“I am deeply honored to join the Weigand family. The confidence placed in me by the Trust is a high commission that gathers into one vocation the great loyalties that order my life: God, family, and country. I receive my formation at Our Lady’s University as a debt of gratitude and a mandate for sacrificial leadership. Much has been given, and much will be required. I intend to repay that confidence by honoring Mr. Weigand’s legacy in a spirit of duty, strength, and truth. This calling demands that I use my legal education for the glory of God and the good of Kansas: to defend what is right, build what will endure, and serve our state with discipline and unyielding fidelity.”
Kale R. Watchous
University of Notre Dame
Weigand Scholar: 2027
Hometown
Newton, KS
Education
B.B.A., Entrepreneurship
Wichita State University, 2018
- Magna Cum Laude
- President’s Medal for Innovation
- Champion, 2018 Shocker New Venture Competition
J.D. Candidate, University of Notre Dame Law School, Anticipated May 2028
Kale Robert Watchous is a seventh-generation Kansan and fourth-generation oilman who became a Weigand Scholar following his 1L year at Notre Dame Law School. He was raised on a ranch near Whitewater in rural south-central Kansas, where wheat fields, livestock, and the family business provided an early education in the disciplines of work and responsibility.
At Wichita State University, Kale earned his B.B.A. in Entrepreneurship in less than twenty-one months, graduating magna cum laude as the youngest recipient of a bachelor’s degree in the university’s history. During his undergraduate studies, he won the Shocker New Venture Competition and received the President’s Medal for Innovation after founding a nationally recognized startup.
Born into a family enterprise, Kale’s education in business began unusually early. He gradually worked his way through the ranks of Palomino Petroleum, a multigenerational independent oil and gas company founded by his great-grandfather, Robert Wayne “Bob” Watchous. Today, he serves as Vice President. His work includes finance, operations, business development, and strategic planning.
At Notre Dame Law School, Kale is actively involved in the Business Law Forum, the Federalist Society, the Christian Legal Society, and the Saint Thomas More Society. His primary legal interests are business law and energy law. After law school, he intends to return home to serve the families, businesses, and communities that make Kansas strong.
“It has been said that ‘The Kansas spirit is the American spirit double-distilled.’ In our hallowed land of wildcatters and cowboys, that spirit is defined by a resolute people who are faithful, industrious, independent, and patriotic. Law and enterprise stand at the vanguard of defending this sacred heritage. In service of this mission, I look forward to returning home and doing my part to secure the blessings of justice and prosperity for the citizens of our great state. Ad astra per aspera!”