Dickinson Law Donor Profiles

August 30, 2021 — In 1844, Macon Bolling Allen became the first African American person licensed to practice law in the U.S. After passing the bar in Maine, Allen struggled to find clients in the predominantly white state. He later moved to Boston and became the nation’s first Black judicial office holder. Full story

May 2021 — Ted Adler, a 1972 graduate of Dickinson Law and a 1969 graduate of Penn State and his wife, Shelley, may know better than most the value of a law school education these days. Their son attended law school, and they saw firsthand what is involved in paying for books, lodging, and tuition. Full story

March 2021 — Benjamin Folkman met Stephen Busterna on their first day as undergraduates at Dickinson College. Both members of the class of 1982, they studied abroad together in Italy during their junior years and decided to attend Penn State Dickinson Law together, where they joined the same study group and took another trip to Italy. Full story

January 26, 2021 — Dusty Elias Kirk, a 1979 graduate of Dickinson Law, was the first person in her family to go to law school as well as the first in her family to attend college. She is a successful real estate attorney and partner at Reed Smith in Pittsburgh; a member of the Executive Council of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, Women in the Profession Committee; and a member of the Dickinson Law Leadership Council Advisory Board and avid alumni volunteer for Penn State Dickinson Law, among her many positions. Full story

December 8, 2020 — Tracy Steele (class of 1995) and her husband, Kevin Steele (class of 1992), have both overseen the hiring of attorneys during their careers. Tracy formerly served as a hiring partner for a large international law firm, and Kevin is the district attorney for Montgomery County in Pennsylvania.

October 28, 2020 — J. Rodman “Rod” Steele, a 1966 graduate of Dickinson Law, believes the law gives society the opportunity to improve. He has seen many improvements and advances in women’s and civil rights during his more than five decades of legal practice, which spans the swearing-in of the first African American Supreme Court justice and the recent prosecutions of powerful men for sexual assault.

Christine Perrucci ’94 and her husband, Michael, understand the critical importance of receiving support during law school. They have established a scholarship to help Dickinson Law students. The couple gives back to show their children the value of philanthropy and extend opportunities to those who may not otherwise enjoy them. Christine, a member of the Dickinson Law Leadership Council, applauds the way the curriculum has evolved at the Law School over recent years.

Brian Clark ’85 said three key skills he learned at Dickinson Law have assisted him throughout his career. He is thrilled to have the chance to give back by endowing a support fund at the school that taught him so much and opened the door to many opportunities. “Dickinson Law is providing the next generation of outstanding lawyers,” he said.

Trudy Fehlinger ’06 and Charles Fehlinger ’09 attended King’s College together and then moved on to Dickinson Law. While raising two young children, co-owning Fehlinger Construction Group LLC, and starting their own firm, they never forgot the generosity that allowed Trudy to attend law school on a scholarship. Now they’ve endowed one of their own through the Graduate Scholarship Matching Program, completing a legacy of giving they’re proud to fulfill.

The ties between the Carlisle community and Dickinson Law run deep. You see them in the many students clerking at nearby law firms, lunching at Brick and Market Cross Pub, attending events at the Carlisle Theatre, and making their homes in central Pennsylvania after graduation.