George "Buzz" Westfall (March 19, 1944 – October 27, 2003) was an American

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

. He served in the elected offices of

Prosecuting Attorney A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the adversarial system, which is adopted in common law, or inquisitorial system, which is adopted in civil law. The prosecution is the legal party responsible ...

(1978–1990) and County Executive (1991–2003) of

St. Louis County, Missouri St. Louis County is located in eastern Missouri. It is bounded by the City of St. Louis and the Mississippi River to the east, the Missouri River to the north, and the Meramec River to the south. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1, ...

. He died, while in office, of ''Staphylococcus aureus'' meningitis at the age of 59. Westfall grew up in

public housing Public housing, also known as social housing, refers to Subsidized housing, subsidized or affordable housing provided in buildings that are usually owned and managed by local government, central government, nonprofit organizations or a ...

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

. He attended

St. Louis University High School St. Louis University High School (SLUH) is an all-male Jesuit high school in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1818, it is the oldest secondary educational institution in the United States west of the Mississippi River, and one of the largest pri ...

and graduated from

Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Missi ...

with his BA and JD degrees. After completing

law school A law school (also known as a law centre/center, college of law, or faculty of law) is an institution, professional school, or department of a college or university specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for b ...

, he took a position in the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's office as an assistant prosecutor. In 1978, Westfall was elected as head Prosecuting Attorney for St. Louis County. Westfall was re-elected in 1982 and 1986 without opposition. In 1990, Westfall was the Democratic nominee for the County Executive's position, and he defeated incumbent H.C. Milford in his bid for re-election. Westfall was re-elected County Executive in 1994, 1998, and 2002. In October 2003, less than a year into his fourth term in office, Westfall died after developing a

meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, intense headache, vomiting and neck stiffness and occasion ...

staph infection A staphylococcal infection or staph infection is an infection caused by members of the ''Staphylococcus'' genus of bacteria. These bacteria commonly inhabit the skin and nose where they are innocuous, but may enter the body through cuts or abrasi ...

. Westfall was survived by his wife and three grown children. Following Westfall's death, his friends and family established a charitable enterprise, the Buzz Westfall Memorial Fund, in his honor. The Memorial Fund, later renamed The Buzz Westfall Charitable Foundation, was a non-profit enterprise established to further Westfall's legacy of bettering the community through charitable works. The Foundation raised funds via an annual golf tournament, among other various events, with proceeds going directly to various charities. Westfall Lane, a street in

Jennings, Missouri Jennings is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 12,895. History The city was named after James Jennings, a farmer and merchant who moved to the area from Virginia with his family and ret ...

, was dedicated to the memory of Mr. Westfall in early 2004. In 2006, the Buzz Westfall Plaza On The Boulevard opened for business, anchored by a new Schnucks supermarket and Target, on the site of the deteriorating Northland Shopping Center in Jennings. Other memorials include the Buzz Westfall Justice Center in Clayton, Missouri,Fernandez, Manny, and John Eligon
"Man, 20, Is Arrested in the Shooting of 2 Officers in Ferguson"
New York ''Times'', March 15, 2015. Justice Center mentioned in passing. Retrieved 2015-03-16. and the Buzz Westfall Memorial Highway, a portion of Highway 364 in St. Louis County. Westfall served a total of 35 years in St. Louis County government, including 24 years in elected office.

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