Fifty-nine students were inducted Sept. 21 into the Royal Graham Shannonhouse III Honor Society, which recognizes University of Baltimore School of Law students who have distinguished themselves academically after completing 32 credits.

The minimum grade-point average for induction is 3.15. Students who have achieved a GPA of 3.7 or higher are inducted as Distinguished Scholars.

The honor society is named for a longtime, and much revered, Baltimore Law professor. The late Prof. Shannonhouse has been described as an educator with a passion for the law and a belief that students learn best by being challenged to wrestle with legal concepts, rather than to simply memorize cases and statutes.

During the induction ceremony, law school alumnus Scott Shellenberger, J.D. ’84, shared personal recollections about becoming a lawyer.

“It’s who you are, who you become, how respectful and kind you are to others…that’s what will make your career successful,” Shellenberger said during his remarks. “Find an area of the law that you’re passionate about and chase it.”

For Shellenberger, that passion was prosecution. He is now in his fourth term as the State’s Attorney for Baltimore County.

Here are the new Shannonhouse Honor Society inductees; an asterisk denotes a Distinguished Scholar.