The University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law received the largest philanthropic gift in its history, an endowed estate gift of $3.5 million. The Whittaker family, including an alumnus who became a U.S. Supreme Court justice, has been part of the UMKC School of Law’s story for more than 100 years. Their gift will impact the school for generations to come.
The gift from Kent Whittaker, a Kansas City lawyer for 45 years, will support student scholarships, law school building maintenance and areas of greatest need. Impressed by recent UMKC School of Law accolades including the school being named among U.S. News & World Report’s top 100 law schools and accomplishments such as students placing high in competitions, he wants to see the school continue to elevate its reputation as a national law school and hopes to inspire others to make their own estate gifts.
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“Kent and Judy Whittaker truly set the standard for excellence as lawyers and leaders in the greater Kansas City community,” said Lumen Mulligan, dean of the UMKC School of Law. “It is exceptionally fitting, then, that their gift sets the standard for philanthropy here at UMKC Law. Their generosity will empower UMKC Law’s success in perpetuity.”
Law school and his career as an attorney shaped Whittaker’s life. He felt he owed a debt to the profession that made him who he is today.
“I was not motivated in college. I was kind of floating through it and having fun,” Whittaker said. “When you graduate from law school and all of a sudden have someone sitting across the table who hires you to help them with a problem, it made a world of difference to me. I was responsible for something. I was serious about it, and it made my life. I was not a workaholic, but it made my life.”
Whittaker is not an alumnus of UMKC School of Law himself, but his family ties are strong. His father, Charles Whittaker, graduated from the Kansas City School of Law – now the UMKC School of Law – in 1924. Charles Whittaker was a U.S. Supreme Court Justice and served on the Court from 1957 – 1962. He was nominated by President Eisenhower after serving at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. After his time on the Supreme Court, he returned to the casework he loved and became a counselor and corporate arbitrator for General Motors Corporation. Kent Whittaker’s late wife, Judy Whittaker (J.D. ‘63), is an alumna and was valedictorian of her class. Kate Whittaker (J.D. ‘95), Kent and Judy’s daughter, is also an alumna of the school.
Growing up with a lawyer, and then judge, for a father made going into law an easy choice for Kent. He remembers talking through cases with his father often, as Charles loved his work and “was consumed by cases.”
“I always knew I was going to be a lawyer; I just didn’t even consider anything else,” Kent said. “I had a lot of fun practicing law.”
Charles was appointed to the Supreme Court the same month Kent graduated from law school at the University of Michigan. It was there that Kent met his future wife, Judy, as a third-year law student helping with first-year orientation. After Kent graduated law school, he and Judy moved to his hometown of Kansas City. Kent began a long career in private practice in Kansas City, including more than 40 years with Hillix Brewer and its successors.
Judy finished law school at UMKC School of Law. During law school, Judy had two children and still graduated as valedictorian. She spent several years at a small firm, Sheffrey, Ryder & Skeer, before being asked to join the growing legal team at Hallmark. Judy spent 30 years at Hallmark, where she worked on many projects that led the company to what it is today, including leasing within the newly built Crown Center, the acquisition of Crayola, purchase of the Spanish International Network (now Univision) television station, numerous patents and more.
“Judy loved her career at Hallmark; I can’t remember a time she was unhappy there,” Kent said. “We were both fantastically lucky in our jobs and loved our time working.”
Their successful careers led to an early decision to pay it forward.
“We decided halfway through our working years that if we were able, we wanted to dedicate part of our estate to making a difference in the community,” Kent said. “We want to help reduce human suffering and support education, and that’s what we’re doing with this gift.”