The Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences inducted three Wichita State alumni into its Hall of Fame on Tuesday — Warren E. Pickett, Robert E. Shields and Scott W. Stucky.
Every year, LAS holds a ceremony to honor the three alumni for their achievements in their respective fields. During this event, each alumni reflected on how their time at WSU helped them get where they are now. They all received their undergraduate degrees from WSU: Pickett in mathematics and physics, Shields in political science and Stucky in history.
“It is about celebrating the education that shaped them and the endearing value of the liberal arts and sciences in a world that often measures success in immediate or technical terms,” LAS dean Sarah Beth Estes said. “(It) does not train us for a single job. It prepares us for a lifetime of living.”
Warren E. Pickett
Pickett graduated from WSU in 1969 with a BS in mathematics and physics and a MS in physics in 1971.
“I was gobsmacked by Estes informing me of this honor to be inducted into the hall of fame,” Pickett said. “I realized there was another reason that I would come to Wichita to this ceremony, and that was to honor Wichita State University myself, from my heart, because it was at Wichita State University that my future was given shape.”
Pickett received his PhD in physics from Stony Brook University after completing his degrees at WSU and later held postdoctoral appointments at the University of Bristol, the University of California, Berkeley and Northwestern University. Most recently, he was a professor in the department of physics at University of California, Davis, but retired in 2021.
“(It’s important to) do your best to broaden your background for education in liberal arts and sciences,” Pickett said. “It’s sort of the college that’s dedicated to that.”
Robert E. Shields
Shields graduated from WSU in 1968 with a BA in political science. Shields said James Rhatigan, former dean of students and senior vice president of Student Affairs, was “one of the biggest influences” on him throughout his time at WSU.
“In the 60 years since then, I have remained devoted to Wichita State,” Shields said. “Participated in activities and been involved with it ever since, in every way I could.”
He received his juris doctorate from New York University School of Law and over the course of his career has litigated cases in 20 states. He was a founding partner of Doffermyre Shields Canfield & Knowles LLC and retired in 2024.
During his time at WSU he was also an active member of the University Debate Society, Beta Theta Pi fraternity and the Student Government Association, of which he was president for two years. In 1968, he won the National Debate Tournament and he was selected by Delta Sigma Rho-Tau Kappa Alpha as the national Student Speaker of the Year.
“I think the most important thing, behind your studies, is to be involved in student activities as much as possible,” Shields said. “I was able to be more involved … (you’ll) get the most out of college if you’re as involved as you possibly can.”
Scott W. Stucky
In 1970, Stucky graduated from WSU with a BA in history. He also served as student body president for one term during his time at WSU and also cited Rhatigan for helping him gain the skills he needed in his career. During his first semester he also pledged to the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.
“The thing I got out of Wichita State was not historical knowledge … wasn’t necessarily academic,” Stucky said. “It was how to move in society, how to get along with people … I owe that more than anything else to my fraternity. I got so much out of (that), one of the best decisions I ever made in college.”
After he graduated from WSU, he got his juris doctorate from Harvard Law School and received master’s degrees from Trinity University and George Washington University in history and international law respectively.
“When I got here (to WSU), the university had a rather detailed board curriculum,” Stucky said. “Which I thought did a very good job of exposing students to the things they needed to be exposed to.”
He also served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve as a second lieutenant and then later a judge advocate. George W. Bush appointed Stucky to the U.S. court of appeals for the armed forces in 2006 and in 2021 transitioned to a senior judge and still holds this position now.
“We are not only celebrating what you have accomplished, we are celebrating how you accomplished it,” Estes said while opening the ceremony. “You are living proof that the liberal arts and sciences matter deeply, not just for careers, but for citizenship, for leadership and for meaningful lives.”
