As you know, I limit my bios to the guys and gals we see at our Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday or Thursday runs. Guess who’s back! Here’s some hints. Some of you new runners to the group may only know him from the YMCA pool or bluegrass night at the Arcadia Rodeo, Cortez Fishing Festival, the Roo with a View, or his more regular gig at Zio’s. Of course, there might be others that know him from court appearances. You guessed it, the judge is back! He still has that slight limp, but he’s back.

Those of you who know Doug only from these other venues will be surprised to know that his regular appearance on Tuesdays used to involve running farther than many of us with Mike Aldrink (BRC’s elite runner now living in Columbus, Ohio). Doug traveled to the Albuquerque and Buffalo marathons with Mike. He and I ran the Erie marathon, and then we joined Tom Richardson to celebrate his 50th birthday in Athens, Greece by running the Olympic marathon course a year before the actual event. We really got to know Doug on this trip. It turns out that traveling with Doug is similar to traveling with your wife or women in general. He can spend hours souvenir shopping which allowed Tom and I plenty of time for having a few beers. It was at his fifth marathon attempt in Wilmington, Delaware that his increasing knee problem stopped him short of completion. In July 2004 Doug had ACL replacement surgery. Although he did all and more of the recommended rehab, the stiffness would not go away. He explored every avenue to find the cause of the stiffness only to be told that his procedure, besides a minor blip, was a complete success. During his rehab Doug could walk faster backwards than forwards. If a bunch of us were walking together, Doug would often turn and walk facing us assuming we would warn him of impending danger.

Since his return he has been stretching the distance from his initial across the Green Bridge and back to the whole 6 mile route. The group I usually run with can easily identify Doug ahead of us by his slight limp. To date we are unable to reel him in.

The BRC membership includes people from Canada, Australia, Germany and several US states. Well, we also have a couple of native Floridians. Among this rare breed is the judge. Doug’s mom, Sue, was a nurse in Tampa where she met Pete Henderson who in addition to be a bluegrass singer worked in law enforcement most of his life. Doug spent the early part of his youth in Tampa living across the street from Angelo Guida. Why is this important? He was Doug’s guitar teacher. The family moved to Bradenton where he graduated from Southeast High in 1969. He spent those years cruising around town in his 1960 red Corvette. He always brags about his four younger brothers and reminds us with some pride that each of their first names begin with “D.” Many of us have met the brother that owns the Friendly Car Washes as Doug often takes us for a free wash. We met the other two a year or so ago at Doug’s dad’s funeral service. It was there that we were blessed with hearing recordings of his dad singing. Knowing also that his mom plays the piano at her Methodist church, no one should be surprised with Doug’s talent. Doug’s band in high school was called “The Hangmen.” If you are someone that knows him mainly as a judge and picture him in his black robe, picture this image: Doug’s mom designed the band’s outfits which were white pants and turtlenecks, black zippered boots, and topped off with red and blue polka dot vests. His wife, Sue, a Manatee High grad certainly must have met Doug later. I can’t imagine that she would have been seen around Bradenton with a guy dressed in this outfit.

Prior to running for office Doug was a probation officer for five years. After spending a couple of years at MCC, he completed his Bachelors in Criminology at USF’s Tampa campus. He followed this with a master’s degree that enabled him to teach Criminal Law at USF which he has been doing for 20 years. In 1978 Doug, Sue and year old Ryan moved to Houston for law school at South Texas College of Law. Their years in Houston are full of pleasant memories. Doug often talks about his bluegrass band and the birth of second son Todd in 1980. He returned to Bradenton in 1981 as an assistant state prosecutor. Justin, his youngest son, was born in 1983. Doug worked at a local law firm from 1988 to 1995 when it was suggested that he run for an open seat as county judge. The rest is history. Doug has been elected three times. In 2004 he was selected as Florida’s Judge of the Year and in 2006 served as president of the state conference of court judges. For several years Doug has been a volunteer judge for state and national high school mock trial events. I’ve traveled with him to Oklahoma City and Dallas for the last two national competitions; so yes, I have seen the judge in action. The kids and the professionals involved in these events love Doug. He begins each mock trial with “I am a real judge from Florida and I like to run things informally.”

For you music lovers, I must mention Doug’s band “Southern Pleasure.” In 1978 while playing at the Manatee County Fair they played and sang backup for a new girl country singer from Oklahoma. We now know her as Reba McEntire. Today he plays with the “Manatee River Bluegrass Band.” They have groupies not only from the county courthouse but the BRC. If you want to be on the band’s mailing list, let me know. In addition to bluegrass, Doug plays bass for a pipes band called “Jacobites.” If we don’t see him on Tuesdays, we know he’s in some garage practicing with his new rock band.

Doug has been running his whole life. Except for some high school track his running has been recreational just to stay in shape. Off and on he would run local 5K’s but nothing serious. If you’ve ever shared a hotel room with Doug, you know how seriously he takes staying in shape. There’s no need for an alarm as he wakes you up with sounds of exertion doing his sit ups and push ups. He has lately added some yoga moves to this morning ritual. It was his friendship with Mike Aldrink that brought Doug to the BRC. Mike has since moved on to several locations but has left Doug in our hands.

During rehab from his operation Doug starting swimming at the Y and under the capable hands of Tom Richardson and Leslie Thompson progressed to a couple of 2+ mile swims across the Peace River. He continues to swim but is back running now.

Ryan, Doug & Sue’s oldest, has given them a grandson that Doug coaches in T-ball. I think he told me there’s another one on the way, so his coaching days aren’t over. Baseball has always been a quiet passion in Doug’s life. After his ACL surgery we thought coaching T-ball was as close as he would get to a baseball diamond. We figured a sport that involved crouching behind the plate, snagging grounders, chasing fly balls, and sprinting the bases would be something he would need to give up. We were wrong! He continues to play in senior tournaments around the state. Teams from all over the US travel to Florida tournaments looking for good players to add to their lineups. Doug was that man. He fills in at positions that seniors have difficulty playing.

I guess the lesson in all of this is, never count the judge out. He’s not only back running, but has been hinting about getting strong enough to join us on some future running road trips.