“Just great!” That is how I would describe the Annual Banquet on January 28, 2002. It was the 80th time our Association had assembled for this annual event which is the envy of every other local bar association as well as the State Bar Association. When asked by other local bar presidents what is it that makes our annual banquet such a success, my answer is one word: tradition. For the 465 members and their 117 guests who were in attendance, I trust you enjoyed yourselves. For the benefit of the nine hundred or so members who were not able to attend, I would like to recap for you the highlights of the annual banquet.

Nearly all 29 of our living Past Presidents were in attendance although I noted with disappointment the physical absence of Judge Walter Haile. Thelma Thompson our Public Defender was recognized from the dais along with Attorney General Joe Curran.

We got into the meat of the program when our own Chief Judge William Hinkel presented the traditional tray on behalf of and signed by all the members of the Circuit Court for Baltimore County to former Associate Judge James Smith. Immediately following, Dominick Garcia presented Chief Judge Hinkel with a cut crystal bowl, thanking him for the many years he has served on our District and Circuit Courts and for the many invocations given by Chief Judge Hinkel to our Association at innumerable events. This year Dominick gave the invocation at the Banquet and as always he was moving in his delivery, notwithstanding the fact that it was his 50th birthday on January 28th.

A number of presentations followed. Initially, Past President Warren Mix presented Judge Marvin Land with a cut-crystal bowl in appreciation for the years Judge Land was a District as well as a Circuit Court Judge, and for being such a fighter with his tenacious attitude, having survived three heart attacks, a stroke, and open heart surgery.

Immediate Past President John Nagle was presented with a small token of appreciation for his successful year as our President in 2000-2001 in the form of a gift certificate at Best Buy at his request. Past President Tom Bodie, John’s partner, assisted in that presentation only to be followed by a presentation by President-Elect Steve Nolan and John Nagle of the J. Earl Plumhoff Award to Tom.

Next, Alan Bussard presented Jerry Levine with a cut crystal bowl in appreciation for the many years of service to the Association given by Jerry. Just before dinner commenced, President-Elect Nolan presented yet another cut crystal bowl to Carole Otte in recognition of her positive work attitude and in thanks for her superior work as the coordinator of the Association’s Lawyer Referral Service for the last 12 years.

Following dinner, Secretary John Nowicki presented a cut crystal bowl to Bruce Lamdin in appreciation for the many thankless hours Bruce has spent not only organizing many of our golf outings over the last several years but also for the excellent job Bruce has done in the past in coordinating the menu and set up for the Annual Banquet itself at Martin’s West.

We then got into the desert of the evening so to speak, when Dana Williams introduced Colonel Robert Schweitzer of the Maryland National Guard to the audience. Dana then presented Colonel Schweitzer with a check for $5,203.00 which represented the phantom holiday party donations from many members. This money will be used by the Maryland National Guard Foundation to assist men and women who are called to active duty in the aftermath of September 11, 2001 and who have financial hardships as a result thereof.

The highlight of the evening was the keynote speech by Honorable Steny Hamilton Hoyer, Congressman from the Fifth District of Maryland, which is located in Prince George’s and St. Mary’s Counties. Steny’s remarks, which were longer than the allotted 8 minutes, addressed a serious topic but were still appropriate for the occasion in that he reminded us of the unique and important role played by attorneys and judges in the legal arena dealing with issues of war.

I hope to see all of you at the retirement dinner being planned for Honorable Robert E. Cahill, Sr. on Thursday, March 21, 2002 at the Holiday Inn Select in Timonium beginning at 6:00 p.m. Until then, I wish you a healthy early spring during the upcoming flu season.