Wednesday, February 28, 2007

A Femminista Tribute


Paraphrasing an article written by Jil Schult in my hometown newspaper. I will not link to the article itself because it relates WAY too many personal details, such as ages, last names, geographic locations, etc. (Sorry, Jil.)

When a local branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) received a letter from someone who cited a local judge for making a big difference in their life, they knew they’d found their award recipient for this year’s Women Making History award.

That recipient would be MY MOM, who, apparently, won the award for many reasons:

“She is the first female district court judge and carries the honor of being the first female chief judge in the circuit court in the northern Lower Peninsula,” said someone whom I shall not name.

“She’s forged her way into the school system. She used to go into classrooms and teach children about court and even allows schools to come in the courtroom to see a true case,” X added.

Mom works primarily with young offenders, mostly aged 17 to 35. She rules by rehabilitation and believes punishment is not always the answer.

“It’s not all about punishing,” said Mom. “It’s about making people change behavior — taking responsibility for their actions.

“Something we always try is to make them get a job and finish their education,” she added.

Though Mom is truly honored to be the Women in History Award Recipient, she was a bit surprised.

“I thought I wasn’t old enough,” she said. "Women in History makes me think of someone who’s completed a career. I still have things I want to do.”

In her free time, one of the things Mom likes to do is quilting. She has been an active quilter for about 12 years.

“I’ve always loved fabric,” Mom explained. “I was convalescing from an illness and needed something to keep my hands busy.

Her first quilt was called courthouse steps. It was the hardest quilt she ever made.

“I called it capital punishment,” joked Mom.

2 comments:

Stephanie said...

Aw! Congratulations to the Mom.

Elizabeth said...

Blush. I'm so proud!