"The Law" bids fond farewell to Palmer courthouse

PALMER -- In the mid-70s, court clerk Joanne Graham was known as "The Law" east of the Matanuska River, Superior Court Judge Beverly Cutler said Friday as Graham retired after 26 years at the Palmer Courthouse.

"If people had a problem, they went to her," Cutler said.

Palmer District Attorney Roman Kalytiak said for all Graham's years in the courthouse, she "deserves the rest of her life off." He presented her with a plaque from the district attorney's office, along with the one Cutler presented from the court.

And when she always appeared calm under busy pressure, Kalytiak said, he imagined her asking herself: "Now what would the Lone Ranger do?"

Graham's retirement picnic Friday brought out a large crowd of law enforcement officers, attorneys, judges, clerks and others associated with the court who found themselves often calling on Graham's knowledge through the years.

The Lone Ranger analogy fits. Graham began her career as keeper of felony court files in the old Hillstrom Building where Palmer Court used to be. She sat upstairs by herself as the only clerk-coroner in the Valley.

As time went by, to Graham's delight, she was surrounded by more and more clerks assigned to felony cases and eventually moved into a brand new courthouse. This gave her an audience for what some say might have bloomed into a career as a stand-up comedian. It's the shared humor that Graham plainly admits has helped her enjoy her work.

As the court grew along with the Valley's population explosion, so did the stack of files ever-present on her desk.

"If I can't get it all done today, I say 'well, there's always tomorrow,'" Graham said. "It's the people I am going to miss the most. This is my family. They've been good years, wonderful years."

Superior Court Judge Eric Smith said it was always a joy to work with Graham. "It was fun to talk with her. I knew that whatever I asked for would get done. If I had a question, she always had an answer -- and it was a good answer," Smith said.

Graham takes with her a huge amount of institutional knowledge about how to handle things in Palmer court. That's irreplaceable, Smith said.

"We're happy for her and sad for us," Smith said.

Graham's nickname at court is "Cochise," after the famed Indian chief.

"They were all calling me deputy chief of clerks, and I said, 'Oh, why don't you just call me 'Cochise' instead. And one of my gals had that printed up on a name plate," Graham said.

"As you can imagine, this is not the happiest department to work in," clerk Debbie Miller said, surrounded by felony criminal files detailing the worst of what the court hears. "You never know what Joanne is going to say next. She lifts our spirits up."

Graham was hired in 1975 by Magistrate Dorothy Saxton at the old Palmer Courthouse. Back then, the courthouse was a two-woman show, with Saxton presiding over court and Graham her only staff member.

Up until 1998 the State Court acted as the state's coroner's office. One of Graham's duties for years was as a coroner. Her job entailed releasing the bodies of the deceased to their families.

Sometimes, Graham said, she would get phone calls at 2 a.m. notifying her of a dead body. If a family member of the deceased wasn't available, Graham would have to take custody of the body.

Graham said she would often cry with the families of the deceased.

She also tells the tale of a murder trial of a man who killed a woman, cut up her body and boiled it in a large pot like those used by dog mushers to cook big batches of food.

The pot was parked in the courtroom throughout the trial. "It was hard to look at it," Graham said.

Yet even with some of the difficult aspects of the job, Graham said she wouldn't have wanted to do anything else.

"It is so interesting. I loved this job from the very beginning. It's never boring and there's always something going on -- not to mention all the good-looking cops," Graham said in a 2001 interview.

And laughing is what Graham does best. Whether it's with one of those "good-looking cops," or a pesky crime reporter or a harried attorney who needs everything yesterday, Graham has a joke for everyone who passes by her desk in the criminal clerk's office.

Graham said she sees a lot of disgruntled people passing through the courthouse, and the job she does is not always appreciated. But Graham is heartened by knowing she can help people make their way through an often complicated legal system.

Tending a good attitude and having support from her family and coworkers helped Graham get through the most devastating experience of her life six years ago. Graham and her husband, Garr Graham, were among those who lost everything in the Miller's Reach fire in June 1996.

Except for an antique clock which belonged to Graham's mother-in-law, the couple lost their Big Lake home and all their cherished belongings to the fire. Without insurance, the Grahams had to start from scratch and rebuild their lives.

"What got me through that fire is my family, friends, and most of all my husband, who, by the way, is also my best friend," Graham said.

Graham isn't sure what she wants to do next, saying it's kind of a shock to be retiring. For starters, she will probably be planting two new apple trees in her yard, gifts from her courthouse friends.

Most likely she will take her own parting advice, delivered to the group gathered for her retirement picnic: "If you are happy, and full of happiness, you'll have health. And tomorrow is another day."