VandeWalle Biography To Release
What makes an exemplary public servant? A biography of Gerald W. VandeWalle, North Dakota’s longest-serving North Dakota Supreme Court Chief Justice, has some clues.
The book, “Call me Jerry,” was commissioned by the Trustees of the John and Elaine Andrist Charitable Trust in 2020 and will be celebrated February 2, 2026, during a book release event with VandeWalle and author Cecile Wehrman. The event, at the North Dakota Heritage Center in Bismarck, will include a program at 4:30 p.m. followed by a reception.
“If his legacy is one of character, you’ve got to explain where that came from,” said Heidi Heitkamp, one of three dozen current and former state leaders who were interviewed early in the project. Pulitzer Prize winning former Grand Forks Herald Publisher Mike Jacobs conducted those video-taped interviews with five attorneys general, two governors, legislators, friends and family. That material was passed to Wehrman in November 2024, to conduct more interviews and write the manuscript.
VandeWalle’s remarkable 65-year career in state government began with a position as the “baby attorney” at the State Attorney General’s office in 1958 and concluded in 2023, following 45 years of service on the Supreme Court bench, more than half of that time as Chief Justice.
During his tenure, the court oversaw a complete restructuring of the state’s judicial system; impacted the direction of school funding toward a more equitable distribution of funds; established a family law mediation process for better outcomes in custody cases; and issued ground-breaking opinions on topics still reverberating today, among them rulings on same sex custody arrangements and the taxation of out-of-state companies.
The boy from Noonan, ND, never forgot the lessons he learned growing up on a dairy farm, nor the people who helped shape his values. The book details the remarkable family into which he was born, including a World War I hero for a father and a mom who was a debate champion. It follows him through his discovery of the law as a vocation while attending the University of North Dakota, formative professional experiences through twenty years in the attorney general’s office, and to his initially bumpy rise to the Supreme Court in 1978.
“Maybe this was the biggest mistake I ever made,” VandeWalle recalls thinking, shortly after his appointment to the Court, not because of the work but because of the social adjustments required of someone serving on the bench.
Whether in his home state of North Dakota, or in leadership roles in national organizations, including the Conference of Chief Justices and the American Bar Association, VandeWalle’s unique ability to forge relationships, his droll humor and size fifteen shoes, assured that anyone who met him was unlikely to forget him. Indeed, VandeWalle’s temperament, personality and stature brought accolades in the state, the nation and himself, including North Dakota’s Rough Rider award, in 2015.
His connection to the VandeWalle farm, family, and his Catholic faith remained constants in his life as he made space to accommodate his widowed mother’s needs following the death of Jerry’s father and brother. By the early 1970s, Blanche VandeWalle was losing her eyesight and her sole surviving son became her caretaker until her death in 2006 at age 102.
From his unmatched length of service in state government to his impact on the law and the legal institutions of North Dakota, to his humility, humor and interest in making the court more approachable, VandeWalle’s story is one of extraordinary accomplishment, even as he remains the boy from Noonan.
Over the years, “Call me Jerry,” became the words he most frequently uttered upon introduction to people; in just three words, putting himself on the level of every man, no matter the heights to which his own work ethic and intellect carried him.
VandeWalle’s legacy is one of service and sacrifice, exemplifying a standard to which every public servant might aspire.
Copies of the book may be obtained at the Heritage Center gift shop or online at www.journalnd/call-me-jerry/. Sales through the website will benefit Divide County Area Dollars for Scholars.
The February 2 event at the Heritage Center will include remarks by VandeWalle, Wehrman, a spokesperson for the Andrist Trust and other dignitaries. It is open to the public and there is no admission charge.