Photo by David Doemland
Judge Merlin Wheeler congratulates Judge Jeff Larson Tuesday afternoon after swearing Larson in as the newly appointed judge. Joining him in the ceremony at the Lyon County Courthouse were his wife, Amy, left, and their daughters Hilary, center left, and Abby, center right.
Jeffry Larson, the newest district judge for the Fifth Judicial District, has several goals for his tenure.
Basing his statement on his observation of other judges, he said would like to be as “consistent as Judge Conklin; as efficient as Judge Fowler; as wise as Judge Wheeler; as thorough as Judge Sanderson; as dignified as Judge Dick; as patient as Judge Fromme; and do it all with the sense of humor exhibited by Judge Towle.”
“I don’t know how successful I will be, but I do know I am ready to begin,” Larson said.
Larson stated his goals during the swearing-in ceremony Tuesday afternoon. There was standing room only in Courtroom 2 of the Lyon County Courthouse. Larson had several people to thank during his speech. Among them were his parents, Reg and Jo Larson, who were able to see the proceedings through a video conference. They were unable to get to the conference because of the weather.
“They raised me to respect the law and live my life with strong morals and values,” Larson told the audience. “Mom and dad, I have always tried to apply those values to my professional life and they have served me well to this point. I am confident they will serve me well as I start this new journey.”
Larson also thanked his wife, Amy.
“Don’t let her small stature fool you,” Larson said, as the audience chuckled. “She is a strong woman who has supported me emotionally, spiritually and yes, in my law school days, financially...”
Larson’s wife, commented on the ceremony.
“We’re very proud and excited,” she said. “We know Jeff is looking forward to the challenge.”
Chief Judge Merlin Wheeler spoke during the ceremony.
“On the west wall, you will find photos of 18 citizens of the county who have served as judge,” Wheeler said. “Today we welcome Jeffry.”
Larson is the 22nd member of the judiciary, Wheeler said.
During the proceeding, Emporia schools Superintendent John Heim presented Larson to the court. Until he resigned to become judge, Larson was a member of the Emporia Board of Education.
“Jeff is an Emporian and has lived here most of his life,” Heim said.
Heim spoke of Larson’s service on the school board.
“During the past years, he is one of the finest individuals I’ve ever had the opportunity to work with,” Heim said. “No one ever came away from the board having not known they had a fair hearing. Jeff has the courtesy and the respect he showed all (people).”
When it came time for Larson to put on his robe, his wife and two daughters, Hilary and Abby, assisted him.
“I get this much help at home too,” Larson stated, followed by laughter from the audience.
A reception followed the ceremony.
Larson, an attorney, was appointed to the bench last month by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. He replaces Judge John Sanderson, who retired earlier this month after serving in the district since 1988.
Comments
We allow registered users to post comments on this Web site. To learn more about our posting policies please read our User Poster Agreement Policy.
Posted by jewls7969 (anonymous) on February 24, 2008 at 4:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Congradulation Jeff
Julie Stone
Post a comment
We allow registered users to post comments on this Web site. Our goal with this feature is to encourage thoughtful discussions about the news stories. Using the comment feature to make random attacks on people is not acceptable. Emporiagazette.com neither endorses nor guarantees the accuracy of any user contribution. Responsibility for what is posted or contributed to this site is the sole responsibility of each user. To learn more about our posting policies please read our User Poster Agreement Policy.
(Requires free registration.)