It's Official

Brian Steward continues to present at lawyer conferences around his state of Texas.  He appears to be an expert on "old-school" techniques, we guess that means we're all officially old-school! 

Living Legend...

Kudos to Brian Steward on his multiple quotes in an article about Duke alumni and basketball fans who made the trek to San Antonio for the Final Four! 

'Camaraderie of the Duke spirit': At Final Four weekend, Duke alumni celebrate years of craziness

Elle Chavis

April 14th, 2025

Being a Duke basketball fan goes beyond what happens on the basketball court. It’s more than the record-defining wins or the heartbreaking losses. Generations have experienced the legacy associated with the sport, celebrated it in its best moments and cried in its worst. Supporting Duke basketball is a defining thread that brings people from all walks of life together.

Francis Bogside, an Irish pub in San Antonio, brought generations of Duke graduates together on Final Four weekend. Energy filled the air that only Blue Devil basketball can excite. Mothers pushed babies around in strollers while small children ran excitedly around the courtyard. Classmates who had not seen each other in years reunited all across the venue. Alumni and fans gathered around the little street corner in San Antonio to cheer on the Blue Devils in their 18th Final Four appearance. 

“A lot of people think about their identity as either ‘I'm an American or I'm a woman,’” Lauren Wiggs, Trinity ‘04, said. “For me, being a Duke alumna is one of those first criteria.” 

Her identity as a Duke fan has been a part of her life for as long as she can remember. Wiggs’ grandparents met at Duke in the 1950s, and she got married in the Duke Chapel. Her family has spent decades cheering on men’s basketball. 

She attended her first Final Four in 1986 at only four years old. Now, nearly 40 years later, it was a no-brainer that she would attend the Final Four once it became clear that Duke would play in it. Wiggs and some of her friends booked their flights as soon as the Blue Devils secured their Elite Eight victory over Alabama. She has always enjoyed watching “the decades of history” that the program carries, especially because it has so much to do with her own family history. 

Courtesy of Kim Garcia

Iron Dukes celebrated Final Four Weekend at Francis Bogside, an Irish pub in San Antonio.

Family ties run deep for many Forever Crazies, including Rachel Flemming, a former Duke cheerleader. When it came time for Flemming, Pratt ‘12, to attend college, she followed her older brother to Duke. He joined the marching band, so she joined the cheer team. The opportunity to travel to various bowl games and other athletic events brought the siblings closer and amplified their love for Duke sports, especially basketball. 

Fleming’s favorite memory came from cheering at the national championship game in 2010 when the Blue Devils, led by current head coach Jon Scheyer, defeated Butler. 

“I remember sitting on the court and gripping my poms,” Flemming said. “I still get nervous watching videos of that shot. I know it’s not gonna go in, but I still remember how I felt in that moment.” 

In the years since her graduation, she and her brother have continued to travel to basketball games just as they did in college, supporting Duke across the country.

“It's more than just basketball,” Flemming said. “It's the community and the camaraderie of the Duke spirit.” 

Paul Knickerbocker, Pratt ‘00, has used traveling to basketball games as a way to reconnect with his former classmates. 

“I just used it as a vehicle to reunite with friends and have that common thread, to share that common experience,” Knickerbocker said. 

After enjoying his experience in the Final Four in Phoenix last year with fellow alumni — despite the team’s absence — Knickerbocker decided to follow the Blue Devils around this year in the hopes that the 2024-25 squad would work its way to San Antonio. Although his road experience with the Blue Devils was “hectic,” Knickerbocker enjoyed attending the alumni events in the different cities he went to and explained that supporting Duke gives him “a sense of belonging.” 

“It’s something that you feel that’s bigger than yourself,” he said. 

Several other alumni echoed the sentiment that for them, Duke basketball is like another home, something to support and hold onto in the good times and the bad. 

“It gives you something to look forward to every year,” Brian Steward, Trinity ‘87, said. For many fans, the calendar revolves around watching Duke basketball, around watching each and every game with eager anticipation. 

It doesn’t hurt that fans rarely have to watch their team suffer through long losing stretches. 

“It’s nice to be part of the group,” Knickerbocker said. “And it’s part of the winning group.” 

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Knickerbocker’s friend and fellow alum Noah Geisel described being a Duke basketball fan as “belonging to greatness.” He graduated in 2001, the year the team won its third national championship.

In his four years at Duke, Geisel only missed two home games at Cameron Indoor Stadium. From the beginning of this season, he knew “in his heart” that he would be traveling to San Antonio for the Final Four to support his team, just as he had in his college days. 

“You don't have to be great at basketball to be a great Duke basketball fan,” Geisel said. 

And for many of these alumni, that is the crux of Duke’s basketball appeal. Though most will never get the chance to play on the court of Cameron Indoor, they all have the chance to cheer loudly in the stands, to hex opposing players as they attempt to inbound the ball, to put their arms around each other and sing the alma mater with pride after every win and even each loss. Those memories leave many alumni eagerly anticipating the chance to come back for more.

Courtesy of Kim Garcia

A Duke fan takes a selfie with Dancing Devils.

“I’ll probably die early of a heart attack,” Roshan Yadama, Trinity ‘15, joked of his commitment to watching Duke basketball and the nerve-wracking emotions it induces. 

Still, Yadama, like so many, counts his days spent at Cameron Indoor as among the best in his college experience. The Blue Devils earned their 2015 championship banner in Yadama’s senior year.

“It’s been elite since the beginning,” Yadama said. 

This year's Final Four came a week after Yadama’s college reunion week. While back in Durham, he and his former classmates planned their trip to San Antonio, for Yadama’s first time experiencing the Final Four in person.

Other Forever Crazies are far more seasoned in their Final Four appearances. 

Wilton Alston, Pratt ‘81, traveled to his first Final Four in 1999 and watched the Blue Devils lose to UConn in the championship matchup. Although the experience of watching Duke lose was “gut-wrenching,” he still found himself enjoying the weekend. From that point on, Alston and his brother have made it a yearly tradition to attend the Final Four, even when Duke does not make it. Attending over 20 Final Fours has made him appreciate even more the trips when the Blue Devils do make an appearance.

Whether alumni had attended one Final Four or the last 20, San Antonio brought up some of the best memories from their undergraduate years. Even with the loss to Houston, wherever the team goes in the coming years, these alumni will be there to support them and continue on the tradition of excellence that Duke basketball inspires. 

“It’s a great thing,” Steward said. “It’s a great tradition.” 

Brian's Birthday Run for Chaz

"I dedicated the run this morning to Charles Gagne, who has a BIG birthday today! Happy birthday Chaz!" - Brian Steward

Treat yourself

 

After you battle for your client, be sure to thank yourself too! (Imaginary quote)

Brian Steward celebrates another job well done in San Antionio...

Two Guys Walk Into an Inn...

So Brian Steward was in Deerfield, MA for the fall meeting of the Deerfield Academy Alumni Association Executive Committee this past weekend.  As he settled in for a beverage at his place of lodging, the Deerfield Inn, he notices a handsome devil at the registration desk, who turns out to be his classmate, Alex Kerr!

Alex was showing his Los Angeles based daughter some of the east coast options but nothing could have prepared him for his luck in seeing his friend of 40 years.

They set a date to recreate their iconic JW doors photo from 1983 for the next afternoon and the beautiful Pocumtuck Valley did not disappoint.  The copy of the original photo didn't do justice to the event, so was omitted.

Congratulations to Brian and Alex, for being the in the ABSOLUTELY BEST SPOT at the same time.

Community Service Award Winner

Congratulations to Brian Steward for recently being honored by the San Antonio Bar Association with its Community Service Award.  Brian is active in his community and supports healthcare and animal welfare organizations especially.

Thanks to his wife Hannah for posting some great pictures on FB.  Kudos to Brian for wearing a (pink? salmon?) Deerfield tie to the event!

And because we can never have enough of Hannah and Brian on the blog, here are two more of the same image to test what is going on with the MailerLite RSS Feed and why photos are blurry in the feed.

Brian Steward interviewed by the Rivard Report in San Antonio

"I Could Have Been George Floyd": Black Professionals Share Stories of Racial Profiling

(Full Article HERE)

Brian Steward, Attorney, Ketterman, Rowland & Westlund

Brian Steward grew up on the near East Side in the 1960s and ’70s. He attended San Antonio Academy before transferring to the prestigious Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts. He then went to Duke University, earned his law degree at St. Mary’s University, and has gone on to have a successful career as an attorney. But in the Northwood neighborhood, Steward is afraid that one day, when he’s outside with his 5-year-old daughter, neighbors will mistake him for someone with ill intent.

“Whenever I walk with my daughter, I make a point of having her stand with me – not behind me or in front of me but with me. So that when other vehicles pass or we walk by homes, they will see that she is with me and comfortable with me as opposed to it looking like I’m stealing this fair-haired girl,” Steward said.

Steward is black, his wife is white, and their daughter, he said, “is very light, and if you – if you look quickly and couldn’t really see her features, you would probably think that she was a white child.”

Steward has had to navigate being a black man in a predominantly white environment for most of his life. For the seven years he was at San Antonio Academy, he was the only black student in his class. And when he’d return from prep school to hang out with his San Antonio Academy friends, he’d face experiences they didn’t, including being the only one stopped and questioned by Alamo Heights police despite being with other white kids. He always carefully navigated the drive from college in Durham, North Carolina, back home. So he understands all too well how quickly an opinion about a person or a situation can form.

“We make a point of waving to anyone and everyone, whether you’re in your yard, whether you’re in your car, we wave to you,” Steward said about walks with his daughter. “We also don’t walk after the sun goes down or before the sun comes up. We always want to be visible, we always want to comply with all traffic laws and be as wonderful and joyous as we possibly can when people see us. And I’ve told her that people are looking at us, but really, what they’re doing is they’re looking at you, and then they’re looking at me. And if they felt like there was anything happening or anything inappropriate going on with you, they are going to assume that I am the bad guy. I’m doing something wrong.

“And, you know, she’s just 5 and she doesn’t really understand that, but I think she’s starting to get it and see there’s a difference in the way people are treated.”

That was fun. Zoom HH #2 scheduled for May 2

Thanks to those classmates who braved the first Class of 83 Zoom Happy Hour!

Great to See and hear from Brian Steward (TX), John Knight - Don Hindman and Will Piersol (CO), Adam Feiges (IA), Eric Suher and Ben Patton (MA), Dean Singewald (CT), Jim Wareck and Alex Kerr (CA), Whit Sheppard (VA) and Chris Flagg - PB Weymouth and Doug Cruikshank (NY).

We all agreed to do it again and to try and expand the attendee list!

One classmate also recommended a book to the group: "The Classmates: Privilege, Chaos and the End of an Era" by Geoffrey Douglas.  Big picture - it follows five classmates from the class of 1962 at St. Paul's School - John Kerry among them".  Sounds interesting!

Class of 1983 Zoom HH #2 will be May 2 at 6 pm ET.  To get the invite - ask any of the attendees from HH #1 or email "jgknight83 AT gmail.com".  (HINT: use @ for "AT")

The more the merrier!!!

Kudos to Dean Singewald for the DA Dining Hall as his virtual background!  Maybe we should call it "Sit-Down Happy Hour"?

San Antonio Man

Brian Steward was interviewed on a San Antonio podcast (The Alamo Hour) recently and he tells some great stories about his childhood.  The podcast is centered on the legal community and there is a lot going on in the reproductive rights space right now, which is much of the content.  Things happen fast sometimes in the legal world and Brian was invited back a second time to follow up on his first interview.

It's fun to hear Brian be an expert and also to hear him tell stories about his childhood.  He even details the 24 hours before he was born!

Part One (60 Minutes, apple podcast player, click Alamo Hour link for other player options)
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-alamo-hour/id1504139910?i=1000471091050

Part Two (30 Minutes)
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-alamo-hour/id1504139910?i=1000471091049

The Alamo Hour page = https://the-alamo-hour.captivate.fm/

Bonus links: If you listen to the first hour, Brian tells a story about his parents and their work, and about the deposition his mother gave the day before she gave birth to him.  Here's the link to the case: https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=8534927028802510905&q=Christine+Steward&hl=en&as_sdt=3,44 and here's the link to that Christine Steward Deposition: (coming soon)

Making the effort

An impressive effort by Jim Wareck (from LA) and Brian Steward (from San Antonio) to chaperone Brian's daughter Grace at her latest visit to the San Diego Zoo!!!  Well done! (Mom Hannah was always nearby, of course...)

Cheers to '83 on this DA Day of Giving!

Don Hindman tracked down Brian Steward during a recent business trip to San Antonio.  Here they are toasting our class and especially all those classmates who take advantage of the anonymous match to double their impact by making a gift to Deerfield today!  (giving link here).

Need a pick me up?

Brian Steward was tired the day of the original photo.  His friend on FB took some time to cheer him up.  With Brian's permission, you can bee cheered up too!

Enduring friendships

There's so much history between Jim and Brian and Alex that it didn't take long for the three old buddies to connect when Brian recently headed to LA for a conference.

There was some work done during theses meetings I'm told.  There was a pitch for the making of The Chris Flagg Story...

Colorado dreamin'...

Wonderful to have the Steward family (briefly) in Colorado as a run up to Brian's birthday!

Welcome Toby!

Whitney Armstrong is thrilled to report: It finally happened,  baby Tobias 'Toby' Armstrong arrived December 29, 2014 weighing 6lbs. 11oz.  Let's see if I truly am the the last of our class to become a parent. And if only I lived closer to Brian Steward I could avoid having to host play dates for kids of parents half my age.   

Mother  Monica and baby are healthy and safe.

Happy New Year!!!

And then there's this...

Happy Holidays all!

Saying goodbye to sleep....with a smile

The "final" pic from San Antonio shows our contented classmate saying goodbye to sleep for a while.

In the flurry of FB activity after Grace was born to Brian and Hannah, it was learned that classmate Whit Armstrong has his first child due on December 20! Look forward to another welcoming announcement and the official launch of "old man" jokes...

Welcome!

DA1983 is pleased to welcome Grace Eleanor Steward to the family. Born yesterday after a 17 hour labor, Hannah and Brian are thrilled but exhausted.

Brian is pleased too that I didn't try to have a naming contest!

83 Effort

Really appreciate the classmates who made the effort to meet me in Austin, TX for #sxsw. Brian drove up from San Antonio and Hank flew over from Houston where he was visiting from his home in SF. Thanks boys!

Bad Timing

Here's what happened on Dr. Adam Weinberg's Facebook page when he announced he had just  joined twitter.

Knight was chillin' (literally) at home with his 8 year old and Steward was showing restraint in his Houston hotel Good Times!!!