Page 49 - Senior Link Magazine Winter 2021- Online Magazine
P. 49
Exceptional
Dean & Erika Shuman SENIORS
A GOOD FIT
by Jane Bromley
part time at “We were farmers and miners.
Texas Tech Nobody bothered us.”
from 1959 to
’72. He started But the politics of Eastern Europe
his individual have always been complicated,
practice over 65 and WWII really upset the apple
years ago and cart. In early 1944, Soviet-led
continues to this Partisans (Communist outsiders)
day. Dean and came to their town to stir up
Joyce Shuman resistance against the German
raised two townspeople. Later in 1944, the
daughters, Becki German Wehrmacht arrived
and DeeAnne, and “rescued” the local German
Dean and Erika Shuman and a son, Hal. occupants from the Partisans
Occupation. Then in December
ean and Erika Shuman’s While young 1944, all schoolchildren were
relationship seems Dean was milking the three cows separated from their parents
Dlike such a perfect fit, on the farm in Kansas (he could and, under German Army
one would never guess their hit a cat with a stream of milk Supervision, sent to various
beginnings were so dramatically from 40 paces), a little girl named “safe” places in greater Germany.
different. Dean grew up in El Erika Melzer was growing Erika was in 4th grade when
Dorado, Kansas. His dad was a up on the opposite side of the she was sent away with all the
barber until he became a small planet. She and her sister were other 4th graders. Her little sister,
farmer (three cows). After Dean coal miner’s daughters in the Maria, was sent with her 2nd
graduated from high school Slovak region of the country then grade classmates to a different
and junior college in El Dorado, known as Czechoslovakia. Their location.
he graduated from Washburn simple life was quiet until 1944.
University in Topeka and earned
his Doctor of Jurisprudence from
Washburn Law School in 1954.
He served two years in the Air
Force JAG Corps at Sheppard
Air Force Base in Wichita Falls.
In 1956, he passed the Texas Bar,
married his sweetheart, Joyce,
and moved to Lubbock. After
working in the DA’s office a
short time, he partnered with
Clifford Brown from 1958-’68.
He also taught Business Law
Heinrich and Erika Hoeve Dean and Joyce Shuman
Lubbock Senior Link 49
