Honoring the 50th Anniversary of Law Day
Note: Mr. John Slagg writes: Dear Mr. David Wilkes: I am writing this to you as a Amicus Curiae. Law Day USA was proclaimed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on Feb. 3, 1958. Since May 1, 2008 will mark its 50th Anniversary, I am hereby submitting a tribute to same. I believe this "romantic interlude" to grace Law Day will be a great public service.
A Romantic Interlude Graces the 50th Anniversary Of Law Day USA, May 1, 2008
By John Slagg
Law Day, May 1, was just another day to many Americans, but to Joan, it will always be a special something. It all happened several years ago as she sat on the front porch of her house. She was know as Miss Joan O’Brien then, the Midville Public School’s 3rd grade teacher. She had just finished marking her test papers, and was glad that everyone had passed. Laying the papers neatly aside, she took off her eyeglasses, and as always, stuck the red pencil in her gray hair. She then leaned back in the old rocking chair and closed her eyes.
As she rocked, she could hear the usual Saturday afternoon noises that were part of Midville: the law mower in the Jamison’s yard, the old car the Jones’ boys were fixing in their garage, and the children playing across the road. However, there was one sound which Miss O’Brien’s ears were turned for: the approaching 2:00 p.m. footsteps of Mr. Green, the postman. She seldom received any mail, but always waited to hear his familiar, “No letter today, Joan.” She senses his footsteps now and was ready for the four words, but was surprised to hear instead his feet mounting the steps of the porch. Only when he reached the top did she open her eyes. “Letter for Miss Joan O’Brien,” smiled Mr. Green as he threw the letter into her blue polka-dotted lap. “Thank you, Jim,” replied Joan as she reached for her eyeglasses.
As she scanned the envelope she saw that it bore the imprint of the County Court House; the back flap had The Chambers of Judge Roy Stone embossed on it. Oh, she knew who he was…and her heart beat a little faster as she reflected on a romantic yesteryear when she shared many a picnic with Roy.In fact, their heart-encircled initials were still carved in the wooden bench in the park.
The letter was an official one which extended and invitation to her and her 3rd grad class to visit his courtroom on Law Day. Joan was a little disappointed; how nice it would have been if Roy had sent something else.She dismissed this thought with the realization that it’s a long way between the park bench and the legal bench. Nevertheless, she decided to wear he favorite print dress on Law Day, which was only a few days away.
Unfortunately, Law Day was rainy. However, the warm invitation by Judge Roy Stone to visit is courtroom transformed the twenty pupils in Miss O’Brien’s 3rd grad class into little soldiers. As they marched up Main Street, she could hardly keep up with them. Never in her long career as a teacher did old Midville Public School mean so much to her. She was very proud of her “men” as she led them onward to the gray bastion of law which loomed five blocks away. The damp wind that snapped about their black, brown and blonde hair only served to increase their spirit and posed no obstacle to their day in court.
Finally, the O’Brien platoon established a beachhead in the lobby of the forensic fort. Joan immediately had them remove their raincoats and tidy themselves up.Going over to the directory, she saw that Judge Roy Stone was sitting in Part 13 on the fifth floor.
Unobtrusively, she put on a little more rouge and straightened out her hair. She smiled warmly, turned from the directory,and herded her “troops” into the elevator.
Up on the fifth floor, Court Officer John Brooks was lost in his thoughts. He had in his possession 20 lollypops and a blue envelope with Miss O’Brien’s name on it;he just couldn’t figure out what had gotten into the old man. Suddenly, he heard the approaching army. Forthwith, the portholed doors of Part 13 flew open and the invasion was on. Officer Brooks met the onslaught by quickly seating them; he further subdued them by distributin his provisions. Then he gallantly presented Miss O’Brien with the blue envelope.
Officer Brooks rapped hard on the wooden rail and boomed out a loud “All Rise” proclamation that focused on a black-robed figure ascending the bench. This sudden eruption, followed by a “Be Seated Please”, draped the courtroom in a deep silence. Judge Roy Stone started the session by asking the third graders, “How many of you like to watch Perry Mason on TV?” Their hands quickly shot up like rockets, and their beaming faces lit up the solemn room in anticipation of a real-life parallel.
His honor then introduced them to the jury, attorneys, court officer, and the rest of the legal staff, and the case got underway. Unfortunately, no shots were fired, and soon the fencing of the lawyers wove a web of boredom around the youngsters. At one point, things picked up when the plaintiff displayed the injuries she had received in an automobile accident. To Court Officer Brooks it was old hat; but strangely to the eyes of the youngsters it was like a diamond. And, later, the incident sparkled throughout 20 letters written to Judge Stone in grateful appreciation of his Law Day invitation to witness a real trial.
The Judge answered each pupil’s letter personally. No doubt, these letters will be treasured in the years to come. And who knows/ Maybe, some future Law Day will find a graduate of Midville Public School inviting His Honor to sit on the bench as he or she judges a case on the road to justice.
It had been a long Law Day for Miss O’Brien. After marching her soldiers back to the school, she finally went home exhausted. Just before retiring that evening, she opened up the blue envelope. It contained an invitation to a picnic which almost made her swoon. Closing her eyes, she drifted into a dream that came true the following year in Saint Joseph’s Church. After the marriage ceremony, Judge and Mrs. Roy Stone appeared at the entrance to the church. Joan smiled at her “troops,” who lined the walk leading to their limousine. When Court Officer Brooks began throwing rice at the couple, they ducked low, locked arms, and swiftly ran beneath twenty upraised rulers that arched their path.
John Slagg is a retired Court Clerk, New York Supreme Court, 1st Dept.)