While attending a pretrial, someone mentioned Blake Martin, Esq., in passing while we were attempting to find a date when two attorneys and a judge could try a case.  The late Mr. Martin was the first Public Defender for Franklin County and served in that capacity for many years, starting in 1960's.  He was unmistakable because he was always fashionably dressed with a pocket handkerchief and matching tie.  He was always very social and collected companions or entourage whenever possible.

          The clothing was a source of some amusement.  Whenever Blake had an opportunity, such as oral argument before the Superior Court or a mental health hearing at Harrisburg State Hospital, he would insist on attending.  His primary purpose was to visit his tailor in Harrisburg or tour the shelves at Hart, Schaffner and Marx.  In addition, whenever there was a minor proceeding in Waynesboro, he'd jump at the assignment so that he could visit the Outlet stores, often being miserably late for the scheduled hearing.

          His name came up, however, when discussing the date for a hearing.  A well known story in the back rooms at the court house relates to an interplay between the late Judge George Eppinger and Blake.  Judge Eppinger decided it was time to schedule a trial.  Blake was not yet prepared to try the case.  When Judge Eppinger directed that the trial would take place on a Wednesday, Blake immediately rejoined: "I know we can't schedule it then.  I think I'm going to be ill that day."

            Blake usually selected the highest profile cases, enjoying the newspaper interviews.  In court he would mumble or obfuscate, expecting the judge to step in and cover.  That may be why Judge Eppinger required Blake to repeat loudly the charges against his client that were to be dismissed as unconstitutional after the Supreme Court's decision in Commonwealth v. Bonadio, 490 Pa. 91, 415 A.2d 47 (1980).

          For perspective, Blake's first office in the court house was under the curved stairs in the older section.  Later he was moved to the fourth floor of a building where the parking lot of the annex is currently located.  The fourth floor was decorated with buckets to catch the rain, carefully monitored by Blake's secretary Lil McMinn and a young staffer, Denise Deavor.  From that building, he spent time in the old Valley Bank Building, now the Chamber of Commerce, on the cat walk until the annex was completed.

          I did mention Denise.  You may know her as Denise Shellhase, judicial assistant to Judge Herman.  I met her first when she was a staff member at Sharpe and Sharpe, later Sharpe, Wenger and Townsend.  Denise left to work at a mission in Haiti.  When she returned from that venture, she began working for then attorney Douglas Herman, Esq., and met and married her husband.  Denise is a happy step grandmother.

          There were other 'gate keepers'.  Some of us remember Glenda Cook, Vicki Richerd, Sonja Stotler and Kathy Barnhart, always gracious and helpful.  Now our judicial assistants are tasked with dealing with our schedules.

            Lisa Eckstine is the first line at Judge Van Horn's chambers.  Lisa is a 1985 graduate of Hagerstown Business College, having grown up in Greencastle.  Her first employer, Tim Misner, lost her services in 1991 when she moved to Walker and Van Horn because she wanted to work with domestic law.  She married her husband Carl in 1985.  Carl restores and renovates house for AFMS.  Lisa and Carl are the parents of a daughter and a son.  Lisa loves to cook and is a great source for ideas.  She's been on the front line since January 3, 2000, when Judge Van Horn took office. 

          Tammy Duncan was the gate keeper for Judge Walsh, and is now serving in that capacity for Judge Zook and any visiting judge.  Tammy graduated from high school in 1989 in Smithsburg, MD, with a background in computer courses.  She began her career in customer service at McGraw Hill Publishing in Maryland.  Ultimately she worked at Blue Ridge Summit Tab Books, but was laid off in 2005.  She applied for the position as judicial assistant in 2006 for Judge Walsh.  Tammy is happily married to William Duncan who is employed at Letterkenny.  She's the proud mother of three, a boy and two girls ages 14, 10 and 8. 

          Cheryl Shaw took secretarial courses at Allegheny Community College.  She began work at Horn, Kaplan, Goldberg, Daniel and Forney in Atlantic City, NJ.  Later she moved to Boca Ratan, Florida.  She was employed at NCI, Inc., in Human Resources.  After returning to this area to live closer to family, she started working part time for Fred Anton, Esq.  Cheryl has two children, a daughter 14, and a son 12.  She applied for a job with Judge Meyers when the opening was announced.  Laughter sparkles her talk, but she acknowledges that she doesn't always know who's around when she's concentrating on paperwork.

          Carol Rockwell is a 1984 graduate of Hagerstown Junior College where she earned an associates degree in accounting.  Carol, a product of the Tuscarora School District, immediately began working for North and South Lines on Sunset Pike in Hagerstown.  She was hired by the public defender's office in 1988.  She moved to Bill Van Drew's office in 1994.  In 1999, Carol moved upstairs again to the district attorney's office.  She followed Judge Krom downstairs in January, 2010.  Carol and I got side tracked and chatted about books.  She recommends Josie Brown's Housewife's Assassin's Guide Book to Gracious Killing.  The light hearted comedy is a good read for Stephanie Plum fans.