DAYTON — More than 350 lawyers, judges, court staff, family and friends gathered May 9 at the Schuster Performing Arts Center Wintergarden to honor Judge Thomas M. Rose for his 45 years of service to the community as a federal and state court judge.
Born in Circleville, Rose grew up in southeastern Ohio in the small village of Laurelville. He attended Ohio University, obtaining his Bachelor of Science in Education degree in 1970, and then he attended law school at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, receiving his Juris Doctorate degree in 1973.
Rose began his law career in the private practice of law in Xenia, as well as serving as an assistant county prosecutor for Greene County in 1973. He became the chief magistrate judge for Greene County Juvenile and Probate Court in 1976, and he served in that position until 1978 when he returned to the Greene County Prosecutor’s Office as chief of the civil division.
In February 1991, Rose was appointed judge of Greene County Common Pleas Court, General Division, to fill the unexpired term of Judge Edward Kimmel. Rose was elected to that position in 1992 and re-elected in 1998.
On June 23, 2002, Rose was sworn in by the Honorable Herman J. Weber as a United States district court judge for the Southern District of Ohio, having been appointed to that position by President George W. Bush. Rose has served in that role since and has served on numerous committees with the administrative offices of the United States Courts, as well as the judicial conference of the United States Courts.
The Dayton Chapter of the Federal Bar Association hosted and sponsored the event celebrating Rose’s exemplary and faithful service, leadership in the federal and state courts and in the community at large.
Several dignitaries, including Attorney General Mike DeWine, Chief Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr., Judge Susan J. Dlott, Judge Walter H. Rice, Judge Mary K. Huffman, David C. Greer and Judge Rose’s wife, Terri Mazur Rose, offered thoughtful and entertaining speeches as the evening progressed. A portrait of Judge Rose, painted by James Michael Ostlund, and a bronze plaque dedicated to Judge Rose, were unveiled during the ceremony.
One attendee said it best, “Regardless of the title, position or circumstances of the person he meets, Judge Rose approaches each with a clear head and a warm heart. He has led the way in both word and deed, setting an excellent example for others to follow, by his thoughtful and collegial approach to lawyers and the profession of the law.”
