July 17, 2025 | By Kerri Braly

Reconnecting with St. John’s wasn’t part of a master plan. After stepping back from his legal career during the COVID-19 pandemic, Joe Larson (A90) was simply looking for something to do. But it had to be something he was interested in, even passionate about. So, thinking back on his formative years, Larson enrolled in a continuing education seminar through the college. “St. John’s had been the intellectual high point of my life,” he says. “It seemed natural to start there.”

It didn’t take long for the rhythm of close reading and shared inquiry to feel familiar again. Inspired, Larson registered for another St. John’s seminar. Then another. This quickly snowballed into regular participation with Summer and Winter Classics, and Larson ultimately found himself on the board of the St. John’s College Alumni Association, an independent group that works to increase opportunities for alumni engagement. Now in his first term, Larson co-leads the board’s Career Services Working Group, spending time in both Annapolis and Santa Fe while making a sustained philanthropic commitment to the college. “I just want to do whatever I can for St. John’s,” Larson says.

Larson is currently focused on helping students examine their career options more intentionally—a role suggested by incoming Alumni Association Board President Brett Heavner (A89), who viewed it as a “natural fit” for Larson, a retired attorney with a perspective shaped by hindsight.

Larson recalls how, as a senior at St. John’s, his own career decisions were driven largely by financial pressures. “I had considered going into math or physics, but I would have needed several extra semesters of undergraduate work, and I didn’t want to take on more debt,” he says. Instead, he pivoted to law school—the more practical decision. “I really enjoyed my career, but I got lucky,” Larson admits. “That’s why I can see the value in creating a more formal support structure.”

In addition to mentoring students who are interested in the field of law, Larson works alongside staff and fellow alumni to create a centralized database of St. John’s graduates who are willing to speak to students about life after college. Returning to active involvement after more than 30 years, he’s been struck by the variety of directions other Johnnies have taken in their professional lives.

“St. John’s is so eclectic. You come back, and it’s impressive how there have been so many paths to success,” Larson observes. “I think the college is doing an excellent job of building the infrastructure to connect students with all these possibilities. Supporting those efforts—well, that’s what we’re here for as alumni.”

Larson brings a similar approach to his philanthropy: no restrictions, no strings attached. He gives consistently every year and leaves the details up to the college. “I don’t have any particular ideas about what I’m looking to do with my giving other than help St. John’s,” he says. “I trust the college to decide where it’s needed.” And if his gifts stir others to action, he’s happy to have company.

For the 2025 Johnnie Day of Giving in April, Larson offered his annual gift as a challenge to young alumni who had graduated between 2014 and 2024. Collectively, they rose to meet it with $5,000 in contributions. Now Larson is turning his attention to the Santa Fe and Annapolis Class of 1990, rallying his peers to support the college in the months leading up to Fall Homecoming this September and their pending 35th reunion.

Although Larson is content to let the college determine where his time and gifts are most beneficial, he does have one strong conviction: that St. John’s remains small, intimate, and committed to the Program. “What I do hope and will push for is that the college stays true to itself and stays focused on the classics,” he says. “There are other areas of study that have a lot of value, and you can go elsewhere for that, but there’s nothing else quite like this.”

What makes St. John’s irreplaceable, in Larson’s view, are its great classroom conversations—something he has struggled to find elsewhere. “I went to Harvard Law School,” he says. “A lot of smart people were there. I practice at a very successful law firm. A lot of smart people were there too. But there’s just an intellectual curiosity and quality of conversation that is unique to St. John’s. And I really missed it.”

For Larson, being able to pick up on past discussions has been one of the most fulfilling aspects of his renewed relationship with St. John’s—and a source of ongoing surprise. “When I was a freshman, I hated Socrates, I hated Plato. I was the Aristotelian guy,” he recalls with a laugh. “It’s so funny, I get older and reconnect with the material, and I think, 'Oh, wow, okay, I can see it now.’ It’s a totally different experience, but just as rewarding.”

Where does he see himself landing next in the coming years? Larson currently has no “final act” in mind for himself aside from continuing life as an Alumni Association board member, college volunteer, and lifelong student. He’s open to surprise, to possibility. But for his alma mater’s future, he holds one unequivocal priority: “I’m very focused on 'How do we keep this education going?'” St. John’s College, Larson says, has a ripple effect, transforming students who then go on to change the world. “That’s an outcome worth supporting,” he says, “and again, that’s what we’re here for as alumni.”