Supports her dad, Judge Estelle

To the editor:

When my son was born a little over a year ago, my husband and I wanted to give him a middle name that he would share with someone he could look up to and respect. So, we decided to give him my father’s name. My dad is Judge Bill Estelle. It’s a name my son can be proud of because my dad is an all-around good person — not only has he always been a supportive, patient, and loving father, he is an honest, straightforward person.

Recently, the Alaska Judicial Council issued misleading articles and press releases in an attempt to damage his reputation, which has been very painful for those who know him because what these articles and releases imply is so untrue. The truth is, when my dad discovered he had made an honest mistake, he immediately brought it to the attention of those higher up and changed office practices so that it wouldn’t happen again. However, the Judicial Council has falsely implied negative things about his character, allegations that are so patently false they must be issuing them for political reasons. I know how honest and kind my dad, Bill Estelle, is. When he made an honest mistake, he acted with integrity to address it.

My dad is the one who taught me the value of kindness, honesty, patience, and hard work by modeling these traits himself. Now that I have a child of my own, I often think about this. I hope I can be as good an example to my son as my dad was to me.

My dad also taught me that his job is as a civil servant. This means, he told me, that his job is to serve the people, to work for his community and the people in it to the best of his ability. He was born in Palmer and has lived there all his life; Alaska is very close to his heart. This is the truth, and so I hope that during the election this November, you vote to retain him — the Alaska judicial system will suffer the loss of a devoted public servant otherwise.

As our son continues to grow, my husband and I will certainly hold up my dad as a role model. If he grows up to be like my dad, we couldn’t be prouder.

Emily (Estelle) Lawrence

Palmer High School Class of 2002