IndyBar: Marion County Courts Bid Farewell to Final Employee Hired in the 1970s, Beverly Stigall

By The Hon. Timothy W. Oakes, Marion Superior Court

The summer of 1977 in Indianapolis carries with it some interesting milestones. A concert by Elvis Presley at Market Square Arena – it would be his last. A.J. Foyt became the first four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500. Voyager, now the most distant human-made object and currently located some 15.1 billion miles away, launched from Florida. Popular movies that summer were Rocky, Smokey and the Bandit, and Star Wars. The miniseries “Roots” first aired on television in 1977. Perhaps at least as interesting, an 18-year-old recent graduate of Franklin Central High School walked into the City-County Building to take a job with Marion County Clerk Tom O’Brien. She told herself she’d only be there for maybe a year or so. After a few months, co-workers in the Clerk’s office were betting she wouldn’t make it long, she was “too quiet.” Nearly forty-seven years later, Beverly Stigall is finally retiring. She is the last remaining court employee hired in the 1970s to work for the Marion County Courts.

Bev, as many of her co-workers and friends call her, announced her retirement recently, effective May 10th. After the Clerk’s office, Bev worked for five Marion County Judges: Judge Charles Daugherty (5 years), Judge John “Jack” Barney Jr. (12 years), Judge Cale Bradford (10 years), Judge Patricia Gifford (1.5 years), and finally Judge Tim Oakes (15.5 years). Each change in judge brought with it a different way of accomplishing the tasks before the court and their own personal nuances. Judge Barney’s five-minute jury break consisted of retiring back to his office, smoking a cigarette, chatting with some lawyers, and returning more than 30 minutes later. Judge Bradford preferred to be quick and efficient during jury breaks. Judge Oakes is a stickler about his Outlook calendar. “You just learn to adapt and move on!” according to Bev.

When asked about some of the biggest changes in her 47 years, Bev remembered, “Well, when I first walked into the City-County Building, there were manual typewriters [and presumably the noticeable clacking sound they made] everywhere!” Bev remembers the tough transition from typewriters to computers. Switching from criminal court was also a shift for her. She noted that in criminal court, “You got to know all the attorneys and the probation officers; you got to know the people. That’s the thing I miss about criminal courts.” But she quickly added, “You don’t miss the stress of a criminal docket, though.” Finally, she notes that, “Much changed with the move from hard paper files to Odyssey,” the electronic case management system.

Socially, much has also changed since the late 1970s. When Bev arrived in the courthouse in 1977, “People smoked anywhere and everywhere. Elected officials would have full bars and parties full of food (probably donated by lawyers and businesses) in their offices during the holidays.” One judge would serve breakfast with Bloody Mary’s, and another would have a lunch spread in their courtroom. Clerk Bud Gohmann’s Christmas party after hours in the courthouse was one not to miss. “A wide range of people attended that one,” Bev wryly smiled.

Bev reflected, “It goes by fast. I remember being advised when I was 19 years old, ‘Put more money in your PERF.’ I never imagined being here that long.”

The friendships are what she will remember most. At the risk of forgetting someone, and after some prodding, she reluctantly mentioned a few: Patsy Hammond, Brian O’Keefe, Jeanie Lawrence, Janet Mulligan, Alice Bruhn, Judy Hatfield, and Judy Glaze. “I met and worked with a lot of good people,” she said.

A former supervising judge of Bev’s, Indiana Court of Appeals Judge Cale Bradford, said, “I can’t recall anyone I’ve known that has steadfastly contributed to justice for our citizens longer than Bev Stigall. Bev helped ‘raise’ me and many other judges. We are truly fortunate to have worked with Bev.”

Members of the bar are welcome to attend an open house for Beverly hosted by Judge Oakes’ court on Thursday, May 9th from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Community Justice Campus jury assembly room. All are welcome!

The Hon. Timothy W. Oakes is a judge for Marion Superior Court’s Civil Division. Judge Oakes was elected to the bench in 2008. He is an active member of IndyBar and was a former member of the Board of Directors.