At the courthouse Friday, officials gathered to honor a judge who is retiring after thirty years on the bench.

Circuit Judge Weldon Judah was first elected to serve in the Municipal Division of the Buchanan County Circuit Court in April, 1986. He served in that capacity until November, 1988, when he was elected an Associate Division Judge. In 1995, he was appointed by the Governor as Circuit Judge, Division 2, of the Fifth Judicial Circuit. He was elected to that position in 1996 and re-elected in 1998, 2004 and 2010. His present term expires December 31, 2016.

Among his final duties was the swearing in of two county officials who won their elections last month, Western District Commissioner Ron Hook and Treasurer John Nash. Judge Judah has some kind words for Commissioner Hook.

“I didn’t know anybody could be this sincere,” Judah said. “How could anybody be such a nice, kind, generous, good looking, hard-working guy?”

The judge recounted a story to illustrate his admiration for the Western District Commissioner. Judge Judah says during a break in a jury trial some time back he took a look out of his courtroom window to check the weather and he spotted Hook outside.

“It was a cold day, he was kind of halfway jogging or running…”

“…I don’t remember that,” interrupted the commissioner. “Jogging?”

But the judge said he remembered. It was a cold day, he said, and Hook stopped to pick up some litter on the courthouse grounds.

“I saw him stop, and bend down, and pick up one of those paper things they put on a disposable straw,” the judge said. “I couldn’t see it, and I don’t know how anybody could see it.”

“But that’s the kind of pride he takes in the courthouse, in the western district, in his job, and it’s just the kind of person he is. And I went ‘how many hundreds of people, not to mention the person who threw that there, not to mention all the people that walked by, didn’t pay it a bit of attention at all? And, he did this thanklessly.”

“And, I just said what a great guy, what a sweet guy.”

A reception was held over the noon hour for Judge Judah. He says he has made no immediate plans for his retirement.

“I’m sure eventually my wife will come up with a good idea,” he said.

Judah’s seat will be filled in January by David Bolander, who defeated Gary Myers in the general election last month.