Part of Whitfield & Eddy’s mission is to maintain a working environment that encourages community involvement. Read on to find out how our employees and attorneys are contributing their time, talents and resources to make central Iowa an even better place to live, work, and do business.

Recent Firm-Wide Volunteer Efforts

• To mark to anniversary of 9/11, Whitfield & Eddy employees donned Iowa State University and University of Iowa apparel on September 14, 2007, the eve of the annual "CyHawk" football game, to raise money for the Twin Towers Orphan Fund. The Twin Towers Orphan Fund was founded on September 12, 2001, for the sole purpose of providing long-term higher educational assistance and mental and physical healthcare assistance to the children who were orphaned by the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, as well as children of victims of future terrorist attacks.

• During the summer of 2007 dozens of Whitfield & Eddy employees voluntarily attended American Heart Association "Heartsaver AED" training courses to renew their CPR certification and retrain on using an AED, or automated external defibrillator. Whitfield & Eddy’s Des Moines and West Des Moines offices are equipped with AEDs.

• On July 20, 2007, Whitfield & Eddy, P.L.C. sponsored a hole at the 9th Annual Children & Families of Iowa Ladies’ Golf Tournament. The event raised more than $5000 to benefit Children & Families of Iowa and victims of domestic violence. Two Whitfield & Eddy staff members, Cheryl Ritter and Shirley Stewart, participated in the tournament and placed fourth in their flight.

• In May 2007 the Whitfield & Eddy Scholarship was presented to Austin Meyn, a construction engineering student at Iowa State University. The Whitfield & Eddy Scholarship is presented annually to an outstanding student in ISU’s construction engineering program.

• On April 21, 2007, a large team of Whitfield & Eddy employees, family members and friends participated in the annual Great American Heart Walk at Living History Farms in Urbandale, Iowa. This year’s team exceeded its goals for donations and number of participants, and placed tenth out of 120 local teams in donations raised to benefit the American Heart Association.

• On April 13, 2007, Whitfield & Eddy employees wore anything and everything red to symbolize their awareness that heart disease is the number one cause of death for men and women. Employees also made donations to support the American Heart Association’s education and research programs in the state of Iowa.

• Whitfield & Eddy, P.L.C. received an award for service to the Polk County Bar Association's Volunteer Lawyers Project at Iowa Legal Aid's Fourth Annual Equal Justice After Hours event on March 6, 2007. The award recognizes more than 500 hours of pro bono work donated by 18 Whitfield & Eddy attorneys who completed referrals from the Volunteer Lawyers Project in 2006. An article in the April 2007 issue of The Iowa Lawyer magazine referred to the firm as "a role model for how much assistance a large firm can provide to the community in terms of assistance to the clients of the program, as well as leadership for the program itself."

• In December 2006 Whitfield & Eddy employees donated to the United Way of Central Iowa by purchasing musical notes and placing them on the walls of coworkers’ offices to nominate them to perform with Whitfield & Eddy’s in-house band at a firm-wide event held on December 20. The event, which wrapped up a highly successful United Way campaign, featured four hilarious and gutsy performances and was dubbed "Whitfieldpalooza." Attorney Jay Helton, emcee for the event, broke the ice with his rendition of Elvis’ hit "Santa Claus is Back in Town." Attorney Gary Gately, dressed as a hippie for his performance of "Let It Snow," had the crowd laughing to the point of tears and showered those near him with flour "snow." Staff member Taylor McWilliams performed another Elvis classic, "Blue Christmas," while wearing an Elvis hairpiece and costume. Staff member Shari Nelson took home the grand prize for her performance of "Heart Attack Blues," an original composition written by staff member Joni Crawford. Attorney Steve Tyler, skilled musicians, provided electric guitar accompaniment for the acts.

• In December 2006 Whitfield & Eddy, P.L.C. made a significant donation to the U.S. Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots Foundation. Whitfield & Eddy attorney Jerry Spaeth and his wife Deb Spaeth appeared on a local newscast on December 5 to present the firm’s donation as well as a personal donation to the Toys for Tots program and to issue a challenge to others in the community to step up their support for the program.

• On November 17, 2006, employees of Whitfield & Eddy participated in Des Moines’ citywide "Combat Hunger" campaign to replenish the shelves of the Food Bank of Iowa in time for the holidays and the winter season. Employees of the firm donated approximately 500 pounds of food.

• Whitfield & Eddy employees donated generously to the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s Women’s Cancers Program for the privilege of wearing jeans to work on October 6, 2006.

Attorneys' Civic and Volunteer Activities

• Mark R. Gray, Past Member, North Polk Board of Directors

• Thomas H. Burke, Past Co-Chair, Iowa Chapter’s Annual Heart Ball

• Jason M. Casini, General Counsel

• Mark R. Gray, Coach, Mock Trial Team
• Mark R. Gray, Volunteer, Mentor Program

• Mark R. Gray, Member and Volunteer

• Thomas S. Reavely, Past President, Board of Directors

• Megan M. Antenucci, Past Vice-President, Board of Directors

• Maureen Roach Tobin, Member, Board of Directors

• Richard J. Kirschman, Past Member, Board of Directors

• Bernard L. "Jerry" Spaeth, Jr., Past Chair

• Mark V. Hanson, Member, Executive Board

• Gary Gately, Past President

• Bernard L. "Jerry" Spaeth, Jr., Chair

• John A. Templer, Jr., Vice-President of Development, Board of Directors

• Thomas H. Burke, Past Member, Board of Trustees

• Mark R. Gray, Past Member, City Council

• Bernard L. “Jerry” Spaeth, Jr., Member, Financial Committee

• Harley A. Whitfield, Past Member, Board of Directors

• Mark V. Hanson, Past Member, City Council

• Danny L. Cornell, Past Mayor (two terms)

• Gary Gately, Past Member, Board of Directors

• Harley A. Whitfield, Past President
• Harley A. Whitfield, Past Legal Counsel
• Benjamin B. Ullem, Past President

• Gary Gately, Past President, Board of Directors

• Ronald R. Adams, Past Member, Board of Directors

• Mark R. Gray, Past Member, Board of Directors

• Benjamin B. Ullem, Past Chair, National Alumni Association
• Benjamin B. Ullem, Member and Past Chair, Board of Trustees
• Benjamin B. Ullem, Past Chair, National Commission II

• Benjamin B. Ullem, Past President, Board of Counselors
• Anjela A. Shutts, Past President, Board of Counselors
• Sally A. Reavely, Member, Board of Counselors
• Nicholas O. Cooper, Member, Board of Counselors

• Drew J. Gentsch, Member, Board of Directors
• B. MacPaul Stanfield, Member, Board of Directors; Volunteer

• Ronald R. Adams, Charter Member

• Greg A. Naylor, Past Member, Board of Directors

• Nicholas S.J. Olivencia, Volunteer Translator and Attorney

• Maureen Roach Tobin, Coach, Mock Trial Team

• Maria Ruhtenberg, Member.

• Greg A. Naylor, Past Chair

• Ronald R. Adams, Member, Friendship Force Delegation to Stavropol, U.S.S.R.

• Anjela A. Shutts, Past President
• Megan M. Antenucci, Past President
• Jason M. Casini, Volunteer
• Nicholas O. Cooper, Volunteer
• Robert L. Fanter, Volunteer
• John F. Fatino, Volunteer
• Drew J. Gentsch, Volunteer
• J. Campbell Helton, Volunteer
• Thomas Henderson, Volunteer
• Richard J. Kirschman, Volunteer
• Jonathan E. Kramer, Volunteer
• David D. Nelson, Volunteer
• Thomas S. Reavely, Volunteer
• Kevin M. Reynolds, Volunteer
• Jaki K. Samuelson, Volunteer
• Kara M. Sinnard, Volunteer
• Bernard L. "Jerry" Spaeth, Jr., Volunteer
• Maureen Roach Tobin, Volunteer
• Timothy J. Walker (retired), Volunteer

• Harley A. Whitfield, Past Member, Board of Directors

• Harley A. Whitfield, Member, Board of Directors

• Greg A. Naylor, Past Member, Board of Directors

• Thomas Henderson, Past Coach, Mock Trial Team (National Champions in 1986)

• Anjela A. Shutts, Past President, Board of Directors

• B. MacPaul Stanfield, President, Board of Directors

• Harley A. Whitfield, Past Chair, Board of Trustees

• Kevin M. Reynolds, Secretary

• Greg A. Naylor, Past Chair, Iowa Region

• Thomas S. Reavely, Vice-President, Board of Directors

• John F. Fatino, Co-Chair, Development Committee

• Maureen Roach Tobin, Past Chair, Compensation Committee

• Mark V. Hanson, Past Vice-President, Board of Directors

• Richard J. Kirschman, Past Head Coach, Sophomore Baseball Team

• Robert G. Bridges, Member
• Thomas Henderson, Member

• Mark V. Hanson, Member, Board of Directors

• G. Mark Rice, Past Member, Board of Directors-Community Service

• Thomas Henderson, Member and Past Chair, Advisory Board

• Robert G. Bridges, Past President, Board of Directors

• G. Mark Rice, Past Coach, Mock Trial Team
• G. Mark Rice, Member, School Board

• Gary Gately, Past President, Board of Directors
• G. Mark Rice, Past Volunteer, Corporate Call

• Maureen Roach Tobin, Coach, Mock Trial Team

• Maureen Roach Tobin, Coach, Mock Trial Team

• Nicholas O. Cooper, Volunteer

• Thomas H. Burke, Past Member, Board of Directors
• Thomas H. Burke, Past Chair, Annual Fundraising Campaign

• Robert G. Bridges, Past Member, Board of Directors

Veterans at Whitfield & Eddy, P.L.C.:

We enthusiastically salute our attorneys and other employees who have bravely served in the armed forces to ensure the ongoing safety and freedom of the United States of America.

• Vickie Alingh: U.S. Marine Corps, 1951-1953.
• Danny L. Cornell: U.S. Army, Active Duty including service in Desert Shield/Desert Storm, 1986-1992; Inactive Duty, 1992-1994.
• Robert L. Fanter: U.S. Army, Captain and Legal Officer, 1969-1971.
• Gary Gately: U.S. Army, Active Duty, 1957-1958.
• Mark V. Hanson: U.S. Army, First Lieutenant, Intelligence Branch, 1972-1974.
• Lyle Luckow: Army Reserve, 1970-1976.
• Thomas S. Reavely: U.S. Army Reserve, Colonel (Retired), JAGC, 1968-1998.
• Bernard L. "Jerry" Spaeth, Jr.: U.S. Air Force, Judge Advocate and Captain, Certified Trial and Defense Counsel, 1974-1978.
• John A. Templer, Jr.: U.S. Army, 1969-1971.
• Harley A. Whitfield: U.S. Air Force, First Lieutenant, 1951-1953.

Financial Contributions

Whitfield & Eddy seeks to strengthen its Iowa community through financial contributions to the United Way of Central Iowa as well as non-profit organizations in which our attorneys are actively involved.