Banquet features speech by distinguished judge

A limited amount of tickets is still available at the door.
WARREN -- Judge Randolph Baxter, chief judge in the Northern District of Ohio U.S. Bankruptcy Court, will be the featured speaker at the annual Freedom Fund Banquet.
The banquet is an event of the Warren-Trumbull County Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. It will be at 6 p.m. Saturday at W.D. Packard Music Hall. A social hour will begin at 5 p.m.
The theme of this year's banquet is "Conscience of a Nation."
Tickets are available by calling (330) 883-9143 or at the Fine Arts Council of Trumbull County, 347 N. Park Ave., (330) 399-1212. A limited amount of tickets is still available at the door.
Judge Baxter's district covers all bankruptcy courts in the northern half of Ohio, inclusive of bankruptcy courts in Cleveland, Toledo, Akron, Canton and Youngstown. He was initially appointed to a 14-year term in 1985 and is serving a second 14-year term.
For more information about the local branch of the NAACP, contact President Gerald Morgan at (330) 307-7683.
Judge's background
A native of Columbia, Tenn., Judge Baxter is an honor graduate of Tuskegee University. He obtained his law degree from the University of Akron School of Law.
He has served as national secretary of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges and as an adjunct professor at Kent State University's College of Business (1974-78) and at the University of Akron's School of Law (1989-98).
In 1995, former Chief Justice William Rehnquist appointed Judge Baxter to a four-year term on the Federal Judicial Center's Bankruptcy Education Advisory Committee, which develops training programs for the nation's bankruptcy judges.
Judge Baxter has authored numerous judicial opinions and articles that are published in national law reports and journals. Additionally, he has served as a frequent lecturer on continuing legal education programs sponsored by several bar associations, law schools, federal agencies and commercial trade associations.
Before becoming a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge, Judge Baxter was in the private practice of law before serving as a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice. He also served as the deputy director, Department of Public Service for Akron, and earlier served as a salary administration analyst with the B.F. Goodrich Co.
A former Army officer, the judge was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor, among other unit citations, while serving as a tank platoon leader in the Republic of Vietnam with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. He later achieved the rank of captain and commanded a tank company before resigning his commission and returning to civilian life in 1971.
Judge Baxter balances his courtroom duties with community service by serving on various civic and educational boards. He also finds time to play his trumpet with the Cleveland Clinic Orchestra. The judge and his wife, Yvonne, are parents of four adult children and have two granddaughters.