The Rocket

Issue date: 4/11/08 Section: Focus

Media Credit: Steve Reed Walter Powell, a political science professor, was recently honored for his 50 years of work in law by the Butler County Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Bar Association. [Click to enlarge]

From New York City to SRU, Walter Powell has had quite the journey during his law and teaching career for the past 50 years.

And for his efforts, he was recently been honored by the Butler County Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

Born in New York City, Powell, 79, grew up during the Great Depression. While still in high school, Powell joined the New York Guard in 1944. Two years later, he joined the Army Air Force and served for three years.

Because of the G.I. Bill that had been enacted in 1944, veterans were able to attend college for four years on a scholarship. As a result, Powell went to the University of Connecticut. In 1950, he entered the ROTC program during the Korean War. He was never sent to war but went on to receive his degree in political science and history from the University of Connecticut in 1954.

"After graduating, I was hired as a clerk for Senator Abraham Ribicoff's law firm in Connecticut," Powell said. "It was there that I began doing court work."

During this time, Powell also started teaching social science courses in high schools in Connecticut. He then returned to the University of Connecticut to teach and went on to teach at several other colleges, including Central Michigan University and Springfield College in Massachusetts. All the courses he taught dealt with law and government.

While traveling to different teaching jobs in several states, Powell was working towards earning his law degree. He attended the University of Richmond Law School, the University of Connecticut Law School, took courses at the Western Reserve Law School in Cleveland and finally earned his law degree at the Western New England School of Law in Springfield.

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