Washburn made me somebody

Larry Meeker reflects on the school that gave him so much, and how he plans to give back.

Larry Meeker with his wife, Sally Roth, and their dog, Scout.

To hear him tell it, absolutely nobody was more surprised at Larry Meeker, jd ’67, turning into a star student than he was. Those who know him as a prominent Wichita-area certified public accountant and attorney, who has spent 50 years with major national firms like Stinson Leonard Street LLP and is considered one of the region’s leading experts on tax and estate law, might be surprised to learn success did not come easy.

“I was not what you would call college material,” he recalled with a laugh. “As a teenager, I didn’t apply myself – sometimes I think the only reason my high school graduated me was to get rid of me.” Instead, he spent time in the Navy before finally giving in to family pressure to enroll in college.

But then something unexpected happened – he started learning.

His first semester he had one English professor in particular – every paper she returned to him she would write across the top something like Larry, this is terrific thinking – an A paper, which you’ve absolutely ruined with your terrible comma use. D-.

“It made me a good writer,” he said. “Just because I got pretty sick of seeing those D minuses.” When it came time to declare a major, he figured since he was a Storekeeper in the Navy, overseeing ship records and inventories, that accounting would be the best fit. When he arrived at Washburn University School of Law in 1964, he had earned a bachelor of business administration degree from Wichita State University. But he still didn’t feel fully formed.

“I needed to mature a lot,” he said. “From the moment I arrived at Washburn, the mentorship and instruction I got from faculty was beyond compare. Professors like Jim Ahrens, Mel Poland – just good, solid people who always took an interest and wanted to help you reach your full potential.”

He has a vivid memory his first semester of having no idea how he was doing in his Property class until after finals and hustling up the worn steps of the old law school building to the glass case where grades had been posted. “Another D-?” he wondered. But, shoulder to shoulder with his classmates, jostling to get a look at the posted grades, he was shocked to see an A – one of only three in the class.

Larry has taken his motorcycle through all 48 contiguous U.S. states.

“You could have knocked me over with a feather!” he recalled. “And these students around me were saying, ‘Who’s this Larry Meeker guy?’”

People at the law school started learning his name. He earned the Floyd Nicholas Cossman Award for outstanding first-year student and would go on to become president of the Washburn Student Bar Association and editor-in-chief of the Washburn Law Journal before graduating with dean’s honors.

Once he began his law practice, nobody could ever accuse him of slacking off again. He’s litigated major cases, served numerous clients, helped steward hundreds of millions in assets, made four holes in one on the golf course and taken his motorcycle through all 48 continental U.S. states. Shortly after graduation he started a small investment club with $120, just as a hobby, and over the years that club has grown substantially and now includes a number of other major investors and philanthropists. It was partly through projects like that that he met Sally Roth, now his wife. “That $120 has really paid off in a lot of ways,” he joked.

“But,” he said, “when I look back, my time at Washburn might well be the highlight of my life. Because nothing that happened later would have been possible without it.”

When Washburn started to seriously consider a new law school building, Larry was one of the first in line to make a major gift. “After the tornado, most of us late 60s alumni ended our time at Washburn in trailers,” he said. “So we really understand the importance of buildings.”

And, when thinking about his estate, he knew he wanted to benefit Washburn. As a tax and estate expert himself, Larry decided the best way to do so was combining his estate and IRA in a charitable remainder trust, which offered numerous benefits. Among them were: the principal is not reduced by estate or income taxes which maximizes its earning value; Larry and, after he passes, his daughter receive regular income; it earns a sizeable income tax deduction upon being established; and ultimately Washburn will receive the remainder in support of law school scholarships. “It’s the way to make the most of my estate, ensure me and my family are taken care of and, at the end of the line, benefit Washburn, which has meant so much to me.”

“Washburn was more than an education,” he continued. “In the span of those few years, I went from a nobody to a somebody. Washburn made me somebody. I owe it so much.”

If you’re interested in learning more about the benefits of charitable remainder trusts or other ways to support future generations of Washburn students, contact Erin Aldridge at PlannedGiving@wualumni.org or 785.670.4483.