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Former Indiana Chief Justice Randall Shepard has found himself walking up to more stages recently, posing briefly for a photo with his most recent award before stepping to a microphone, pulling notes from his pocket and starting in on a speech.
It happened most recently at the Indiana Bar Foundation’s annual meeting one June 23, when Shepard received the organization’s Legend Award.
It’ll happen again in September, when Indiana Landmarks gives him the Williamson Prize for leadership in historic preservation. An attorney also received that award in 2022: Tim Shelly of Elkhart.
And in May, Shepard received Indiana Lawyer’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual Leadership in Law event.
Shepard, now a senior judge on the Court of Appeals of Indiana, joked after the bar foundation event that the onslaught of awards may be an ominous sign.
“It makes me wonder whether my doctor has told them something about my life expectancy,” he said.
Shepard used his time at the podium during the foundation’s event to discuss the importance of lawyers and legal institutions, including the Indiana Supreme Court, in keeping civility in American discourse.
He was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1985 by Gov. Robert Orr. He became Indiana chief justice in 1987 — the youngest person to hold that position — and retired in 2012, making him the longest-serving chief justice in state history.
Before his appointment, Shepard was judge of the Vanderburgh Superior Court.
Outside the court, Shepard chaired the American Bar Association’s Task Force on the Future of Legal Education and was the first executive in residence at the Indiana University Public Policy Institute in IU’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs.
Indiana Bar Foundation President and CEO Chuck Dunlap commended Shepard for his involvement in “countless” nonprofits and civic organizations.
“This part of Justice Shepard’s service to our state and nation may not be as well-known but is no less impactful,” Dunlap said in a statement. “To all these civic organizations and nonprofits, including the Indiana Bar Foundation, Justice Shepard has been a friend, thought leader, and ardent supporter donating innumerable hours to their missions, and improving lives in communities across the nation.”
While he insisted awards and recognitions are “quite unusual” for him, Shepard said when it comes time to write a speech, he tries to think about what kind of work the organization that’s honoring him is doing.
“My goodness,” he said, “it’s genuinely moving to be awarded by organizations that are themselves doing such phenomenally important work.”
Indiana Landmarks, which restores and repurposes historic buildings, praised Shepard for his role in establishing Evansville’s first preservation commission in the 1970s and convincing the city to take title to the 1879 Post Office and Customs House when the federal government prepared to move out.
“Randy championed preservation before it was common to consider the value of historic places,” Indiana Landmarks President Marsh Davis said in a statement. “We’ve been the fortunate beneficiaries of his experience and thoughtful leadership for more than 40 years, and we owe much of our success to his long involvement with our organization.”
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