In Remembrance

Steve Heiser

Stephen John Heiser, J.D., M.B.A., came to College from Columbus, Nebraska, played rugby and football, was an Economics major, member of Theta Delta Chi, Senior Fellow, Phi Beta Kappa, and magna cum laude graduate.

Steve was one of the named defendants on the injunction that Stanford got against the A3M. He was in law school at the time (and, being very smart, was simultaneously getting an MBA in the business school). He helped with research and affidavits, and so was around the law commune quite a bit. Many students at the time, probably still, tend to have heroes on the faculty; Steve’s was Mark Mancall, Professor of Modern World History, Emeritus.

Steve fell in disfavor with the women in the law commune because of his not very pleasing manner of referring the Stanford women as dollies. After passing the bar, Steve practiced as a trial lawyer for several years. He and his law firm successfully appealed a conviction relying on voiceprinting in the case of People v. Kelly, heard in the Supreme Court of California on May 28, 1976.

Around this time, Steve became a self-employed entrepreneur with the HMW Consulting firm, patenting a bracelet embedded with a computer chip to monitor the location of paroled felons. Steve contacted Jim Wolpman about investing in the security device he had invented. Jim thought it was promising but too risky an investment for himself. Steve later contacted Jim, desperate for money due to some cut-throat stuff about the rights to his invention being stolen. Jim lent him a few dollars, not nearly what Steve hoped for, and heard no more until learning of Steve’s death.

He died on April 8, 2008. Steve is survived by his children Lauren and Julia.