ECU Pride Radiates in Appeals Court Judge - Gerald Arnold
This article gives a brief biographical sketch of Gerald Arnold. This and other articles may be found in the University Archives.
Citation for this article is: "ECU Pride Radiates in Appeals Court Judge," ECU Report, Volume 15, No. 1, May 1983.
"I take these appeals very seriously.I try to remember, while I don't actually see the people involved -- I see the cold records -- that somewhere there are people involved. The case may not be that important to me in jurisprudence, but it's important to somebody and I always try to be aware of that," said Judge Gerald Arnold, who is one of 12 judges on the North Carolina Court of Appeals. "Whether it's for five hundred dollars or five million, there should be no such thing to a court or a judge as a 'little' case," he said.
It is with this type of diligence that Judge Arnold tackles everything confronting him, be it in legal circles or the political arena, his church, or his alma mater. "Fortunately I don't require a great deal of sleep and work is a hobby for me," Arnold said. He is always the first one up at his home working a couple hours before anyone awakens and he is generally the first one to arrive at his office.
There are untold hours of reading for an appellete judge, as a single case could be the size of a dissertation. He remarked, "We're the tenth largest state and so many cases are reaching the appeals court. Three judges hear each case and one writes the opinion. This court has some of the heaviest case loads in the country." He pointed out that our system is designed to protect the rights of the individual and in North Carolina one has the appeal as a matter of right. Over the period of a year each judge writes about 100 case opinions.
First elected to the Court in 1974, Arnold is now in his second eight-year term. Judges are public officials elected by the public or appointed by an elected governor to fill out an unexpired term.
The climb to the Court of Appeals began following graduation from East Carolina in 1963 when Arnold attended law school at the University of North Carolina.During the last year in law school and and Paula Sue Johnson were married.When the studies were finished they returned to their hometown of Lillington, where she taught school and he entered the general practice of law with another ECU alumnus, Robert Morgan, former U.S. Senator.
"The pace was terrible, now that I look back on it," he said, "for there were meetings almost every night after I was appointed county attorney, and litigation took me to many cities in the state."
Being appointed county attorney was the the beginning of Arnold's political involvement.He served two terms in the North Carolina House of Representatives for Harnett and Lee counties, and also was the state campagin manager for gubernatorial candidate Hargorve "Skipper" Bowles.Although he did enjoy the legislative career yearsand hada knack for getting things done, he said, "I had studied for the law and decided what I wanted to do was get on the appellete court and that would keep me in public service."While in the House, Arnold was a staunch supporter for a four-year school of medicine for ECU.
In addition to his seat on the Court of Appeals, Arnold is also chairman of the NC Judicial Standards Commission, a group of judges, lawyers and laymen which investigates alleged judicial misconduct.
Arnold commutes to his Raleigh office from Chalybeate in the heart of Harnett county where he was born and raised on a tobacoo farm.Up unti lthree summers ago when his father sold the farm, he helped on the farm. He has good memories of his growing up there and said, "Even though it was hard work, we had fun for there were always family get-to-togethers and nearby creeks and the Cape Fear River for swimming, but I knew I didn't want farming for my life's work."
"My parents wanted me to go to college," he said. "My dad and two of my uncles were brick masons in the off months and they would have my cousins and I working with them keeping the mud, but Daddy wouldn't let me lay bricks because he said if I learned that I might like the money so much I wouldn't go to college." Arnold was the oldest of four children and also recognized his parents wanted him to set an example for the others.
Two of his friends are responsible for his decision to attend East Carolina as they selected the school. He had never visited Greenville and only knew about it from teachers who attended ECU. "I'm awfully glad I did," he remarked and cited professors who made a lasting impression on him.
Anyone who comes in contact with the Judge soon realizes the allegiance he has to East Carolina University and during the past year he has spoken at numerous alumni chapter meetings, as well as at the leadership conference, and the alumni day celebration. "Judge Arnold has traveled hundreds of miles at his own expense to tell people how he feels about his university," said immediate past president of the Alumni Association, John Lennon.
When Arnold speaks to the alumni he talks about the dream he has for the University and how he believes in its future. He often refers to ECU as thundering and cites examples of the medical school, the arts, specific programs, and the performances of many graduates as having a thundering effect in the state, in the country and in the world.
"Gerald Arnold has for many years been a staunch supporter of East Carolina University," said Alumni Relations Director Don Leggett. "Gerald has become very active in the Alumni Association being elected to the Board of Directorsand just last month, to the vice-presidency of the Association.He is a strong leader and a hard worker. We are proud and excited that he has chosen to serve ECu in this manner."
John West, '60, who is president of the Onslow County chapter of the Alumni Association said, "He is one of the most enthusiastic speakers we ever had and we gladly would welcome him back."
Although he would be reluctant to admit it, Judge Arnold is a part of that "thunder" he talks about, because many people throughout the state feel the effects of his good works and this University can be extremely proud of the close identification he has with the institution.
