Past Presidents

KCMBA's Past Presidents' Club consists of some of the most elite leaders in the greater Kansas City legal community. We are grateful for their ongoing support and dedication. In 1923, the past presidents of KCMBA organized the Past Presidents' Club. The membership of this club gains a new member each year, as Immediate Past Presidents complete their service. In 2002, the Club became an official entity of the Association and elected James W. Benjamin as the first President. The President of the Past Presidents served on the KCMBA Board of Directors as voting member and is responsible for leading the activities of this exclusive club.

KCMBA gives special thanks to Jerome T. "Jerry" Wolf for creating and leading the past president video project and Lexitas (formerly Alaris for donating the recording and production time) to capture the history of each presidential year, shortly after those presidents leave office. View these important videos of Past Presidents reflecting on their experiences leading KCMBA.

2024 Officers

President Scott Bethune
President-Elect Athena M. Dickson

Jefferson Brumback, 1884-85*
J.V.C. Karnes, 1885-87***
D.B. Holmes, 1887-88*
Charles O. Tichenor, 1888-89***
William B. Teasdale, 1889-90*
John C. Gage, 1890-91*
Jere T. Dew, 1891-92*
Sanford B. Ladd, 1892-93*
Oliver H. Dean, 1893-94*
Gardiner Lathrop, 1894-95***
Henry L. McCune, 1895-96*
R.E. Ball, 1896-97*
J. McD. Trimble, 1897-98*
General Milton Moore, 1898-99*
Henry D. Ashley, 1899-1900*
Clarence S. Palmer, 1900-01*
Samuel W. Moore, 1901-02*
Edward L. Scarritt, 1902-03*
Charles O. Tichenor, 1903-04***
Edward P. Gates, 1904-05*
Henry M. Beardsley, 1905-06*
R.J. Ingraham, 1906-07*
Rees Turpin, 1907-08*
J.J. Vineyard, 1908-09*
T.H. Reynolds, 1909-10*
Joseph A. Guthrie, 1910 †*
John G. Park, 1910-11*
Edward D. Ellison, 1911-12*
John I. Williamson, 1912-13*
James H. Harkless, 1913-14*
Hunt C. Moore, 1914-15*
Elmer N. Powell, 1915-16*
Alfred N. Gossett, 1916-17*
Henry S. Conrad, 1917-18*
Ellison A. Neel, 1918-19*
Charles W. German, 1919-20*
John B. Pew, 1920-21*
L. Newton Wylder, 1921-22*
Armwell L. Cooper, 1922-23*
William C. Michaels, 1923-24*
Cyrus Crane, 1924-25*
Murat Boyle, 1925-26*
James M. Johnson, 1926-27*
W.C. Scarritt, 1927-28*
W.H. H. Piatt, 1928-29* 
James P. Aylward, 1929-30*

M. D. Hook, 1930-31*
T.J. Madden, 1931-32*
Fred S. Hudson, 1932-33*
Floyd E. Jacobs, 1933-34*
Wm. Buchholz, 1934-35*
Clif Langsdale, 1935-36*
Harold E. Neibling, 1936-37*
Wm. C. Lucas, 1937-38*
Chas P. “Tod” Woodbury, 1938-39*
I.J. Ringolsky, 1939-40*
John H. Lathrop, 1940-41*
John T. Barker, 1941-42*
E.R. Morrison, 1942-43*
Walter A. Raymond, 1943-44*
Henry Depping, 1944-45*
Harry L. Jacobs, 1945-46*
Walter W. Calvin, 1946-47*
Terence M. O’Brien, 1947-48*
Clay C. Rogers, 1948-49*
Leo B. Parker, 1949-50*
Roscoe C. Van Valkenburgh, 1950-51*
Homer A. Cope, 1951-52* 
John C. Nipp, 1952-53*;
Edgar J. Keating, 1953-54*
Paul E. Bindley, 1954-55*
Clarence C. Chilcott, 1955-56*
Arthur F. Schmahlfeldt, 1956-57*
Robert A. Schroeder, 1957-58*
Lowell L. Knipmeyer, 1958-59*
David R. Hardy, 1959-60*
S. David Trusty, 1960-61*
Ben W. Swofford, 1961-62*
Allan R. Browne, 1962-63*
Ernest Hubbell, 1963-64*
Clem W. Fairchild, 1964-65*
John L. Sheridan, 1965-66*
Arthur H. Stoup, 1966-67*
James W. Benjamin, 1967-68*
M. Randall Vanet, 1968-69*
R. Carter Tucker, 1969-70*
John R. Gibson, 1970-71*
Donald L. Mason, 1971-72*
J. Harlan Stamper, 1972-73
Max W. Foust, 1973-74
Roy A. Larson, 1974-75*

Theodore J. Furry, 1975-76*
Joseph A. Sherman, 1976-77*
Lantz Welch, 1977-78*
Jerome T. Wolf, 1979
Bruce G. Heavner, 1980
Darrell Havener, 1981*
Willard B. Bunch, 1982*
R. Lawrence Ward, 1983
Robert C. Welch, 1984
Sandra L. Schermerhorn, 1985
Fred Wilkins, 1986
Wm. Dirk Vandever, 1987
Norman O. Sanders, 1988*
Reggie C. Giffin, 1989
James C. Wirken, 1990
John C. Dods, 1991*
J.D. Williamson, Jr., 1992
Thomas G. Kokoruda, 1993
James Bartimus, 1994
William T. Session, 1995
Walter R. Simpson, 1996
Ann Mesle, 1997
John S. Johnston, 1998
Cindy Reams Martin, 1999
P. John Brady, 2000
Stephen B. Millin, Jr., 2001
John M. Edgar, 2002
Sylvester James, Jr., 2003
Jay D. DeHardt, 2004
James P. Frickleton, 2005
C. Patrick McLarney, 2006
Charles W. German, 2007
Gregory M. Bentz, 2008
Rebbecca Lake Wood, 2009
Thomas Bender, 2010
James A. Heeter, 2011
Nancy E. Kenner, 2012
Rod L. Richardson, 2013
W. Perry Brandt, 2014
Scott S. Bethune, 2015
Russell S. Jones, Jr., 2016
Daniel E. Blegen, 2017
Nikki E. Cannezzaro, 2018
Nathan A. Orr, 2019
Athena M. Dickson, 2020
Samuel M. Wendt, 2021
Bill Martucci, 2022
Phyllis A. Norman, 2023

* Deceased
** Re-elected to succeed himself
† Resigned upon election to circuit bench