ViE FOUR 60 sH ^ Alt VW</, ,7 '/fZ-l 



I0N0R JUDGE 

 J.R. 



Friends Give Banquet to 

 Mark 50 Years' Service 

 in Dorchester Court 



S. J. WILLIS, AGED 91, 

 MAKES AN ADDRESS 



Friends and associates of Judge 

 Joseph R. Churchill gave him a com- 

 plimentary dinner at Young's Hotel 

 last night in recognition of his ser- 

 vices as judge of the Dorchester mu- 

 nicipal court for half a century. 



After serving for six months as asso- 

 ciate justice when the court was first 

 created, Judge Churchill was appointed 

 on Jan. 3. 1871, by Gov. Claflin and 

 will have completed 50 years of con- 

 tinuous service tomorrow night. 



Historical Address 



One ot the features at the dinner was 

 an historical address given by Sarrel 

 J. WlHls, 31. who recalled when Dor- 

 chester, then a town, established its 

 first fire department and organize* the 

 famous artillery company, long the 

 pride of Dorchester and dating many 

 years before the civil war. Mr. Willis 

 also mentioned how he had known per- 

 sonally both Judge Churchill's father 

 snd grandfather. 



Although nearing the century mark, 

 .Mr. Willis still goes daily to his office 

 Vat the Blue Hill National Bank. Milton 

 ^TLower Falls, where for the past 42 years 

 he has served as cashier. Before enter- 

 • r ing the banking business he was on the 

 jjBtage with Joseph Jefferson. 

 i Walter Deane of ■ Bmi ' ihu j U j ir , an au- 

 * thority on botany, told of his experi- 

 6 "nces collecting flora with Judge 

 Churchill, who is also interested In this 

 study, having in his possession nearly 

 5". 000 varieties of flora which he ac- 

 cumulated both here and abroad. Mr. 

 Ceane mentioned in particular Judge 

 Churchill's rugged constitution, which 

 enables him even now to take strenuous 

 trips along mountain trails in the search 

 for rare forest growths. 



Police Captain Heard from 



Capt. Charles T. Reardon of the 

 l iekls Corner police station, in a brief 

 ■•uldress, thanked Judge Churchill for 

 co-operation and courtesy extended on 



Other speakers, all of whom hoped 

 that Judge Churchill would continue for 

 many years more on the bench, in- 

 cluded M. H. Sullivan and William 

 Merritt, associate justices on the Dor- 



chester court: John K. Berry, Peter 

 Donaghue, Alphonse Sanford, clerk of 

 the Dorchesler court: N. Thomas Mer- 

 ritt, a former clerk of the court: George 

 H. Wyman, Asaph Churchill, a nephew 

 of the judge; Representative Frank L. 

 Brier. Thomas Leavitt, John R. McVey 

 and P. O'Hearn. 



