This is the thirty-fifth of our Court Times articles that highlight up close and personal a member of the Indiana Judiciary.
Judge Duvall graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 1974 and Chase Law School of Northern Kentucky University in 1978. Judge Duvall went to law school at night while he worked at the law school and the Hamilton County Ohio Domestic Relations Court as a law clerk for Judge Paul George. Following graduation from law school he was in private practice with a small four-person law firm in Cincinnati before moving to Scottsburg in 1982. Judge Duvall became Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in 1983 and was elected Prosecutor in 1986.
He maintained a private law practice and was a sole practitioner until 1997 when he was elected to full-time status as prosecutor. He held the position of prosecutor until elected as Circuit Court Judge in 2004.
Judge Duvall has been married to his wife, Mary Jo, for forty years. Mary Jo is also a University of Cincinnati graduate with a BS in nursing. She is a retired health coordinator and school nurse for the Scottsburg School District. They have three children, Carolyn, a Ball State and University of Indianapolis graduate and teacher in Franklin, Indiana; Zachary, a University of Cincinnati graduate with a master’s degree in city and urban planning and employed by a private company in Cincinnati; and, Ben, a Purdue graduate who within the last year completed eight and a half years active duty service in the Air Force and is now a Captain in the Ohio Air National Guard living in Columbus, Ohio. There is one grandchild, Claire, who came into their lives in March, 2012 and who is described as a joy and blessing to the family.
Judge Duvall is the recipient of the Eugene “Shine” Feller award for his lifetime of service as prosecuting attorney and in 2014 was named Outstanding Judge by the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Judge Duvall has served on the Board of the Indiana Judges Association, the Juvenile Justice Improvement Committee, and was recently appointed by Governor Mike Pence to the Governor’s Task Force on Drug Enforcement, Treatment and Prevention.
What do you like most and least about being a trial court judge?
I enjoy the special relationship that a judge and jury develop with each other. Most juries, no matter how reluctant at first, seem to enjoy the experience and appreciate all of the work that goes into a trial. It is rewarding to make that experience as relaxing and pleasant as possible for them. One of the other things that I enjoy is meeting the adoptive parents in CHINS cases. There are many special people that we cross paths with as judges and those people who adopt special needs children are at the top of that list.
As far as what I enjoy the least, the bitterness and petty behavior of some people in divorce cases gets old. Or, maybe I don’t like the fact that my patience for those people is less than when I first started as judge.
What was your major in college and why did you decide to study law?
I was an economics major at the University of Cincinnati after deciding that being an aerospace engineer wasn’t in my future after my first two quarters at UC. I thought that economics was a major that I could try to convince my Father held the possibilities of a job in the future (versus history or political science). It was a major that I ended up enjoying very much and a field of study that combined both the theoretical and the practical. It was good preparation for law school. I have applied what I learned from my economics degree to my legal career in ways that I would have never imagined.
As for deciding to go to law school, I think it was something I always wanted to do and when I changed majors that was the goal. Of course, it has been so long ago it is possible that I may have forgotten the real reason.
What would you do if you were not a judge?
Since joining the PGA tour is not an option and my writing skills are generally limited to five pages or less, I would probably say something to do with aviation. Airplanes and airports have always interested me; and, if I hear an airplane, I instinctively look up to identify it. I also love to play around with house plans, so would also include being an architect.
Who are the people you most admire?
It may sound like a cliché but my Father and Mother, Bill and Thelma Duvall. My Father and Mother were the hardest working people I have ever known. To them, any and all work was honorable and worthy of respect; and, for my Father, the willingness to work hard was a fundamental test of a person’s character. They were unselfish in providing for their family.
I have been married to Mary Jo for forty great years. She has always been the rock for our family during those times and during the times when my work took time away from the family.
In my professional career, I had the honor of knowing and working closely over 25 years with Steve Johnson, the former Executive Director of the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council who died at far too early an age last year. He was an outstanding public servant for Indiana who worked tirelessly for public safety. A very good man and loyal friend who is missed dearly by his friends and family.
What are your hobbies or favorite leisure activities?
I love to spend time with family and our only grandchild, Claire, who is three and a half years old. Reading, hiking and camping are always a part of the picture when I can find time. Only a few miles from my home is a trailhead for the Knobstone Trail, which is an undiscovered gem for hiking in Indiana running through Clark, Scott and Washington counties.
I have played golf for 50 years which is a sad statement considering my level of skill, but at this time in life my golf game is more about getting outdoors and spending time with friends.
What are your favorite books, and have you read any recently, or are reading now, that you would recommend?
I read a little of everything but probably more history and biography than any other category. In recent years, the ones that stand out are three books by Rick Atkinson that are now referred to as the Liberation Trilogy. These are books about the American Army in Europe in WWII including the Pulitzer Prize-winning, Army at Dawn. These are perhaps the best history books that I have read. There is no way to describe how these books convey to the reader, seventy years later, the experiences of those men and women during that time but these books in words paint a clearer picture of what that generation went through than any documentary.
My most recent book that I have completed was Scott Berg’s biography of Woodrow Wilson, a president that I had read very little about until this book. I am currently reading Dream Land, by Sam Quinones. This book was recommended by Dr. Tim Kelly who is on the Governor’s Drug Task Force and is about America’s opiate addiction. It is a fascinating read and a book that I would urge every prosecutor and judge in the state to read.
Finally I will admit, even at age 63, that I am a fan of J.R.R. Tolkien and have enjoyed sharing those books with my children as they grew up.
Where did you grow up and how would you describe your childhood?
I grew up in Fairborn, Ohio, the youngest of five children. It was very typical of any childhood for those of us who grew up in the 60’s. My childhood was very family-oriented, both my immediate family and a large extended family in Fairborn. There was nothing extravagant about our lifestyle but I always felt secure and comfortable.
Do you have a favorite quote(s)?
We should all have books of quotes by Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill and Will Rogers or have them bookmarked as favorites on our computers. Their words are timeless, funny, and instructive. Whenever I am frustrated or discouraged, a few minutes visiting with these men can put things in perspective. I like Lincoln’s quote, “I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.”
I also like the quote by Robert E. Lee in a letter to a friend five years after the end of the Civil War. I came across this in preparing for a community memorial service on the one year anniversary of 9/11 and found it relevant then and still today. “It is history that teaches us to hope.”
Where is your favorite vacation spot?
Wyoming and Grand Teton National Park. Mary Jo, our sons, and I first went to the park in 1998 and we fell in love with the Tetons and Jackson Hole. There is nothing quite like the Jenny Lake Campground and a hike up Cascade Canyon to Lake Solitude. One of the best things about our national parks is that no matter how many people may be in the park, if you are willing to walk a mile or two up a trail, the crowds melt away and it seems like you have the whole park to yourself. Mary Jo and I try to get out there at least every couple of years and last fall spotted our first grizzly bear enjoying a bumper crop of hawthorn berries near the Lawrence Rockefeller Interpretive Center in the Tetons.
For a more frequent getaway, a weekend trip to Cincinnati for a Reds or Cincinnati Bearcats game, or just to enjoy the city and reconnect with family and old friends, is relaxing. It is always good occasionally to go to a place where no one knows who you are or what you do for a living.
Do you have a favorite meal, recipe, and restaurant?
The food is always good at the Duvall house thanks to Mary Jo, so at this stage in life, my favorite meal is any when all of the family can be present. The restaurant with the best dining experience is the Mural Room at Jackson Lake Lodge in Grand Teton National Park. The restaurant has floor to ceiling windows facing the willow flats, Jackson Lake and the Teton Range. The views are incredible and the food is outstanding. For a less formal meal that is a little closer to home, you can’t beat Skyline Chili after a UC game.