The Historical Society of the United States Courts in The Eighth Circuit was formed in 1985, following efforts across the Circuit to recognize and record the history of the constituent courts. In its early years, founding member and jurist Hon. C. Arlen Beam commented that:

[My research] convinces me that we have not done a good job of preserving recollections and the papers necessary to prepare a fully documented presentation on the lives of some of our illustrious forbearers. Thus, the work of the newly created Historical Society of the United States Courts in the Eighth Circuit assumes added dimensions.

Today, the Historical Society's ongoing mission is to preserve and celebrate that rich history, across the federal courts of the seven states that make up the Eighth Circuit. Toward this end, the Historical Society has organized separate branches for each of the United States district courts located in Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota, as well as a branch for its Court of Appeals that encompasses all of these states.

The Historical Society of the United States Courts in the Eighth Circuit is a not-for-profit corporation organized and operating under the laws of the State of Missouri. It is governed by a board of directors made up of representatives of each of the branches. The Historical Society and its branches are tax exempt organizations pursuant to section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and contributions to the Historical Society are tax deductible. The Historical Society is not a part of, nor is it controlled by, any federal court, federal judge or federal court employee.

The Historical Society welcomes inquiry and participation by all interested persons. For information regarding membership, please visit our contact page.

Executive Committee

The Honorable Jane Kelly
Board Chair
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

 

Benjamin Wilson, Esq.
Treasurer
Senior Associate, Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney
St. Louis, Missouri

F. Richard Lyford, Esq.
Immediate Past President
Partner, Dickinson, Mackaman, Tyler & Hagen P.C.
Des Moines, Iowa

 

Eric Brust, JD
Secretary
Circuit Librarian of the United States Courts in the Eighth Circuit
St. Louis, Missouri

Nick Batter, Esq.
President
Corporate Counsel, Hawkins Construction Company
Omaha, Nebraska

 

Thomas Boyd, Esq.
Member
Shareholder, Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A.
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Mollie Pawlosky, Esq.
Vice President
Dickinson, Mackaman, Tyler & Hagen P.C.
Des Moines, Iowa

 

Michael Gans, Esq.
Member
Of Counsel, Dowd Bennett LLP
St. Louis, Missouri

Board of Directors

Court of Appeals

The Honorable Jane Kelly
United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Thomas Boyd, Esq.
Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A.
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Southern District of Iowa

The Honorable Robert W. Pratt
United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa
Des Moines, Iowa

Mollie Pawlosky, Esq.
Dickinson, Mackaman, Tyler & Hagen P.C.
Des Moines, Iowa

District of Nebraska

The Honorable Robert Rossiter
United States District Court for the District of Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska

Jeanette Stull, Esq.
Atwood, Holsten, Brown, Deaver & Spier, PC, LLO
Lincoln, Nebraska

Frank Mihulka, Esq.
Woods Aitken LLP
Omaha, Nebraska

Eastern District of Arkansas

The Honorable D. Price Marshall, Jr.
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas

Edward Schieffler, Esq.
Schieffler Law Firm
West Helena, Arkansas

District of Minnesota

Thomas Boyd, Esq.
Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A.
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Scott Knudson, Esq.
Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Kyle Kroll, Esq.
Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A.
Minneapolis, Minnesota

District of North Dakota

The Honorable Alice R. Senechal
United States District Court for the District of North Dakota
Fargo, North Dakota

Courtney Koebele, JD
North Dakota Medical Association
Bismarck, North Dakota

Lori Haberer, Esq.
United Stated District Court for the District of North Dakota
Fargo, North Dakota

Dan Vogel, Esq.
Vogel Law Firm
Fargo, North Dakota

Western District of Arkansas

The Honorable Mark Ford
United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
Fort Smith, Arkansas

vacant

Eastern District of Missouri

The Honorable E. Richard Webber
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri

Ann E. Buckley, Esq.
Buckley & Buckley LLC
St. Louis, Missouri

District of South Dakota

The Honorable Roberto A. Lange
United States District Court for the District of South Dakota
Pierre, South Dakota

Matthew Thelen, Esq.
United States District Court for the District of South Dakota
Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Northern District of Iowa

Paul De Young, Esq.
United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Tim Hill, Esq.
Bradley & Riley, P.C.
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Ethan Olson, Esq.
Nyemaster Goode, P.C.
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Ron Timmons, Esq.
United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Tim Vavricek, Esq.
United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Western District of Missouri

Angie Atkinson, Esq.
Hallmark
Kansas City, Missouri

Scott Hecht, Esq.
Scott Hecht LLC
Kansas City, Missouri

Key Past Leaders

The Society exists today because of the hard work of yesterday. Below, we recognize the founding Board Members, as well as other key leaders that have served as stewards of the Society’s mission, and the broader history of the Circuit, over the decades. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list, but merely a recognition of some of those to whom we are indebted.

The Honorable Donald Lay
Founder and Founding Board Member

The Honorable Edward Devitt
Founding Board Member

The Honorable William Hungate
Founding Board Member

The Honorable Howard Sachs
Founding Board Member

Griffin Smith, Jr
Founding Board Member

James Dunn
Founding Board Member

Russ Millin
Founding Board Member

Ronald Hunter
Founding Board Member

The Honorable Henry Woods
Founding Board Member

The Honorable H Franklin Waters
Founding Board Member

The Honorable Edward McManus
Founding Board Member

The Honorable William Stuart
Founding Board Member

Frank Margolin
Founding Board Member

Professor Charles Davidson
Founding Board Member

Laverne Neff
Founding Board Member

The Honorable C Arlen Beam
Founding Board Member

The Honorable Bruce Van Sickle
Founding Board Member

The Honorable John Jones
Founding Board Member

Robert Tucker
Founding Board Member

Harold LeVander
Founding Board Member

Claire Halpern
Founding Board Member

T M Bailey, Jr
Founding Board Member

The Honorable Richard Kopf
Longtime Chairman

Joan Voelker
Archives Librarian and Longtime Secretary

Richard Peterson
Longtime President

June Boadwine
Circuit Executive and Longtime Member

Frances Ross
Longtime Vice President