LaVerne Ogletree has banged her gavel for the last time after serving as Greene County’s probate judge and chief magistrate judge for 45 years.
Her service was recognized during a retirement reception at Festival Hall on Dec. 27, as people gave remarks about her service to Greene County.
“This is kind of bittersweet when you have an institution leave an institution,” Sheriff Donnie Harrison said. “I was telling somebody earlier that we’re going to have two legends down in Greene County. The first legend was Sheriff Wyatt, and the second legend was going to be Judge LaVerne Ogletree. There is no doubt she has left a considerable impact.
“Think about what a probate and magistrate judge does. When you’re born, she documents. When you get married, she documents. When you die, she documents. So, she’s been involved in the citizens of Greene County from the day they’re born to the day they die.
"… She is probably the best representation of this county than any other elected official, and to go into the job she went into at the time she went into it was amazing. I can probably count on one finger how many female probate magistrate judges there were in the state of Georgia, if not the southeastern United States or the United States.”
Harrison, on behalf of the sheriff’s office, presented Ogletree with a gun, called a “Judge,” engraved with her years of service.
“[It] packs a wallop just like she does,” he said. “It’s been my greatest pleasure to work with [Judge Ogletree] over the years,” Harrison added. “The next part of her journey is ahead of her, and there’s no doubt she’s going to meet it with the same grace and dignity that she has as our probate and magistrate judge. She will be missed.”
Russell Wall, Ogletree’s successor, also spoke about the judge who he calls “one of his favorites.”
“I have the unenviable task of following, as Sheriff Harrison said, an absolute legend in Judge Ogletree,” Wall shared. “One of the things that I keep hearing as I meet other probate judges and other folks throughout the state is, ‘Man, you’ve got some big shoes to fill,’ and I imagine that I’ll probably have to [serve] about 40 years before folks here in Greene County think of me as the judge. I think they’ll always think of Judge Ogletree as the probate judge, and that’s well-deserved.
“For most folks, the probate court is the only experience, if they’re lucky, that they’ll have in the judicial system,” he continued. “Not every county has what we have here in Greene County. We’ve got a well-functioning probate court where things are handled efficiently and competently, and we handle things that in other counties are divided into two or three different courts, and Judge Ogletree has handled all that so well for so many years so competently, and that just speaks to the great job that she’s done for Greene County … I’m always proud to say I’m from Greene County, and a lot of that has to do with Judge Ogletree because people know her throughout the state and know the great job that she does.”
Wall presented Ogletree with some gifts from State Representative Trey Rhodes, including a House of Representatives resolution recognizing and commending her service and a flag that was flown over the State Capitol building. Ogletree’s successor also presented her retirement gavel.
“Judge, I just want to say thank you for the work that you’ve done,” Wall told her while presenting the gifts. “I’m going to do my best to carry on the foundation, build on the foundation that you laid, and carry on everything that you built, traditions you’ve established. On behalf of Greene County, I just want to thank you for your service and congratulate you. I hope the new chapter gives you all the joy and fulfillment that you deserve.”
David Kopp, an attorney and longtime friend of Ogletree, also praised her.
“I have been in many, many probate courts, especially in the Athens area, Atlanta area, and down toward Macon, and I say this in all sincerity — she is one of the best probate judges in the state," Kopp said.
Ogletree thanked speakers, office staff, fellow judges, family members, and her supporters during the reception.
She also thanked the many constitutional officers she has worked with over the years, including eight sheriffs, four Clerks of the Superior Court, four tax commissioners, four district attorneys, 11 Superior Court judges, and many county commissioners and city leaders.
“Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the best people,” she said. “You know, if you want to do a good job, you need to surround yourself with people a whole lot smarter than you are, and I’ve been fortunate to be able to have done that over the years. I appreciate all the citizens who supported me and had confidence enough in me to vote for me and keep me in the probate court office over the years. I thank the good Lord for the privilege of living in the United States and living in Georgia and living in Greene County. I love Greene County, and I’m not going to give up on that courthouse.”
“I began work here in Greene County wrapping presents for Christmas back in 1964, I think, across the street at the dime store. Little did I know I’d spend my life on Main Street in Greensboro, and I have, and what a wonderful life it’s been,” Ogletree added. “It’s just been a good ride. I’ve got a new tractor and I’m going to be on that on the farm, and I invite you to come see me.”