[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 83 (Friday, June 23, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6451-S6452]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO JUDGE R.W. DYCHE III
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a great
leader in public service, Judge R.W. Dyche III of London, KY. Judge
Dyche is retiring from the Kentucky Court of Appeals, Third Appellate
District, First Division, after 20 years of honorable service. He began
his legal career as a clerk for the law firm of Allen & Bledsoe, and
after the firm dissolved,
[[Page S6452]]
he opened his own office. He accepted an appointment as a judge of the
27th Judicial District in 1978 and 8 years later was appointed to the
Kentucky Court of Appeals.
Judge Dyche plans to take some time off to begin his retirement. From
there he said he has a couple of possibilities lined up. I am sure his
wife Jane and his sons Robert and John are looking forward to seeing
more of him.
On June 12 of this year, The Sentinel Echo published an article
highlighting Judge Dyche's accomplishments while in office as well as
the excellence with which he carried out his job. I ask unanimous
consent that the full article be printed in the Congressional Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
[From the Sentinel Echo]
Judge Dyche Retiring After 20 Years
(By Carl Keith Greene)
Twenty years after his appointment and subsequent election
to the Kentucky Court of Appeals Judge R.W. Dyche III will
retire on June 20.
Dyche, 55, who began his career as a law clerk for Baxter
Bledsoe and Larry Allen, served also as Laurel District Judge
for eight years.
``I look forward to a new chapter, learning new things,
learning different things, I've become even more convinced
lately that when you quit learning you begin dying. I'm
learning a few new things,'' he said in an interview
Thursday.
Dyche entered the legal profession because, ``It's all that
ever interested me. I had a phase of electronics and
electrical engineering. But starting about my freshman year
in high school it's all that ever interested me.''
He said the best thing about being a judge for him is
``getting to see the good side of humanity. Unfortunately,
along with that you also see the bad side.''
He said the good side is made up of generosity, love,
attorneys who go out of their way to represent their client
well--sometimes at no cost--people who just want to do the
right thing.
On the bad side, he has seen families who fight, or people
who abuse or neglect children. He said these are the two
worst scenarios.
Though it is hard to pinpoint a typical case Dyche has
heard, he said in the criminal side, anymore, is a drug case,
and generally, the most common grounds for claimed error is
illegal search and seizure.
``Very often the drugs are found on the person or in close
proximity and the only out they have is to say the search is
illegal.''
In civil court, ``unfortunately domestic things are growing
and growing and growing. It's such a good thing that we're
going to get a family court here soon,'' he said.
Dyche estimated there are approximately 75 percent of
affirmations of lower court cases and 25 percent reversals.
He said the case that stands out in his memory is from
about 1988 or 1989 ``where a child was taken from the mother
at the hospital before she ever got the chance to show
whether she could be a good mother, based on past history and
predictability. I wrote an opinion reversing that saying, it
could be under very close supervision but she should be
given the chance.''
He said he prides himself, and his staff, on being able to
write opinions that litigants can understand, not written in
what is called ``legalese'' but written in plain English and
short concise form so they can understand why they won or
lost.
Dyche is a 1968 graduate of London High School. He earned
his bachelor's degree from Danville's Centre College and his
law degree at the University of Kentucky College of Law in
1975.
He and his wife of 27 years, Jane, also a lawyer, have two
sons, Robert, 24, who is in law school and John, 13, an
eight-grader at North Laurel Middle School.
In his years in the Laurel judicial system he has seen the
court system grow from one circuit judge, Bob Helton; one
district judge, Lewis Hopper; one trial commissioner, Dyche;
and one pre-trial services officer, Fred Yaden.
Now there are two circuit judges, two district judges, at
least two trial commissioners, and three or four pre-trial
officers, he said. The case load has, with the county, grown
so much.
``I can remember in the late 70s when Les Yaden was sheriff
there was Les, Oscar Brown, Earl Bailey as deputies and
Evelene Greene and Les' daughter Janie making up the entire
Sheriff's office staff.''
Now there are many, many who are needed.
Looking ahead, Dyche said he is going to take some time off
to start out with, and is exploring, a couple of
possibilities.
``I'm certainly not going to be idle,'' he said.
He said he has learned a few things about doing his job
since he began the journey.
``I came into this at age 27 single, and early on I was
having and I was lecturing a father, `Oh you need to do this,
you need to do that. Here's what you do with your son.' I was
giving him down the road. The guy looked at me and said,
``Buddy, you got any children?'' I said `no.' He said `huh.'
''
He concluded, ``I'm much more understanding when things
don't go exactly as you planned in raising children.''
``I appreciated how good everybody's been to me, the
cooperation of the people, my staff, Sandy Slusher and Julie
Ledford, and particularly my friend Fred Yaden. I'll be
around. I won't go far.''
____
A Tribute to Dyche
(By Sandy Slusher, Appeals Court Judicial Secretary)
Working at the Court of Appeals has been the highlight of a
career and life that I thought would never happen. I took a
job years ago with the law firm of Allen & Bledsoe. Robbie
Dyche was in law school and clerked at the firm. I found him
a most interesting person when he was in the office.
When the firm dissolved, Robbie decided to open his own
office. He asked if I would like to work for him, and I
eagerly accepted. That was 30 years ago. His practice grew
but he realized public service was truly his calling. In 1978
he accepted an appointment as district judge under the new
judicial reform system, Eldon Keller, (the Circuit court
Clerk at the time), hired me as a deputy clerk. I still was
able to work with Judge Dyche, as well as Judge Lewis Hopper.
In 1986, Judge Dyche was appointed to the Kentucky Court of
Appeals and asked if I would like to work as his secretary.
The judge, Julie Ledford, our staff attorney, and I went to
Frankfort together to be sworn in.
In Judge Dyche's office, we have formed a small family unit
supporting each other through divorce, marriage, births,
deaths graduations, illnesses both in the office and in
extended family members. We have celebrated with each other
at the happy times, and embraced and consoled each other
through the heartbreaking moments. It had been so good.
Throughout Judge Dyche's tenure our office policy has been
to write opinions that are concise, strictly based on law,
easily understood by the average citizen as well as the
judiciary, and rendered as soon as possible. Matters
involving child custody always took precedent over other
matters and Judge Dyche consistently would volunteer to take
additional cases involving child custody in order to fast
track these matters through the Court.
I have formed friendships that will endure for the
remainder of my time on earth. If the opportunity presented
itself, I would do it all over without a moment of
hesitation!
____________________