This is the thirty-seventh of our Court Times articles that highlight up close and personal a member of the Indiana Judiciary.
Hendricks Superior Court Judge Robert W. Freese is our judge featured in this issue. He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Marian College, cum laude, in 1981, and his Doctor of Jurisprudence from the Robert McKinney Indiana University School of Law in 1984.
Freese served as Public Defender in Hendricks Superior Court No. 2 from 1985-1991 and Judge of the Brownsburg Town Court from 1992-1995. He maintained a private law practice with the firm of Elmendorf, Meyer & Freese from 1985-1995.
Freese served as the Hendricks County Chief Deputy Prosecutor from 1995-2001 before becoming Judge of the Hendricks Superior Court No. 1 in 2001.
Judge Freese and his wife, Karen, will celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary this July. They met at Marian College (now Marian University). She is a Research Director for a group of pathologists.
They have three children: Jessica, a lawyer at Davis Polk in Manhattan, who is married to George, an Assistant US Attorney currently for the Southern District of New York; Michael, a police officer in Whitestown, who is engaged to Abby and living in Brownsburg; and, Jenifer, a veterinary technician, who is married to Kevin, a United States Air Force (USAF) veteran, living in Danville.
Judge Freese, an instrument rated pilot, serves as a Major in the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), an auxiliary of the USAF. They perform search and rescue missions, disaster relief missions, aerospace education, and Cadet Programs.
In his role as Director of Operations for the Indiana Wing, Freese is in charge of eleven aircraft provided by the USAF and the fifty pilots who fly them. He is a CAP Mission Pilot and also a Mission Pilot Instructor for the National Emergency Services Academy (NESA).
Judge Freese and Karen also work with a group of Amputee Veterans. One of their activities involves a flag football game against NFL retired players during Super Bowl week. This now annual event started when the Super Bowl was in Indianapolis, and it draws upwards of 10,000 spectators.
He is also involved in numerous judicial and civic activities, including serving as a member of the Indiana Judges Association Board of Managers since 2001 and as the current Vice-President; board member and current President of the Sagamore Inn of Court; board member of the Miracle Ride for Riley Hospital for Children; past member of the Marian College Board of Trustees; member and past President, Hendricks County Bar Association; past vice-president, Hendricks County Fraternal Order of Police; and numerous other civic and community organizations, including Knights of Columbus, Brownsburg Kiwanis, Hendricks County Aviation Association, Sons of the American Legion, Brownsburg Little League Baseball, Junior Girls Basketball, Varsity Baseball, and Middle School 8th Grade Softball.
What do you like most and least about being a trial court judge?
The friendships I have made with other Judges are what I like most about being a Judge. I also like the good feeling when someone says years after a case is over: “Thanks, you made such a positive difference in my life”. You can’t beat that!
I like the least all of the required administrative tasks that sometimes cause the most tension among fellow Judges.
What was your major in college?
I was a History Major with a Political Science Minor and a concentration in Business.
What would you do if you were not a judge?
Practice law! If not in legal profession, I would most likely be a commercial pilot.
Who are the people you most admire?
The people I admire the most are the “18 year olds” (as I say, but really mean all the young men and women) who put themselves in harm’s way every day so that we are able to do everything that we do. I know many who have lost parts of their bodies and would go back in a heartbeat, without hesitation, to keep us free.
What are your hobbies or favorite leisure activities, and how did you first get involved?
My favorite leisure activity is getting in our airplane and leaving all the day’s troubles behind! That started in high school. It led to me joining the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) almost four years ago. CAP now takes up most of my free time.
What are your favorite books, and have you read any recently, or are reading now, that you would recommend?
Lincoln on Leadership – given to me by the Indiana Judicial Center when I became a Judge. To go along with that theme, A Team of Rivals – about Lincoln and how he rose to the Presidency and managed our country during that horrific time.
Where did you grow up and how would you describe your childhood?
I grew up in Batesville, Indiana. It was a small town where everyone knew everyone. Childhood was filled with many family activities as my mom came from a very close, big family. I still have a group of five best friends from pre-grade school who are still like brothers 50 years later.
Do you have a favorite quote(s)?
My favorite is the Golden Rule. If everyone would follow it, the world would have less pain and suffering.
Second favorite is a quote I first heard on a golf course, where golfers are required to call penalties on themselves, but it applies to life in general. “You know the true measure of a man, not by what he does when all are looking, but what he does when no one is looking.”
Where is your favorite vacation spot?
Manhattan. Our oldest daughter and her husband live in the Big Apple. You can always find something to do there and we get to be with her. Second choice is the Phoenix area – NO SNOW!!! – and we have several close friends there.
Do you have a favorite meal, recipe, and restaurant?
A good Chilean Sea bass is at the top of my list.
Not much of a cook so no favorite recipe. I will eat whatever is put in front of me!
My favorite restaurant is DAWSON’S TOO in Brownsburg. Food is great, always see many friends there, and they treat me like everybody else.