Liberty Bell Award
a BA in journalism in 1962. He received
a certificate from The Washington (D.C.)
Journalism Center in 1966; an MA degree
in journalism from The American University,
Washington, D.C., in 1967; and a JD degree
from the UND School of Law in 1970.
Jack McDonald, right, with 2018-2019
SBAND President Zack Pelham.
The Liberty Bell Award recognizes
individuals or organizations who promote
understanding of our form of government,
encourage greater respect for law and
the courts, and stimulate a deeper sense
of responsibility on the part of citizens
regarding their duties as well as their rights.
This year’s recipient was Jack McDonald,
a senior partner in the Wheeler Wolf
Law Firm, Bismarck. His law practice
is split between First Amendment and
communications law work, lobbying, and
corporation/bankruptcy law. A Bismarck
native, he graduated from St. Mary's
Central High School in 1958 and from the
University of North Dakota (UND) with
He taught journalism at Southern Illinois
University as a graduate assistant and
at UND; edited his fraternity's national
magazine, “The Scroll of Phi Delta Theta,”
for five years; and worked for a number of
North Dakota newspapers and radio and
television stations, as well as the Associated
Press (AP) in Sioux Falls, S.D., and United
Press International (UPI) in Fargo, before
receiving his law degree.
He worked for Legislative Council prior
to starting private practice in 1977. For the
past 40 years, he has been a lobbyist before
the North Dakota Legislature for many
organizations, including the ND Newspaper,
Broadcasters, and Cable Television
Associations; Prairie Public Broadcasting;
the ND Physical Therapy Association
and the ND Physical Therapy Board; the
ND Judges' Association; the Independent
Community Banks of North Dakota; Prime
Therapeutics; Blue Cross/Blue Shield; the
YMCAs of North Dakota; and America's
Health Insurance Plans, among others. He
represents many of the state's newspapers
and
broadcasters
in litigation
involving
corporate
issues,
defamation,
and access
to meetings,
records, and
court proceedings.
He is a member and past-president of the
Missouri Valley Family YMCA Board of
Trustees, the Board of Bismarck's Volunteer
Caregivers Exchange, and the board of
Bridging the Dental Gap. He is a past-
president of SBAND; president of the North
Dakota Bar Foundation; and chair of the
Board of Bismarck's Dakota Media Access
television station.
Legislative Service Award
The Legislative
Service Award
recognizes
the legislative
involvement of
individuals who have
served at the state
or federal level for
several years, have a commitment to serving
their constituents by actively participating in
the legislative process, and have balanced
the principles of justice and jurisprudence
while serving the needs of the public.
U.S. Congressman Kelly Armstrong, a
lifelong, devoted North Dakotan and a
tireless advocate for making North Dakota
a better place to live and work, has a
background in business and law. He was
awarded SBAND’s Legislative Service
Award for his volunteer and public service
experience and his state and federal
legislative experience.
After graduating from Dickinson High
School in 1995, Armstrong attended the
University of North Dakota (UND) earning a
bachelor's degree in 2001 and a law degree
from UND law school in 2003.
Armstrong's commitment to family and
community is evident in everything he
does. A recipient of the North Dakota Bar
Association's Community Service Award,
he served as a volunteer fireman for the
Dickinson Fire Department from 2005
through 2012, coached girls' softball and
boys' baseball, and is active in charitable
works for many local organizations,
including the local hospital, university, police
association, volunteer fire department,
Best Friends Mentoring Program, Domestic
Violence and Rape Crisis Center, and the
Teddy Roosevelt Bully Pulpit Board. He
also served as president of the Dickinson
Baseball club for ten years and was
elected to the North Dakota Dickinson
Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017.
Armstrong grew his service to the
community in 2012, when he was elected
to the North Dakota State Senate for
District 36. Chairing multiple committees
during his service, he spearheaded DUI
reform legislation and other important
legal legislation.
He was elected to Congress in 2018
and began his first term on January 3,
2019. He serves on the House Judiciary
Committee and the House Oversight
and Reform Committee for the 116th
Congress.
SUMMER 2019
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