Ford will long be remembered for love of the law, community

Trumbull County and Ohio lost a man of distinction with the death of retired Judge Donald R. Ford Sr. earlier this month. In his decades of leadership in legal, community service and sports venues, the skillful Judge Ford left a lasting positive legacy of which his family and our community can be proud.

From his days as class president and star baseball player at Warren G. Harding High School in the 1940s to his service in the law firm of Ford, Gold, Kavor and Simon in recent years, the life span of the jurist represented a continuum of selfless public service, dedication to upholding the law, and in doing all possible to enhance the quality of life in Trumbull County.

Along that continuum, Judge Ford achieved many distinctive accomplishments of which we have the space today to single out but a handful of the most impressive.

Perhaps most notably, Judge Ford distinguished himself as the longest serving jurist in the history of Trumbull County, having served 36 years as a judge on Warren Municipal Court (1972-1976), Trumbull County Common Pleas Court (1976 through 1982) and the 11th District Court of Appeals (1982 through 2007). He also stands out as the only judge in Trumbull County history to have served at all four levels of the state’s court system including the Ohio Supreme Court as a visiting judge.

Judge Ford also distinguished himself as a strict adherent to the letter of the law. As his daughter Atty. Leslie J. Crane of Ann Arbor, Mich., commented, “He was an independent thinker, although I know he always respected the rule of law. He thought it was his job to follow the rule of law and not create law.” Nonetheless, Judge Ford’s polished and maturely reasoned opinions issued on the court of appeals did lead to some constructive changes in state law.

Judge Ford also played an instrumental role in advocating the need for a new building solely dedicated to growing caseload of the appeals court and in ensuring its design met the needs of the court’s judges and staffs. The result of that multi-year advocacy today stands as the proud and stately courthouse on High Street in downtown Warren that has greatly enhanced the court’s judicial decorum.

JUDGE’S COMMUNITY SERVICE

But Judge Ford did not live by law alone. He also distinguished himself as a leader in myriad community-service groups. Foremost among them is the Warren Sports Hall of Fame, which he founded in 1988. Over the past 26 years, the hall of fame has honored scores of athletes who made lasting impressions on the community. Shortly before his death, Judge Ford himself was honorably inducted into that hall of fame.

A partial list of Judge Ford’s other civic- minded endeavors includes the Warren Football Association, the Howland Athletic Club, Warren Elks Club, Trumbull County Red Cross, March of Dimes, Trumbull County Agricultural Society, Partnership for a Drug-Free Trumbull County, Cub Scouts, Warren Area Jaycees and many others.

Perhaps his greatest legacy, however, lies in investment he made in grooming new generations of attorneys and judges. As Trumbull County Common Pleas Court Judge Andrew Logan put it, “Judge Ford was a mentor to many of us, particularly to me. He was one of the real leaders around here. He had a passion for the law. … He was a great judge.”