james A. bear, April 3-7, 2006

James A. Bear is a distinguished lawyer and devoted Roman Catholic lay leader. James Bear has been active as a leader in his church and is now one of very few lay people in Iowa who are trained to conduct the newly developed "Services in the Absence of a Priest." He majored in English at Loras College, studied theology and began preparation for the priesthood at the Aquinas Institute. Accepted to a teaching position as a High School English, Speech and Drama teacher in Good Lake, Iowa, his career was interrupted by a two stint in the United States Army, eventually assigned to the 32nd Army Air Defense Command in Kaiderslautern, Germany. Returning to teaching he eventually received a Master of Arts degree in Secondary School Administration and continued graduate work in Journalism. In 1988 he received his Juris Doctor from the University of Iowa and began his law practice in Preston, Iowa.