The plan to honor deserving public servants was inaugurated in 1947 by the late Raymond D. Metzner, a past President of the Cuyahoga County Bar Association (CCBA). CCBA Past President Franklin A. Polk served annually as continuous chairman until 1986. Mr. Polk was involved with this program until his passing in 1991. In 1986, the Public Servants Merit Award was renamed the "Franklin A. Polk Public Servants Merit Award" to honor Mr. Polk's dedication and outstanding service to the CCBA and CCBF.
Each year city and county courts and government agencies are asked to nominate eligible recipients for their outstanding service to the legal profession, the general public, and our justice system. These merit awards are given for long and faithful service, devotion to duty, wise counsel, unfailing patience, and assistance to the public and members of the Bench and Bar of this county.
In 2009, the Cleveland Bar Foundation and Cuyahoga County Bar Foundation unified as the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Foundation. The CMBF is honored and proud to continue this annual tradition providing an opportunity for celebration that is so meaningful to the judges, clerks, and court staff. The event welcomes 500 or more attendees annually, including the judges and clerks of court who will accompany the honorees.
The 65th Annual Franklin A. Polk Public Servants Merit Awards Luncheon is scheduled for September 16, 2011. Please click here for more details on the event.
For more information about this annual event, or to get involved as a sponsor, please contact Mary Groth at (216) 696-3525 x5004.
To sponsor the Luncheon, please contact Mary Groth at (216) 696-3525 x5004.
We gratefully acknowledge the firms and organizations who generously sponsored this year's event:
Baker & Hostetler LLP
Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP
Bolek Besser Glesius LLC
Cleveland Rape Crisis Center
Kohrman Jackson & Krantz P.L.L.
Meyers, Roman, Friedberg & Lewis
Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP
Reminger Co., L.P.A.
Spangenberg, Shibley & Liber LLP
Squire, Sanders & Dempsey (US) LLP
Thompson Hine LLP
Tucker Ellis & West LLP
Ulmer & Berne LLP
Weltman, Weinberg & Reis Co., L.P.A.
Sponsorship Levels
$100 - Individual Sponsor (includes one ticket to the luncheon and $60 tax-deductible donation to the CMBF)
$750 - Non-profit organizations and small firms (fewer than 5 attorneys) - (includes table of 10 and $350 tax-deductible donation to the CMBF)
$1500 - Private firms and corporations (includes table of 10 and $350 tax-deductible donation to the CMBF)
Sponsorships include one table of 10 (unless noted), pre-event coverage in the Bar Journal (for reservations made before July 8), recognition at the event, acknowledgement in the program and post-event coverage.
In the history of the event, over 350 Cuyahoga County residents have been honored as outstanding public servants, representing in total over 8500 years of exemplary public service.
We congratulate the 2011 Honorees:
Vicky Baskovic - Domestic Relations Court
Joseph Fouts - U.S. Bankruptcy Court
Robert Kozub - Common Pleas General Division
Kathleen Kurz - Cleveland Municipal Clerk’s Office
Caroline Molchan Malanij - Court of Appeals
Terrence Murphy - County Clerk of Courts
Daniel Peterca - Common Pleas General Division
Carlos Robinson - Juvenile Court
Roberta Suydam - South Euclid Municipal Court
Christopher Williams - Cleveland Municipal Court
Yvette Wright - Probate Court
To view a complete list of honorees, please click here .