Dickinson Law Donor Profiles

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.

One of Dickinson Law’s most distinguished and generous graduates, H. Laddie Montague Jr. ’63 won a class action after the Exxon Valdez oil spill, battled big tobacco, and earned recognition as one of the country’s most effective antitrust lawyers. Equally important to Montague is his work on behalf of Dickinson Law, both as a donor and the leader of several alumni organizations.

Over the years, G. Bryan Salzmann ’91 and James D. Hughes ’90 have carved out a successful law practice in central Pennsylvania focused on environmental, corporate, and municipal law. These partners met at Dickinson Law, where they became close over shared golf outings and softball games. They remain best friends, and they continue to support the law school, hiring many alumni and donating to the Graduate Scholarship Matching Program.

Melissa Scartelli ’87 became the first female partner at her law firm less than 10 years after graduating from Penn State’s Dickinson Law. She loved her job and could see herself doing it comfortably for years to come.

You may have seen Kevin Steele ’92 on cable news after winning convictions in the high-profile trials of comedian Bill Cosby and former PA Attorney General Kathleen Kane. The Montgomery County District Attorney has an impressive record behind him, and he credits Dickinson Law for everything from legal techniques to meeting his wife, Tracy Steele ’95, a real estate attorney who was a partner in the Philadelphia office of Morgan Lewis before forming Ferro Steele LLC.

September 29, 2020 — Tom L. VanKirk ‘70 and his wife, Bonnie, are endowing the VanKirk/Highmark Educational Equity Scholarship at Dickinson Law, with Highmark matching the couple’s $50,000 gift to honor VanKirk’s retirement. It marks Tom and Bonnie’s third major contribution to Dickinson Law, all of which have been matched 1:1 by the University. “We want to support getting more underrepresented students, in particular, involved in the educational process and in law,” VanKirk said.