Venango College of Clarion University Honors Distinguished Alumnus

| April 16, 2014

OIL CITY, Pa. (EYT) – The Clarion University Alumni Society has named District Court Judge Robert L. Boyer as the Venango College 2014 Distinguished Alumnus.

Boyer will be honored on Tuesday, April 22, with a full day of activities at the campus including a community reception at 5:00 p.m. that day. He will receive his official award from the Alumni Association on June 6, at a dinner on the Clarion campus during the Alumni Weekend celebration.

Boyer is a judge on the Venango County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. Boyer was elected to the court in 2007 to a term that expires in 2017.

Growing Up and School 

Boyer is the youngest of six children with four sisters, Marion, Ruth, Sandy and Martha, and one brother, Ron. His father, Orville, was a pilot and was killed in a place crash in 1960. His mother, Martha, remarried when he was 15-years-old to Julius Welms. Boyer attributes his success to having grown up in a blue-collar family where they learned the value of everything they had, and a strong-willed mother that instilled a strong work ethic.

Boyer attended Franklin High School and also attended the Venango Technology Center in the auto body repair program. After high school he attended Denver Automotive and Diesel College earning a degree in Auto-body Repair and Refinishing. He graduated at the top of his class and received several awards. He held several positions in and around Venango County for a number of years until deciding to go back to school.

Boyer recalls that the decision to go to college came about during Thanksgiving dinner at his mother’s house when he was “ambushed” with literature about different programs and schools offering paralegal programs. His family knew that he had an interest in law and thought that he could attend various schools part-time while working to obtain a degree.

An agreement was reached and he began his studies at Clarion University– Venango Campus.

A Law Career

His career in law started with his decision to attend Ohio Northern University. As with so many things in his life it was a set of unforeseeable circumstances that led Boyer to a life-changing decision. As all students wanting to attend law school he registered to take the Law School Admission Test. On the application form was a place to request a candidate for referral service. The explanation given was that if you checked the box, the testing service would release your test scored as well as your undergraduate information and demographics to participating law schools. He decided that is couldn’t hurt so he check the box.

He arranged to tour and fell in love with Ohio Northern University and received a three-year guaranteed full scholarship. He found that Ohio Northern University was much like Clarion.

He earned a position on the Moot Court Board of Advocates by winning a competition and also earned a spot on the Law Review, eventually becoming the Lead Articles Editor. After three years of intense study he graduated with high distinction, earning the Northern Medal as the highest ranking student, and graduated first in his class.

Working his way up through the ranks, Judge Boyer is now in his seventh year as Common Pleas Judge.

A Family Man

Judge Boyer and his wife, Leslie, have five children: Katherine Cronin (Kate); Bonnie Keith; Stephen Brundage (Steve); Robert Boyer (Mike); and Patrick Boyer (Pat). Their family has now grown to include five grandchildren and his most distinguished title is now, “papa.”

 

 


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