Q: Did your parents have a strong influence on you; and if so, did they help point you in the direction of law and ultimately to become a judge?

A: My parents did have a strong influence on me, and I am grateful to say that I was raised in an intact family with both my mother and father at home. My father was a police officer and later worked as an administrator in the justice department. My mother was primarily a housekeeper, and later took reservations for the former TWA airline. Neither one of my parents were college grads, yet both were smart. As a result, they encouraged all four siblings to go after their degrees. And I can humbly say that all of us have turned out successful. On one occasion, I was asked if my parents had pressured us to go to college and I answered no – and my mother started laughing. There was pressure that was steady and firm, but not in the sense of a demand, but rather an encouragement.

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