Gerrit H. Wormhoudt was born in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, on July 27, 1926. He attended Northwestern University, receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in 1950, and his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1952. He was admitted to the Kansas bar and joined Fleeson, Gooing, Coulson and Kitch, L.L.C. in 1952. He was a member of the firm until his death on September 28, 2009.

His primary practice areas included civil litigation including constitutional law, civil rights, employment and communications law. He also represented the plaintiff class in a number of complex oil and gas class actions.

Mr. Wormhoudt was a member of the Wichita and Kansas Bar Associations and practiced before the Supreme Court of the United States, the Ninth and Tenth Circuit Courts of Appeal, federal district courts and the trial and appellate courts of Kansas. Among the significant cases in which he was involved are:

Class Actions:

• Matzen v. Cities Service Oil Corp., 233 Kan. 846, 667 P.2d 237 (1983), cert. dismissed, 472 U.S. 1023 (1985)

• Lightcap v. Mobil Oil Corporation, 221 Kan. 448, 562 P.2d 1 (1977), cert. denied, 434 U.S. 876 (1977)

• Gas Service Company v. Coburn, 394 U.S. 332 (1969)

Employment Law:

• Wichita Eagle & Beacon Publishing Co., Inc. v. N.L.R.B., 480 F.2d 52 (10^th Cir. 1973), cert. denied, 416 U.S. 982 (1974)

Media Law:

• Gobin v. Globe Publishing Co., 229 Kan. 1, 620 P.2d 1163 (1980), appeal after remand, 232 Kan. 1, 649 P.2d 1239 (1982)

• Stephens v. Van Arsdale, 227 Kan. 676, 608 P.2d 972 (1980)

Commercial Law:

• Ford Motor Credit Co. v. Suburban Ford, 237 Kan. 195, 699 P.2d 992 (1985), cert. denied, 474 U.S. 995 (1985)

• Ritchie v. McGrath, 1 Kan. App. 2d 481, 571 P.2d 17 (1977)

• Wichita Eagle & Beacon Publishing. Co. v. Pacific National Bank, 493 F.2d 1285 (9^th Cir. 1974)

• Central States Corp. v. Trinity Universal Ins. Co., 237 F.2d 875 (1956), cert. denied, 352 U.S. 1003 (1957)

Civil Rights:

• Blankenbaker v. United Transportation Union, 878 F.2d 1235 (10^th Cir. 1989), cert denied, 493 U.S. 1074 (1990).

• Unified School Dist. No. 480 v. Epperson, 551 F.2d 254 (10^th Cir. 1977), vacated, 435 U.S. 948 (1978), on remand to 583 F.2d 1118 (10^th Cir. 1978)

• Americans United For Separation of Church & State v. Bubb, 379 F. Supp. 872 (D.Kan. 1974)

Mr. Wormhoudt was also a member of the board of directors of the Institute for Justice, a public interest law firm based in Washington, D.C.