The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan conducted a scholarship presentation to honor recipients of the Annual Ralph M. Freeman Foundation Law School and College Scholarships on Wednesday, May 15, at the Theodore Levin U.S. Courthouse in Detroit. On hand for the presentation were (left to right) Grace Kern, Kristyna Nunzio, Travis Bell, Catherine Gardey, U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Edmonds, Nicolas Pillow, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise Page Hood, Ryan Beyers, Erinika Taliaferro, and Sara Stappert.
– Photo by John Meiu
Nine college students, including five who are studying law, were awarded Ralph M. Freeman Scholarships on Wednesday, May, 15, during a ceremony at the Theodore Levin U.S. Courthouse in Detroit.
The law students were selected by the deans of five Michigan law schools based upon criteria set by each college. Four other scholarships were presented to the children of full-time court employees. The four, who are attending or plan to attend colleges this fall, excelled in essays about their leadership ability, field of study, career potential and the benefits and importance of a college education.
The $1,000 scholarships-in their 18th year-are presented in the memory of the late U.S. District Judge Ralph M. Freeman and his late wife, Emmalyn. Judge Freeman was appointed U.S. District Court judge for the Eastern District of Michigan in 1954 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. He served as chief judge from 1967-72, took senior status in 1973 and continued to serve until his death in 1990.
Freeman was a 1926 law graduate of the University of Michigan. He practiced law in Flint, served as Genesee County prosecuting attorney in 1930-32 and was a member of the Flint Board of Education in 1935-1949, serving two terms as president in 1938-1939 and 1948-1949.
Freeman bequeathed part of his estate "for the purpose of benefitting the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan." The court created the Ralph M. Freeman Foundation, whose trustees decided the scholarship program was an appropriate way to honor the Freemans.
Ralph M. Freeman Law School Scholarships were presented to:
- Kristyna Nunzio, Western Michigan University Cooley Law School. It selects a law student in their final year and who excels in litigation.
- Nicolas Pillow, Wayne State University Law School. It picks a second- or third-year law student with the best record in evidence.
- Tina Ripley, University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. It picks a student in their final year of law school who has excelled in civil procedure and best represents the concepts of civility and professionalism expected of a trial attorney.
- Sara Stappert, University of Michigan Law School. It selects a second- or third-year law student who excels in criminal law and procedure.
- Erinika Taliaferro, Michigan State University College of Law. It selects a law student who treats everyone in the legal process with courtesy and respect based upon The Rules of Professional Conduct adopted by the Michigan Supreme Court.
Ralph M. Freeman College Scholarships were presented to:
- Travis Scott Bell, son of Staff Attorney Cheryl Takacs Bell. Travis is completing his freshman year at the University of Michigan as a pre-med Honors College student majoring in molecular, cellular and developmental biology.
- Ryan Thomas Beyers, son of U.S. Bankruptcy Law Clerk Melanie Ryan Beyers. Ryan is graduating from Nouvel Catholic Central High School in Saginaw with plans to attend Albion College as a pre-med student majoring in biochemistry.
- Grace Elizabeth Kern, daughter of Pretrial Data Quality Analyst Lisa Kern. Grace is completing her freshman year at Central Michigan University, majoring in computer science.
- Catherine Wummel Gardey, daughter of Law Clerk Rosemary Gardey, law clerk to U.S. District Judge George Caram Steeh. Catherine is a junior at the University of Michigan majoring in psychology and political science.
The four were selected by a committee of judges and Freeman Foundation trustees including U.S. District Court Judges Paul Borman, Robert Cleland, Avern Cohn, Sean Cox, Nancy Edmunds, Denise Page Hood, Laurie Michelson, and Victoria Roberts, along with Court Administrator David Weaver.
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