Warren W. Shaw 1959-60 Clayton E. Kline 1960-61 Hon. Beryl R. Johnson 1961-62 Marlin S. Casey 1962-63 Harry W. Colmery 1963-64 Clayton M. Davis 1964-65 Hall Smith 1965-66 Allen Meyers 1966-67 Ward Martin 1967-68 John W. Lewis 1968-69 Herbert Marshall |
1969-70 Mark L. Bennett, Sr. 2021-22 Sarah Morse |
Liberty Bell Award
The purpose of the Liberty Bell Award program is to recognize community service that has strengthened the
American system of freedom under the law. Any individual who has rendered outstanding service to his/her
community may be considered eligible. While all fields of endeavor are intended for inclusion, the award's purpose
is to accord public recognition to men and women, particularly non-lawyers, for outstanding service in one or more
of these areas:
- Promoting a better understanding of our Constitution and the Bill of Rights;
- Encouraging greater respect for law and the courts;
- Stimulating a deeper sense of individual responsibility so that citizens recognize their duties as well as their rights;
- Contributing to the effective functioning of our institutions of governments; and
- Fostering a better understanding and appreciation of the rule of law.
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1994 Gerald R. Beavers, Topeka Police Chief 1995 The Brown Foundation1996 Kids Voting Kansas 1997 Dawna Edmonds, Seaman High School teacher for mock trials in the Advanced Placement Govt. class 1998 Ron Keefover 1999 Topeka Police Department Citizens Academy2000 William E. Richards, Sr. 2001 CASA of Shawnee County 2002 Judge G. Joseph Pierron 2003 Battered Women's Task Force 2004 Shawnee County Youth Court 2005 Washburn Law Clinic 2006 "We the People...The Citizen and the Constitiution" a program of the Kansas State Dept. of Education 2007 Judge Patrick McAnany 2008 KBA Young Lawyers Section Mock Trial Competition 2009 Horizons Solutions For Change 2010 Don Troth - Court Administrator 2011 Elizabeth Ensley Shawnee County Election Commissioner 2012 Connie Sanchez and the YMCA Safe Visit Program 2013 Ronald Wurtz, Retired Federal Public Defender 2014 Judge G. Joseph Pierron 2015 Kansas' Informed Voter, Fair Judges' Project Committee - A Project of the National Association of Women Judges 2016 Patrick M. Salsbury 2017 City of Topeka Clean Slate Project - Hon. Jason E. Geier, Monique Glaude, Topeka Department of Neighborhood Relations, Cook & Associates and Charles Kitt with City of Topeka Prosecution Office 2018 Kansas CLE Commission 2019 Topeka Bar Association's Expungement Day Project Committee 2020 Shawnee County District Drug Court 2022 Topeka Center for Peace and Justice |