Long-time Elkader attorney retires

By Pam Reinig | Freelance Writer

All the “greats” have an iconic catchphrase. For nearly 20 years, the late news anchor Walter Cronkite ended each broadcast with the words “And that’s the way it is.” Ed Sullivan opened his groundbreaking Sunday night variety program with the phrase “Tonight we’ve got a really big show.” And more than once, sports journalist Jim McKay reminded us about “the thrill of victory” and “the agony of defeat.”

Elkader attorney Steve McCorkindale has a catchphrase, too. An entertaining storyteller with a seemingly endless reserve of anecdotes, Steve often prefaces his tales with “Stop me if I’ve told you this…” And whether you’ve heard it or not, you’re likely to hear it again.

Steve retired last month after 43 years with the Elkader Law Firm, first as an associate and, a few years later, a partner in the firm. Without daily contact with colleagues and clients, his future audiences will be smaller. But his storytelling will continue, and his catchphrase will remain in play—and everyone who knows him couldn’t be happier about that.

Steve was born and raised in Laurel, Neb., a farming community about the size of Garnavillo in the northeast part of the state. His education started in a country school.

“There were four students—two boys and two girls, one of which was my first cousin,” Steve said. “If I’d stayed there, dating prospects would’ve been pretty limited.”

Midway through first grade, Steve’s farmer-turned-businessman father, John McCorkindale, became a partner in an implement dealership. The family moved into an apartment attached to the building and Steve enrolled in school in Laurel. He later graduated from high school there.

“I started working for my dad when I was in grade school doing things like screwing nuts into bolts and lots of sweeping,” Steve said. By early junior high, he was putting machinery together and pulling implements into the field. 

Steve worked for his dad through high school but still found time for sports and music. He was a member of a football team that went undefeated, frequently racking up double-digit leads that gave underclassmen like him playing time. Because of that, he was inducted into the Nebraska High School Athletic Hall of Fame…but that’s another story.

He played trumpet in his high school band and was all state on that instrument. He received a music scholarship to Hastings College.

“I’d always thought about a career in law, but I thought you had to be much smarter than me to do that,” Steve said. “So, I was a music major for three years, thinking if I didn’t get into law school, I could teach music.”

But he did get into law school, spending his first year in Portland, Ore., for a change of scenery before transferring to DePaul University of Law in Chicago. He received his juris doctorate in 1981.

“The plan was to stay in the Chicago area for seven years,” explained Steve, who was married to his first wife, Cheryl, at the time he graduated law school. “We never intended to live in a big city. We thought Iowa would be good because it was about halfway between Chicago, where we had friends, and Nebraska, where we had family.”

Shortly after passing the bar, Steve saw a posting for a position in northeast Iowa. It was placed by John Gnagy, who would become Steve’s mentor, partner and close friend. There was some misunderstanding when the ad was placed; it described a position for an attorney in Clay County, not Clayton County. The confusion was soon cleared up, however. Steve applied for the job and the rest, as they say, is history.

The demands of settling into a new community, learning the ropes of a new job and raising a young family were significant. But Steve still found time to become an active member of the Elkader community with involvement in the Boy Scouts, Little League, Opera House Players and Peace United Church of Christ, where he was a long-time choir director and served at least three times on church council. He also served on the Elkader City Council at a time when the council made what he calls its best decision ever: hiring current city administrator Jennifer Cowsert. He resigned from council due to the demands of his growing practice and to help his current wife Ann oversee the building of their “forever home.” 

Steve is a founding member of the National Brass Quintet, a group of local musicians he initially pulled together to provide opportunities for his son, Alex, to play while in high school. Considerable time has also been spent “clowning around.” Steve is a Shrine clown who takes part in as many as two dozen parades a year, raising funds for the Shriners’ Children’s Hospital. He’s hard to miss: He’s dressed as Santa in a clever summer version of St. Nick’s traditional outfit that Ann modified from an existing Santa suit.

The decision to retire has been on Steve’s mind since Ann retired a few years ago. He admits to dragging his feet a bit because he’ll miss office colleagues and his clients, many of whom have become dear friends.

“But it’s time,” he said. “After a while, you just don’t have the energy to do everything, and you need to prioritize.”

Steve’s post-retirement priorities include getting more involved in the upkeep and grooming of the beautiful 38-acre estate he and Ann live on. He plans to catch up on reading, do some work around the house and in the vineyard, continue his world travels with Ann and learn more about winemaking, a hobby he started in 2003. (The couple won two ribbons for their wine at the 2024 Iowa State Fair!) Topping his list is “more time to chase after grandchildren.” Steve and Ann have six grandchildren (Noah, Cian, Isla, Xavier, Teddy and Elliot) from a blended family that includes three grown children and spouses (Alex and Victoria McCorkindale, Kirby and Ryan Jipp and Eric Lannan and the late Halli Lannan.)

And as he makes time for everything else, he’ll also make time for storytelling…lots and lots of storytelling.

Steve will be honored at a retirement reception Thursday, Sept. 26, from 5 to 7 p.m., at Schera’s, Elkader.