DCBA 150th Anniversary

In anticipation of the 150th Anniversary of the Delaware County Bar Association, in 2022, DCBA President Karen Friel had announced early in 2021, the formation of a special committee to properly commemorate the sesquicentennial. This committee, appropriately termed the DCBA 150th Anniversary Committee, is responsible for planning, organizing, hosting and presenting various cultural, civil and Bar Association programs, events, projects and activities.

The Chairpersons for the Committee are Carrie A. Woody, Esquire, DCBA President, 2022; and Robert F. Kelly, Jr., Esquire, DCBA Past President, 2020. Throughout the year 2022, this Committee will be publishing and presenting historical perspectives and insights on the Bench and Bar, as well as working closely with community leaders and outside organizations, in furtherance of these goals. For the purposes of efficiency and organization, the 150th Anniversary Committee will be working in concert with existing sections and committees. This will be especially true of those sections and committees whose function and purpose relates directly to the planned events and projects.

The Guy G. deFuria American Inn of Court and the Women in Law Sections, as well as the Historical, Community Outreach, Bench Bar, 1724 Courthouse, Law Day, the Memorial Resolution Committees, and the other committees, will work closely with the 150th Anniversary Committee, to help develop relevant presentations, publications and projects.

At the November 2021 Annual General Membership Meeting, Carrie A. Woody, Esquire, President Elect, enthusiastically provided a summary plan of events/programs to celebrate this important milestone for the Association.

Among the activities planned are: • January: The DCBA will kick off its 150th year with its Annual President’s Dinner at Aronimink Golf Club. There will also be a seminar at the Bar Building during the month highlighting the history of the Association. • February, officially designated as Black History Month: The DCBA is excited to be partnering with Delaware County Community College to display the historical “Dockets of Enslaved Pennsylvanians.” There will be a special event on February 17th to kick off the exhibition of these documents.

• March, officially designated as Women’s History Month: The Women in the Law Section will be planning a special CLE program on a topic related to the 150th Anniversary. • April: The Law Day Committee will work to incorporate aspects of the Anniversary with the Bar’s annual Law Day events. The 2022 Law Day Theme “Toward a More Perfect Union: The Constitution in Times of Change.” • May: The Inn of Court will host a program in May to celebrate the Bar’s anniversary. • June: At the annual Bench Bar Conference in Annapolis, MD, the focus of the event will be “150 years of history.” • September-October: The DCBA is planning a special 150th Anniversary reception to be held either in September or October. • October, in anticipation of the month of November, officially designated as National Veterans and Military Families Month: The Veterans and Military Service Committee of the Delaware County Bar Association will hold its 5th Annual Flying of Veteran Casket Flags at the Delaware County Veterans Memorial in Newtown Square. Honored will be the lives and legacy of legendary members of the legal community who shaped Delaware County following their heroic efforts in their military service to the United States of America, during wars over the past century and a half. • December: The DCBA will celebrate its 150th year in review.

Special recognition needs to go to the 150th Anniversary Committee for all of its work to make 2022 a memorable year at the DCBA! •