When I got Fred Antoun on the phone to ask about his current read for my column back in June, I couldn't resist asking him for a funny incident he'd experienced in the practice of law in Franklin County.  His story brought back memories.

        Once upon a time, to become a member of the local bar, we were subjected to interviews by a group of the older attorneys.  We had to provide our credentials and references.  Then there was the interview.  The statewide admission to the bar was slightly overlooked.  This was a residuary of the days when the local bar required new attorneys to have a clerkship with an experienced attorney before being admitted to practice of law in Franklin County. 

       Fred, however, bravely opened an office in the old Chambersburg Trust building, now home of the Commissioners, and skipped the interviews and the application to become a member of the local bar.

       George Black, the curmudgeon founder of Black and Davidson, was disturbed that Fred opened an office in Chambersburg without having the interview to enter the local bar.  George was not keen on Fred's attitude. 

       Then one day, a local character, dressed in camo and wearing a back pack, a rarity in the late 70's, came into Fred's office.  [Imagine a rough looking street person, probably homeless, walking into your office and demanding to see you].  The man insisted that George Black himself had referred him to Fred.  Fred's secretary called Black and Davidson and confirmed the referral.  [Some weak excuse about conflict, etc., was proffered].  Fred easily sized up the prospective client as mentally disturbed when the man began to mummer about others spying on him through his radio. 

      Fred, though, continued to listen.  The man had a legitimate complaint about a fraud perpetrated upon him, probably a result of his mental illness.  Still, Fred didn't really want the case.  So, Fred told the prospective client that he had a good case, but Fred needed a retainer of $2,250 to proceed, a virtual fortune at the time. 

     Imagine Fred's shock when he returned after lunch to find out that the man, who looked like a near vagrant, had brought in the full retainer.  Caught up in the actual issue now, Fred proceeded with the claim and, after some time, ended up settling with the people who had cheated his client, gaining his client over $10,000.  [Remember, this is the late 70's]. 

     Now came the reckoning.  Fred saw George on a day shortly after the settlement.  With the greatest courtesy, tongue in cheek, Fred kindly thanked George for the excellent referral and noted that he'd successfully resolved the client's claim.  George skeptically suggested that Fred was not being entirely honest.  Fred politely invited George to check out the dockets.  George began to laugh, saying: "I think we're going to be all right with you after all.  You can change a sow's ear to a silk purse."

      When I was working on the column for August, Liz Clark suggested that Ann M. Rotz, Esq., was another foodie.  Ann admitted the label and credited her attaining the status from her family always eating meals together.  Both of her grandmothers, she claims, are exceptional cooks.  Grandmother Rotz is known for Thanksgiving and Grandmother Mellott for pies, cream puffs and baked Alaska.  This led to Ann developing a love for food.

     Ann is a 1996 graduate of Waynesboro High School.  Before Ann had a chance to escape to college, she worked for her father and his brother, owners of the Twin Kiss in Quincy.  She then attended the University of Virginia and took her law degree from the University Of Georgia Law School in 2004.  She's licensed in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Georgia. 

     After becoming an attorney, she took a year off, working for the New York City Schools Board of Education and the Bronx, New York, District Attorney's Office under the Guiliani administration. 

     Ann has had her own kitchen since college.  Yet, Ann is clear...the best pizza is in Waynesboro at Frank's.  [This is after New York].  She's been working on her own special pizza dough, which she was willing to share.  She also recommends Mathias Tavern in Waynesboro for subs and pizza, but warns that the pizza sauce at Mathias is an acquired taste.

     Ann returned from the big Apple to clerk for Judge Walsh.  She's now an associate at Meyers, Young & Grove in Hagerstown.  She's concentrating in Estate Planning and other transactional law. 

     Ann and her fianc�, Tom Evans, a civil engineer, love to entertain.  She supports local agriculture, belonging to a CSA group.  She finds it a challenge to use the fresh produce in different ways.  She also gets all of her eggs, pork, and chicken in Sharpsburg and buys local beef.  Ann's favorite dish is roasted chicken.  Here's her pizza dough:

[Start the day before you plan to serve the pizza]:

 4 c whole wheat bread flour (gluten needed)

1 c flax meal

� c cornmeal

1 � T honey

1 � t kosher salt

1 � t instant {Rapid Rise} yeast

2 T coconut oil or olive oil

2 c water

Mix all of the ingredients in an electric mixer with a dough hook.  As soon as the ingredients are combined, increase the speed of the mixer until the dough is smooth. [Or, knead for 10 minutes until smooth].  Add more flour or water during this stage if either is needed.  Just do it slowly and only a Tablespoon at a time.  The dough should be tacky, not sticky.  Ann likes to add herbs, such as rosemary or oregano during this stage.

Form the dough into a smooth ball and put into a greased bowl.  Lightly grease the top of the dough.  Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Refrigerate, at least overnight.

Ann cuts the dough into four parts to make four smaller pizzas.  Allow the dough to come to room temperature on a greased cookie sheet.  [Takes about two hours so grab it from the refrigerator before you do anything else...  Work on the toppings].

Shape each piece of dough and place on a greased cookie sheet or pizza pan.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Precook the dough uncovered for five minutes, then remove from the oven and add all the toppings.  Return to the oven and cook for about 15 minutes after toppings are added.

     Enough...I saw Rick Bushman at the court house.  He was regaling a deputy at the security console with a joke.  I will not repeat that one.  But, I asked Rick if he had an interesting courtroom experience to share.  Rick tells the following tale:

     At one point, when his daughter Katherine was a five year old, he had no choice.  She had to accompany him to the Federal Court House in Harrisburg, where, after an elevator ride, he had a hearing in Judge Woodside's court room.  Judge Woodside was the Third District's Middle District Bankruptcy judge at the time.  An experienced jurist, he frequently suggested to practitioners how he was likely to rule if the facts were simply as the summary provided in chambers were borne out.  This led to numerous settlements and a hearing or trial was generally extremely unlikely.  Rick was hopeful that Judge Woodside would work his magic again.

     Rick's practice, if you haven't had a chance to meet him, is heavily concentrated in Chapter 7, Chapter 11 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy.  You may run into him at creditor meetings if you don't run into him in Spring Run.  He enjoyed the easy atmosphere of Judge Woodside's chambers and courtroom in view of the usual subject matter.

     This time Rick did not have luck on his side.  The hearing would happen.  No settlement.  He apologized to Judge Woodside about the presence of his daughter.  The judge was gracious.  The child could sit next to the court reporter during the hearing.  That should occupy the five year old sufficiently for the hearing to occur.

     The hearing commenced.  The child was seated quietly close to her father, but where another adult could help with a disruption.  Imagine the shock when eight US Marshalls burst into the courtroom from several different entrances, all with guns drawn.  Think of trying to continue with firearms pointed at you.  It seems that Katherine had found the panic button under the court reporter's station.  Judge Woodside was the first to react.  He waived the Marshalls out of the courtroom with a quick twist of his hand; a comment that they weren't needed; and a direction to continue the hearing.  Everyone else looked on in stunned silence.

     Rick laughed as he finished the story and then said: "I'm old enough to remember when I was smarter than my phone."