Doyle portrait unveiled in Blair Co. Courthouse
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HOLLIDAYSBURG -- The Blair County Courthouse has another new judicial portrait, gifted by President Judge Elizabeth Doyle.
Unveiled Thursday, it hangs on the front wall of Courtroom 4, on the opposite side of the bench from an enlarged framed photo of the late President Judge Thomas G. Peoples.
"My portrait is not as grand and beautiful as Judge Carpenter's," Doyle said in reference to the recent hanging of Judge Hiram Carpenter's portrait in Courtroom 3.
"But I think it's fitting and that the artist caught my personality," the judge said.
Doyle, who is finishing 20 years on the bench and lost her bid in November for a third term, said the opportunity to have her portrait painted developed earlier this year.
Her brother, Jim, a watercolor artist in Santa Fe, N.M., told her that his friend, Tony Allegretti, also of Sante Fe, could paint her judicial portrait from a photograph.
While the courthouse has many older judicial portraits, the most recent ones -- until Carpenter's portrait was hung -- were of Judges Robert B. Campbell (1975-87) and Judge Robert C. Haberstroh (1970-78).
In response to Allegretti's offer, Doyle presented him with a photograph, and he created a painting, showing the black-robed judge in front of the precepts of justice, as displayed in Courtroom 2 where Doyle presided until moving to Courtroom 4.
Those attending the unveiling included mostly court staff employees, Senior Judge Jolene Kopriva, Judge Ilissa Zimmerman and Magisterial District Judge Paula Aigner and county commissioners Bruce Erb, Laura Burke and Amy Webster. Upon seeing Doyle pull down the cloth exposing her portrait, they immediately clapped and smiled.
The commissioners, responsible for the courthouse property and care, were aware of the forthcoming portrait but hadn't seen it before the unveiling.
Doyle also used Thursday's ceremony to thank those she works with and to praise their character, work ethic and performance.
"We have a great courthouse team," the judge said. "The court and the county are functioning extremely well, and it is because of you. Sure, there are fires every day, but you are the firefighters."
The judge added humor to the event by referring to her portrait as a way to always be a hanging judge. And she included a quip while recognizing Kopriva, Zimmerman and Aigner.
"To my judicial colleagues: from you I have gotten wisdom, humor and heck of a lot of help doing this giant job," Doyle said. "Now I have some extra robes if you need a spare."
Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.