Stephen S. Herseth – 50th Reunion Essay

Stephen S. Herseth

829 Clinton Pl

River Forest, IL 60305

Stephen.Herseth@gmail.com

312-953-3095

Spouse(s): Mary Jo Herseth, (27 years as of 2018)

Child(ren): Elizabeth, (age 24), and Carolyn, (age 23)

Education: Boston College, MAT, 1982; Chicago Kent College of Law, JD, Highest Honors, 1982

Avocations: Travel, golf, family

College: Calhoun (Hopper)

Memories of Yale and Life after 50 years.

The Beginning: For me, admission to Yale’s Class of 1969 was a surprise, and a gift. A surprise, because who would have expected Yale to admit a public school student, with good, but not great grades, strong activities, but not class president, etc.—you get it. And yet, there I was, along with three other members of my OPRFHS Class—Fauth, Funke and Zalar. We were part of the mid-60s change at Yale. Thank you, Kingman.

The Good: Great roommates—Fred London (we still miss him), Don Weigandt, and wonderful friends like Gary Fauth, Dick Funke, Phil Williams, and others, all wonderfully smart, and all of whom treated other people with kindness and respect. This was a delightful community to enjoy and cherish, as we discussed the events changing the US and the world, and taught each other, including bridge and hearts. Despite, or perhaps because of Yale’s then paucity of diversity, through my friends I developed a strong commitment to diversity—racial, religious, gender—that continues today. I worked with wonderful scholars, who helped me clarify my thinking and writing. Some, like Richard Warch, my senior advisor, also helped me view life more clearly. While I was not a great scholar, I absorbed some of the erudition of my best professors, and certainly read great books. And who could forget the skills acquired in stealing the sign from inside the Manhattanville Dormitory?

The Bad: Waking to the damn generator that sat outside that horrid room I occupied in Lawrence our freshman year. Fumes and noise from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. Rushing off to an 8 a.m. French class, five days a week. A Shakespeare section with an instructor who did not speak English. What was Yale thinking?

The Later: After Yale, pushed by the fears and hatred of Vietnam, I taught high school, and tried to make a difference in students’ lives. Alas, however, the bureaucracy of education convinced me to leave teaching, and enroll in law school. I had envisioned being a lawyer for years, and the vision proved worthwhile. I have practiced real estate law for over 35 years, working on downtown Chicago buildings and outrageous shopping centers all across the US Legal work has generally been very satisfying, and I continued my teaching and diversity efforts in law firms throughout my career.

The Best: My most satisfying accomplishments, however, are being married to my wife, Mary Jo, and raising our daughters, Lizzie and Carolyn. I have now enjoyed almost 27 years of great married life and Mary Jo and I have worked hard to help our girls become quality adults. We have also focused on our family’s engagement in community organizations, from mental health (Thresholds), to being the straight white suburban couple at LGBTQ groups (EQIL) before it was chic, and others, as leaders, members and supporters. I developed this commitment to diversity and service at Yale in the ’60s, and that was Yale’s true gift.