Hon. Jerry W. Venters US Bankruptcy Court, WD MO, Kansas City As a teenager growing up in northwest Arkansas, JUDGE VENTERS had two career goals in mind--law or journalism. He has been fortunate to enjoy a rewarding career in each. After graduating from Bentonville High School, he attended the University of Missouri-Columbia and received a Bachelor of Journalism degree in 1965. From 1965 to 1973, he was a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and was the Post-Dispatch's Jefferson City bureau chief from 1971 to 1973, where he reported on state government and politics. After observing the state legislature and its attorney members in action, Judge Venters decided that it was time for him to pursue his second career goal, the law. He then left the Post-Dispatch in 1973 to attend law school at the University of Missouri-Columbia, from which he received his Juris Doctor degree in 1976. While in law school, he was the Missouri Supreme Court's public information officer, the first person to hold that position. From 1976 until his appointment as a Bankruptcy Judge in 1999, Judge Venters was engaged in the private practice of law in Jefferson City, Missouri, specializing in a bankruptcy practice, representing both creditors and debtors.Judge Venters and his wife, Cassy, have two children and four granddaughters. He is active in Rotary International and plays golf at almost every opportunity. He enjoys international travel and reading, particularly histories and biographies, and is an avid sports fan, particularly of Missouri basketball and a lifelong love, the St. Louis Cardinals.