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Donald L. Stepner, ‘83, passed away February 19, 2023 at the age of eighty-three. Don was President of the Ken- tucky Bar Association in 1999. He loved farming his prop- erty in Union and, having been born in Boston, watching the Red Sox, Celtics and Patriots. Don is survived by his partner Terri Pierce, his two sons and five grandchildren. Judge Laura Kim Stevens, K.C., ’09, passed away at the age of sixty-one on January 3, 2023, survived by her hus- band of thirty-seven years, Bill Abercrombie, two sons and two grandchildren. Laura’s early life involved travel- ling from base to base across Canada as her father, a fight- er pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force, changed post- ings. In her teens, Laura fulfilled her childhood dream Arthur Dean Swanson, ’86, was eighty-eight at his passing on January 29, 2023. Art graduated from Wash- ington State University in 1956 and became a life-long Coug fan. He joined the Army and made the 4th Army Rifle Team at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas. He graduated from the University of Washington School of Law in 1963 and started his law career as a deputy prosecuting attorney in King County. Art opened his own office in Renton in a small brick house in 1971. Art was a strong supporter of women lawyers at a time when far too few women were part of the trial bar. Art was always there for the underdog. Despite contracting polio as a child, he was an avid tennis player and enjoyed playing with Ann, his wife of thirty-four years, who, with three chil- dren and a grandchild, survives him. Franklin Alex Swartz, ’96, died on his eighty-fourth birthday, December 11, 2022, after a long battle with cancer. As a seventeen-year-old high school student Lyn met Ilene Shapiro, with whom he shared sixty-one years of marriage. During college at the University of Virginia, Lyn was a handball champion (though we are unclear which version of the game he played). Lyn earned his law degree at UVA in 1964 and served two years in the U.S. Army, deployed to the Dominican Republic during that country’s revolution. In 1966, Lyn joined the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office as a prosecutor; he began private practice as a defense law- yer in 1970. In addition to Ilene, Lyn leaves behind his three children and five grandchildren. Paul Emerson Vardeman, Jr., ’87, passed away on Oc- tober 20, 2022 at the age of ninety-two. Paul and his wife Connie enjoyed sixty-nine years of marriage. In addition to Connie, Paul is survived by their daughter and three grandchildren. After years of private practice, Paul spent eighteen years as a Circuit Court Judge. He retired from the bench in 1982 and practiced anoth- er fifteen years before his final retirement. Paul served nine years in the Missouri National Guard. He was a founder and commodore of the Jacomo Sailing Club and a member of the Wharf Rats Club of Nantucket, Massachusetts. Paul always had an interest in maritime history and was an avid collector of nautical antiques. He was nicknamed “The Dean of Scrimshaw” because of his extensive knowledge and was frequently called upon for advice and speaking engagements. He en- joyed fishing, sailing and boats of all kinds. o o f working as a horse packer w f and wrangler for Brewster Kananaskis Guest Ranch in the Rocky Mountains. Laura made lifelong friends at the ranch including one who presented Laura with a Winchester carbine as a wedding gift to carry in case she had to deal with any unruly types including bears, politicians, or husbands. Laura and Bill were married in 1986 and took a year-long honeymoon in Alaska. The newly-weds built a cabin by hand, raising and using sled dogs for travel, trapping and hunting for food. Laura and Bill returned home to Edmonton at 8 1⁄2 months preg- nant in the spring of 1987. The family soon moved to Crescent Island in North Cooking Lake where they even- tually built a grand log home. Before venturing to Alaska, Laura had completed a Law degree at the University of Alberta, and upon her return to Edmonton, she pursued a career in criminal law. Laura made her legal career prac- ticing in Alberta, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. She taught for years at the U of A law school, she was a mentor and criminal law advisor to hundreds of students through Student Legal Services of Edmonton, served on Law Society and Legal Aid committees, and was Presi- dent of the Alberta Criminal Trial Lawyers Association. Laura travelled to both Afghanistan and Lebanon to as- sist in setting up a post-war democratic legal system. In 2004, Laura was named Queens Counsel and in 2013 was awarded the Harradence Prize to honour a career de- voted to the protection of human rights and justice. In 2006, Laura was instrumental in bringing together the legal and the arts communities to jointly fundraise for the arts by collaborating to stage The Mousetrap. That collaboration became the Players de Novo through which law students, lawyers, judges, and theatre professionals continue to come together once a year to stage a produc- tion for charity. In 2014, Laura was appointed a Judge of the Criminal Division of the Provincial Court of Alberta where she served until the time of her death. SUMMER 2023 JOURNAL 104