MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A dedicated family of Mountaineer supporters will establish a new professorship at the WVU College of Law with a very important gift.
The Deem family, of Bridgeport, established the Patrick D. Deem Professor of Law. The professorship will provide support to aid research, teaching and service and the first preference for the position will go to a faculty member with a focus on real estate, energy and natural resources, or business law.
The gift and professorship recognizes Patrick Deem’s commitment to the legal profession for more than 50 years. He earned his law degree from WVU and practiced with Steptoe & Johnson from 1969 until he retired in 2020.
“We are so thrilled to receive this transformational gift from the Deem family,” Amelia Smith Rinehart, William J. Maier, Jr. Dean and professor of law, said.
“With the Patrick D. Deem Professorship of Law, the WVU College of Law will be able to recruit and retain excellent faculty in the fields of real estate, energy and natural resources, and business, all of which are critically important areas of practice for our students and for the state. Generations of College of Law students will benefit from the knowledge and skills that the Patrick D. Deem Professor of Law will provide, and the impact of this gift will reach far and wide within the legal profession in West Virginia and beyond.”
Deem’s law practice focused on the energy industry, including real estate and mineral rights, commercial transactions, business mergers and acquisitions, and more. He also served the firm in leadership roles as business department chair and executive committee member.
Deem is a fellow of the American Bar Association and previously served as president of the West Virginia Bar Association.
“The practice of law was such a central part of Pat’s life for so long, bringing him purpose and happiness,” wife Alison Deem said. “He is forever grateful for the opportunities the WVU College of Law gave him. Helping support the faculty in the practice areas most important to him is just one way of paying that forward.”
Patrick and Alison Deem have generously supported WVU for decades, including scholarship gifts to the WVU College of Law. The gifts have benefited arts education and programs at the WVU College of Creative Arts and Media and the Art Museum of WVU.
Alison earned her bachelor’s degree from WVU in 1970 and has also advanced WVU through a variety of volunteer roles. She chaired the WVU College of Creative Arts Visiting Committee, helped found Friends of the Art Museum of WVU, and served on the WVU Foundation Board of Directors, among others. In 2012, she was inducted into the Order of Vandalia, the University’s highest honor for service to WVU.
Through May 11, the Art Museum of WVU will host a special exhibition to honor the Deems’ 30-year legacy of support for the School of Art and Design. The exhibition features artists who have participated in the Deem Distinguished Lecture Series that each year brings outstanding artists and arts professionals to campus.