DBA CONGRATULATES

The Honorable Alice O. McCollum Retires

Judge McCollum has received countless awards from the DBA. Most notably, during the DBA Chancery Club Luncheon via Tom Rauch; outdoor photograph with Jesse Beasley and below as Co-Chair of the 2018 DBA Bench Bar with Glen McMurry.

In a career defined by “firsts,” it can be easy to focus only on the historical significance of Judge Alice McCollum’s standing in our profession. After all, she did establish the pre-law program at Wilberforce University, become the first Black woman faculty member at the University of Dayton (teaching in the law clinic), become the first Black woman to preside over the Dayton Bar Association, become the first Black woman to be elected to the Dayton Municipal Court, and later become the first Black woman to be elected to the Montgomery County Probate Court. Despite having broken through these and many other glass ceilings, Judge McCollum has always considered herself a public servant above all else. Although her over four-decade-long legal career has now come to an end, her legacy and impact will continue to be felt for decades to come.

Had it not been for her college roommate’s interest in law, we may have lost Judge McCollum to the STEM field. As a mathematics major at the University of North Carolina (Greensboro), she had a job lined up as a systems analyst with no interest whatsoever in the law. As a woman of faith, however, Judge learned quickly that sometimes the plan we have for our lives does not always come to fruition. A combination of divine intervention, history, and an open mind revealed a new path for her life. A mutual friend informed Judge and her roommate about a seminar designed to expose minorities to careers in the law. The Council on Legal Education Opportunity, Inc. (“CLEO”), hosted several seminars across the country, one of which Judge McCollum attended with her roommate. The CLEO seminar was launched in part due to the recent assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and subsequent uprisings in response to his death. The hope was that exposing and integrating more African Americans into the legal profession could help ease racial tensions. While attending the seminar, Judge McCollum developed a new perspective and appreciation for the law and how it shaped every facet of our society. She later attended the University of Cincinnati College of Law where she obtained her J.D. before coming to Dayton to begin her career.

Judge McCollum worked in various sectors and positions at the beginning of her career, and although she was open to the idea of becoming a judge someday, she was not prepared to make that transition as quickly as she did. Shortly after becoming eligible to become a judge, she was appointed to the Dayton Municipal Court (“DMC”) in February of 1979 and immediately had to run. Although

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she was a bit anxious due to her limited exposure to criminal law and politics at the time, Judge did what she has always done— trusted the timing of her life and leaned into the larger plan laid out for her. She won that race and in 1979 assumed her seat as the first Black woman elected to the Court, a position she maintained for next 24 years.

During her tenure at the DMC, Judge McCollum developed a reputation for helping defendants faced with unfair charges. She maintained a fair and balanced approach to all of her cases by giving everyone who entered her courtroom the benefit of the doubt. That is why despite her nickname “Let ‘em go Alice O,” she maintained a positive working relationship with the police. While she enjoyed her time at the DMC and appreciated seeing the impact she had on the community, she took another leap of faith and decided to run for Probate Court. Never one to back down from a challenge, Judge McCollum was excited about the prospect of delving deeper into a different area of the law. Due to the support she garnered over the years from the community at large and the local Bar, she won that race in 2002 and assumed her new role in 2003 as the first Black and first woman to serve on the Montgomery County Probate Court.

During her tenure, Judge McCollum implemented several changes to make the Court more accessible and efficient. She led the Court through a long-term initiative to implement e-filing, which has since made case management and public records access easier for all litigants and attorneys who appear before the Court. She also led efforts to re-organize the layout of the Probate Court to ensure that her staff could work more efficiently and better serve the community. Judge McCollum also implanted a Staff Appreciation Day to recognize the hard work done year-round to keep the Court running smoothly.

When asked to reflect on the impact of her historic career, she noted how pleased she was to see other Black women walk the trail she blazed. Since her first term as a Municipal Court Judge, Dayton and Montgomery County have welcomed others onto the bench, including Judge Deirdre Logan, Judge Frances McGee, Judge Denise Cross, Judge Adele Riley, Judge Risa McCray, and Judge Mia Wortham Spells. Judge McCollum has been instrumental in many of these women’s careers as several of them have consulted her prior to embarking on their own judicial races. Judge Spells was one of Judge McCollum’s students at Wilberforce University years ago, so seeing her trajectory and eventual landing on the Municipal Court has been particularly rewarding.

Having officially retired from the bench in January of 2021, Judge McCollum is settling into a new rhythm. Just because she is no longer presiding over cases or actively practicing law does not mean that she will no longer serve the community in some capacity. She is incredibly active in her church community, serving on its governing board. Once our world settles into a safer place post-COVID-19, she looks forward to traveling with family and friends. As for now, she enjoys spending more time with her grandchildren and keeping up with their “new math.”

When asked about the length of her career, she told me that when you find what makes you happy, you will be better at it because it will not stress you out as much. It’s safe to say that serving the community on and off the bench for the last 42 years has brought Judge McCollum serious joy, and we are truly grateful for her service. May we all find and sustain that level of professional fulfillment.

Congratulations on your well-deserved retirement, Judge McCollum!

By Ebony D. Davenport Esq. University of Dayton School of Law Co-Chair YLD & Chair Editorial Board davenporte1@udayton.edu 937. 229.3555