March 28, 2004
Long-ago buy aids Topeka
John E. Shamberg
When now-retired lawyer John E. Shamberg of Prairie Village bought some vacant Johnson County land in the 1970s, he figured it would grow in value.
He couldn't have envisioned what ultimately happened. In the 1980s, he gave his 28 acres to the Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, which held it and waited for it to appreciate.
Now the property has been sold for $2.6 million.
Never has a single donor given so much to the university, said JuliAnn Mazachek, president of the Washburn Endowment Association. The money will be invested with other endowment funds and will produce an estimated $130,000 a year in perpetuity for the law school, she said.
"This is absolutely a wonderful thing; this provides an incredible opportunity," said Allan Caldwell, president of the Washburn Law School Foundation.
Some of the proceeds from his gift will go for student scholarships. Shamberg needed a scholarship to attend Washburn in the 1930s because his family didn't have much money.
I feel obligated to give to the school," said Shamberg, a trial lawyer for years whose firm, Shamberg, Johnson and Bergman, has offices in Kansas City and Overland Park. "You have to give back."
The donation was formally announced at the Washburn School of Law centennial celebration Saturday evening at the Westin Crown Center hotel. The scheduled keynote speaker was former U.S. senator from Kansas and presidential candidate Bob Dole, a 1952 Washburn graduate.
News of the gift comes against a backdrop of controversy at Washburn, where the public display of a sculpture has brought outrage from critics who term it derogatory toward Catholics. The university refused to remove the artwork and ultimately won a lawsuit over the matter. Some Washburn alumni said they would stop giving money to the school.
School President Jerry Farley, who said he was "extremely excited" about the Shamberg gift, didn't expect large numbers of alumni to retreat from donating. "There have been very few persons who have expressed that particular sentiment," Farley said. "These types of situations, while intense at the moment, are transient."
Shamberg, who is 90, isn't one of the critics of the school. "I wanted everybody to know there are people very much in favor of Washburn," he said. "We're not turning our back on Washburn."
Shamberg grew up in Hutchinson. Washburn's law school offered a scholarship, so he went, graduating in 1937. "I felt very indebted to Washburn," he said. "I do to this day."
Shamberg came away with the ability to be a lawyer, but in the late 1930s he wasn't able to find a job. Later he became a law clerk. World War II intervened. He spent 21 months in the Pacific and was awarded a Bronze Star. It wasn't until 1949, from an office in Kansas City, Kan., that he started practicing law.
His firm developed a formidable reputation for person-injury work, winning large awards on behalf of victims who suffered because of accidents and faulty products. The firm has handled cases throughout the United States.
Shamberg didn't forget Washburn, helping the law school raise money years ago when a tornado swept through the university campus. He made other donations to the school, but none that approached $2.6 million.
Washburn officials say the sale of the land, along the south side of 119th Street east of Black Bob Road in Olathe, will be complete soon. Records at Olathe City Hall show the land will be developed with townhouses and condominiums.
Dennis Honabach, dean of the law school, said Washburn officials in the past put off sale of the property on the advice of Shamberg, who told them how Johnson County land was increasing in value because of the county's growth. Now is the proper time to sell, Honabach said. "It will enrich our program," he said.
The gift will fund the Shamberg Constitutional Law Lecture, which will bring influential experts to campus, the dean said. Also, he said, the gift will pay for the Shamberg Scholar's Program, which will provide full scholarships for students.
"We will look for talented students who have the spirit of John, individuals John would be proud of," Honabach said.
THE KANSAS CITY STAR
Metropolitan Section
Page B1
By John A. Dvorak
To reach John A. Dvorak, call (816) 234-7743 or send e-mail to jdvorak@kcstar.com.
