NP

Neal (1969-1970)

1. What does this past Kansas debater look like now?



2. What does this ex-debater now do for a living?

Neal is Associate Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee.

3. Has this former debater been "in the news"?

Don't be silly. He's an historian.

Actually, on October 16, 2003, the on-line Catholic Herald published his essay on "The unimaginable happened: A Polish pope."

Neal's expertise has occasionally landed him on public radio.

4. What else do we know?

Neal's Poland, the United States, and the Stabilization of Europe, 1919-1933 was published by Oxford University Press in 1986. That book won the J. Pilsudski Institute of America's award for the best book on the modern history of Poland published in 1985-1986.

Given his scholarly interest, it is no surprise that Neal travels to Poland on occasion. He's affiliated with the Polish American Congress of Wisconsin and the Polish American Historical Association. Actually, Neal is "Second Vice President" of that latter academic organization.

Neal is a baseball fan and is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research. Sometimes, he figures out a way to link his interests in baseball and Poland. Neal teaches a course on the history of baseball.

CB

Chris (1989-1993)

1. What does this past Kansas debater look like now?



2. What does this ex-debater now do for a living?

Chris is Debate Coach at Towson State University. He is also program director for the Baltimore Urban Debate League.

3. Has this former debater been "in the news"?

Yes. "60 Minutes" ran a story about Urban Debate Leagues and featured one of Chris's debaters. BUDL has also been featured in the Baltimore City Paper. The Afro American Newspapers also ran a story about the leagues.

4. What else do we know?

Chris is Treasurer of the International Debate Education Association. IDEA is headquartered in the Netherlands.

In fact, IDEA seems to be a great way for debate coaches to experience international junkets.

He excites easily.

pdl

Paul (1979-1983)

1. What does this past Kansas debater look like now?



2. What does this ex-debater now do for a living?

Paul is a debate coach for Cornell University. I'm not 100% sure of his current responsibilities. Maybe this?

Previously, he was an attorney in Wichita, KS. Apparently, he worked at Snow Hodge & Edwards.

3. Has this former debater been "in the news"?

Sort of. Paul received a "write-in" vote for District Judge and another for District Attorney in the Sedgwick County (KS) elections, November 2, 2004.

4. What else do we know?

Previously, Paul was a graduate debate assistant for Wake Forest.

He's also still a smoker.

ED

Erik (1985-1988)

1. What does this past Kansas debater look like now?



2. What does this ex-debater now do for a living?

Erik is Associate Professor of Rhetoric of the University of Wisconsin (Madison).

3. Has this former debater been "in the news"?

According to this press release, his appearance at Concordia University to talk about South Africa was news.

His appearances also make for fine dining.

4. What else do we know?

In 2002, Erik won a Golden Anniversary Monograph Award for an article he published in Rhetoric and Public Affairs. It has something to do with speech from a "middle voice."

In 2003, Erik's work with the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation in Cape Town, South Afria, paid off with some major publications.

PC

Peter (1985-1989)

1. What does this past Kansas debater look like now?



I know, I know. That's from the late 1980s. I need help on this project!

2. What does this ex-debater now do for a living?

Peter is Director of Wireless High-Speed Data, Consumer Solutions Business Development, for Sprint Corp. Or maybe he is "director of strategy and planning at the company’s broadband group."

And is it Sprint PCS or Sprint Nextel?

3. Has this former debater been "in the news"?

Frequently, at least in the business pages.

4. What else do we know?

He's apparently a major player in "EV-DO." Whatever that is. And OFDM.

DL

Dan (1984-1988)

1. What does this past Kansas debater look like now?



2. What does this ex-debater now do for a living?

Dan is the Director of Debate at the Dallas Jesuit College Preparatory High School. He is also a counselor for the Junior class.

In the summer, he often works at Northwestern's National High School Institute.

3. Has this former debater been "in the news"?

Well, his school's "in the news" page notes that Dan was "inducted into the Barkley Forum Key Coaches Society at Emory University."

In his school's paper, Dan is credited with coming up with the school's new nickname: "The Fighting Pretzels."

4. What else do we know?

Dan participated in a panel for students on judging debates at the 2005 National Debate Coaches Association Convention. Dan is a former President of the group.

KK

Keith (1973-1974)

1. What does this past Kansas debater look like now?

2. What does this ex-debater now do for a living?

Keith is Edward B. Rust Professor of Political Science at Stanford University. Moreover, he is a Graduate School of Business Trust Faculty Fellow for 2005-2006. Keith has been at Stanford since 1986 -- though he apparently thought about going to Penn in the 1990s.

3. Has this former debater been "in the news"?

As someone who has published numerous articles using rational choice theory to explain domestic politics, Keith seems to operate behind the scenes of policy. However, he has been a National Fellow at the Hoover Institution, a Guest Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and a Congressional Fellow in the Senate Republican Leader's Office (Bob Dole).

In 2000, the Sloan class at Stanford gave the Teaching Excellence Award to KK.

4. What else do we know?

Keith has been a member Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences since 1994.

His 1998 book, Pivotal Politics was published by University of Chicago Press. In 1999, the book won the Richard F. Fenno prize, presented by the American Political Science Association for "the best book on legislative politics." It also won the Neustadt prize for best book on the presidency.

His 1991 book, Information and Legislative Organization was published by University of Michigan Press. It too received APSA's Fenno Prize.

MMM

Margaret (1975-1978)

1. What does this past Kansas debater look like now?

2. What does this ex-debater now do for a living?

Margaret is a Senior Lecturer in Communication Arts and Science at Penn State.

3. Has this former debater been "in the news"?

According to the Digital Collegian, Margaret tries to create a "party atmosphere" in her classroom. The article mentions popcorn and pretzels. What about beer?

4. What else do we know?

Lately, Margaret is exploring a research topic that might interest you: "Expedited Review of Dirty Books."

Margaret was formerly a member of the bar in Wisconsin. Yes, she's yet another attorney to abandon that profession for the academy.

JCZ

Josh (1990-1994)

1. What does this past Kansas debater look like now?

2. What does this ex-debater now do for a living?

Josh is a lawyer in the Washington office of Bracewell & Giuliani (yes, that one). The firm seems to specialize in "government relations," which is DC code for lobbying.

Now available in Spanish!

Try to guess whether or not he's a partner:

"Everybody says they have an open door policy, but at Bracewell we really mean it," pointed out Josh Zive, who is a government relations attorney in Bracewell's D.C. office. "The partners at Bracewell treat associates as colleagues and go out of their way to include associates in the most important and interesting aspects of their work."

Hmmm.

2017 Update: Bracewell page.

3. Has this former debater been "in the news"?

Well, Josh was "the BBC's election law expert for international press coverage" on the 2004 Presidential contest.

4. What else do we know?

Josh is a Jayhawk hoops fan.

He's spent way too much time thinking about O.J. Then again, he loves the courts.

JG

Joel (1971-1974)

1. What does this past Kansas debater look like now?

2. What does this ex-debater now do for a living?

Since 1977, Joel has been a trial lawyer. He currently works for Husch & Eppenberger LLC.

2017 Update: personal webpage.

3. Has this former debater been "in the news"?

Well, I found an entertainment monthly magazine that noted that Joel is "more than just a 'nice Jewish boy from Johnson County' - his choice of words."

According to a July 7, 2004, article in the Daily Record and the Kansas City Daily News-Press, Joel spoke at the KCLSA meeting. That's the Kansas City Legal Secretaries Association.

4. What else do we know?

Joel has authored a number of legal thrillers. The latest is Deadlocked.

Apparently, this sideline provides opportunities to travel and appear at conferences. After all, the first run printing of his second book was 120,000 copies (!).

SE

Steve (1983-1987)

1. What does this past Kansas debater look like now?



2. What does this ex-debater now do for a living?

Steve is an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Oklahoma.

3. Has this former debater been "in the news"?

Not much, so far as I can tell. Perhaps the media doesn't recognize the value of "philosophy of mind."

Steve tried to influence the "Right to Work" ballot question in Oklahoma, but was unsuccessful.

4. What else do we know?

As an "ethics expert," Steve has been asked to weigh in on whether internet file swapping (music, film, games) is theft -- or merely civil disobedience.

Stevel traveled to Dallas in 2001 to talk about utility theory and to Stevens Point, WI in 2004 to talk about Values. The paper associated with the earlier conference received an award for best paper by a graduate student or recent PhD.

BW

Bill (1971-1974)

1. What does this past Kansas debater look like now?



2. What does this ex-debater now do for a living?

Bill is a vice president (and spokesman) for Bartlett and Co., which is an agribusiness firm.

3. Has this former debater been "in the news"?

Yes. This is from the Kansas City Business Journal, August 10, 2001:

"We're a strong grain company," said Bill Webster, vice president of Bartlett. "But we're very independent. And very private."

"It's a long-standing, very financially strong agribusiness," said Bill Webster, Bartlett's vice president.

"We have a long and proud tradition here," he said. "We have a strong balance sheet, a strong financial position. We're a good company."

Oh, and every now and then, the newspapers mention his former political career. He was once the Attorney General of Missouri and a gubernatorial candidate (he lost to Mel Carnahan in 1992).

4. What else do we know?

Bill, with former Attorney General John Ashcroft, argued for Missouri in the famous Supreme Court abortion case Webster v. Reproductive Health Services (1989).

The Court, sharply divided along ideological lines, voted 5–4 to uphold the Missouri law. The Court ruled that Missouri was within constitutional bounds in passing legislation to withhold public funding for abortions and in prohibiting pre-abortion counseling by public employees. Three of the five-member majority sought to take the decision one step further by striking down Roe's blanket protection of abortions in the first trimester, but the other two justices refused to go that far. The second-trimester testing requirement was upheld, the majority having accepted the arguments for a "compelling State interest" in the second trimester.

Webster narrowed the constitutional protection of Roe v. Wade. The decision indicated that some degree of State regulation (and criminalization) of abortion was consistent with the Rehnquist Court's view of privacy rights.

Webster was admired by former President George H.W. Bush.