The Mizzou Alumni Association has announced the 2023 winners of the Faculty and Alumni Awards. Among the recipients, three Mizzou Law alumni have been recognized with awards, Ray Klinginsmith, ’65, John Shaw, ’77, and Benjamin Thomas, ’73.

First celebrated in 1968, the Faculty and Alumni Awards highlight the contributions of exceptional individuals to the University’s growth and core mission, through their professional accomplishments, teaching and research excellence or service to the institution.

Through the awards program, the Mizzou Alumni Association expresses its appreciation for these individuals and their service to higher education. It focuses attention not only on these outstanding persons and their accomplishments, but also on the vital relationship between faculty and alumni in promoting the best interests of the university.

Ray Klinginsmith retired in 1995 with more than 50 years of experience as a lawyer in Macon and Kirksville. His lifelong passion for serving developmentally disabled Missourians led to his appointment to serve on the Missouri Family Trust, and he is a founding member and the first President of the Chariton Valley Association, a non-profit that provides high quality support services to individuals with developmental disabilities in northeast Missouri.

John Shaw has served as lead trial and appellate counsel in a variety of commercial, product liability, and securities matters. He is a frequent lecturer on mediation and arbitration, as well as a perennial award-winner, regularly ranked among the best in the Kansas City region and the nation. He was named the 2017 Kansas City Lawyer of the Year for Litigation-Regulatory Enforcement and the 2019 Kansas City Lawyer of the Year for Litigation-Securities.

Benjamin Thomas began his legal career as a clerk for the Arizona Court of Appeals, and was an associate with O’Connor, Cavanagh, Anderson, Killingsworth & Beshears before beginning his own law firm in 1980. As an attorney, he received numerous accolades, including recognition as one of Arizona’s Top Lawyers and Arizona Defense Attorney of the Year. He is also one of only 7,300 trial attorneys in the country recognized by the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA).