I first met Judge Rasin in May of 1983 when I interviewed for the position as his law clerk. I knew he was a unique person at that interview, as he had the custom of interviewing both the candidate and the candidate’s spouse, a rare practice. Shortly after the interview; Judge Rasin offered me the job as his law clerk starting in September 1983. I served in that position for 3 ½ years and during that time and the years that followed, my family and I were fortunate enough to get to know the Judge as a mentor, friend, surrogate father and grandfather. His family welcomed us into their lives. As the years progressed and our relationship evolved, the Judge came to be known as Poppy, the name chosen for him by his grandchildren.
Judge Rasin grew up in Worton, a small town along the railroad tracks to Chestertown. People often pass through Worton without realizing that they have traveled through a town. The Judge was quick to tell anyone that Worton is the center of Kent County. Geographically this statement is correct as Worton is located at the center of Kent County, but the Judge was also referring to the fact that Worton was the site where he was raised and developed his core values.
He spent a great deal of his youth with his grandparents, Perry and Henrietta Rasin, who lived on Worton Road across the street from the two room Worton School.
He often spoke of sitting in his grandmother’s kitchen after school while she baked his favorite cookies (raisin with an i). He recently shared her handwritten cookbook with us and Nancy and I have tried numerous times without success to duplicate Henrietta’s raisin cookies. I like to think that our failure is based on the lack of precise measurements for the ingredients or stove temperature in Henrietta’s recipe.
He was an active participant in the Worton Sunday School led by Mr. Benny Rash who the Judge claimed spared him from juvenile court. The Judge began to develop his work ethic during his stint as a clerk at one of Worton’s stores. The Judge loved to tell stories of his adventures driving ice deliveries to customers long before he had a license.
The Cooper, Coleman, Matthews, and Williams’s families lived in Worton and provided a network of playmates comprised of second and third cousins. Many of these cousins lived well into there nineties and maintained close relationships with the Judge throughout their lives. The picture of Worton during the Judge’s youth was one of a close knit, hardworking, farming community.
Upon graduation from Worton School, he expanded his horizons beyond Worton and attended Chestertown High School and ultimately Washington College. On more than one occasion, Judge Rasin would comment that Washington College’s location in Chestertown and the senatorial scholarship awarded to him by Senator Brice afforded him the opportunity to attend college. During his college years, he excelled at his studies and met many lifelong friends including The Honorable Marvin Smith and The Honorable Louis Goldstein. Their paths would continue to cross throughout the years in their respective roles as State Comptroller, Senator, and Judges.
The Judge always felt a sense of gratitude towards the College for his education and the friendships formed during his college years. Throughout his life, the Judge expressed his appreciation financially and through his service as a member of the College’s Board of Visitors and Governors.
Following graduation from Washington College, Judge Rasin and Judge Smith moved to Baltimore where they attended the University of Maryland Law School. They entered the Army and served in the Counter Intelligence Corps and at one point, they both served under the same commanding officer. Later, Judge Rasin was stationed at Hickam field and other locations in the Pacific Theater before being discharged at the end of the war.
As one would expect, the Judge’s performance in the Counter Intelligence Corps was excellent. His exceptional organizational skills made him well liked by his commanding officer, who later offered him an assignment in France after the war. He accepted the position and the Judge and Mrs. Rasin lived in Paris until returning to the States to start a family. Years later, the Judge was thrilled when Gale and her family accompanied him to Paris for a family vacation.
Upon the Rasins return from Paris, they resided for a time with Uncle Henry and Aunt Clara at their farm on Coopers Lane. Judge Rasin began practicing law but also ventured into the farming arena; “mink farming” to be specific. Fortunately for the legal community, mink farming was not profitable and lacked the excitement of the legal profession.
Despite the failed “mink venture”, The Judge maintained his love of farming and the foods produced from Kent County’s land and water. He was a “locavore” long before today’s local food movement became popular. His version of the perfect meal was a serving of fresh shad roe or soft shell crab accompanied by an ear of sweet corn, and strawberries or cantaloupe for dessert. The Judge loved to eat steamed crabs and was a precise crab picker. Armed with his crab knife, the Judge could eat large quantities of crabs and produce the smallest, tidiest pile of clean shells humanly possible. The only food that Kent County lacked in his eyes was dark chocolate; although Downey’s hot fudge sundaes satisfied that urge.
In addition to farming, politics was in the Rasin blood and Judge Rasin was no exception. Judge Rasin’s grandfather, Perry Rasin was a County Commissioner and Uncle Henry was an Orphans Court Judge. Interestingly, Judge Rasin was a Democrat while the rest of the family was Republican. In large part, he was a Democrat due to the scholarship he received from Senator Brice (a Democrat) and also his support of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the New Deal.
He was appointed as the Senator to Kent County replacing Senator Jewell. During the time he served in the Senate, the Eastern Shore and Western Maryland controlled the state and the Governor was Millard Tawes, a Crisfield native. It was a great time to be a Democratic Senator from Kent County. The Judge enjoyed working with the leadership in the Senate and forged friendships that proved invaluable when he later helped lead a reform of the juvenile justice system.
In 1960, Judge Rasin was in charge of John F. Kennedy’s Campaign for President in Kent County. Presidential candidate Kennedy came to speak at Washington College and Judge Rasin escorted him during the visit. Following the speech, the Judge and Candidate Kennedy piled in the family station wagon to travel to Great Oak to meet Kennedy’s waiting plane. If you know the area, you know that the airstrip crosses the road to Great Oak. Just as Kennedy’s plane with the candidate on board was about to the cross the road, a car full of Baltimore and Washington area reporters in pursuit of the candidate crossed the road nearly colliding with the plane. The Kennedy campaign and the visit to Kent County and Washington College were definitely cherished memories for the Judge.
He continued his interest in politics throughout his lifetime. On Sundays, he could be found watching the political commentators and critiquing the guests’ responses. In recent years, he lamented the fact that politicians were more focused on their own careers than their constituents’ needs.
The Judge enjoyed traveling and was always ready to embark on a journey. Despite having grown up in a small rural town, he was equally at home in the city. As a young man, he often journeyed to Baltimore aboard one of the steamboats from Tolchester. Years later, he and Mrs. Rasin resided in a number of apartments and condominiums in Baltimore. They loved spending time in Baltimore visiting with their daughter, son, and grandchildren. The Judge looked forward to the visits and family breakfasts at Cross Keys and other Baltimore eateries. The Judge especially enjoyed when the Rasin family would travel from Baltimore to Kent County for an event such as the Chestertown Tea Party or crab feast.
Judge Rasin’s successes in life were many and varied but they were all grounded in his roots and strong moral compass. The Judge never forgot the pleasures and struggles of his childhood or those individuals that helped shape him along the way. He loved Kent County, his friends and family, and his profession. Throughout his life, he maintained a standard of excellence seldom found in an individual.
In closing I would like to tell you about a conversation I once had with the Judge. We were in the law library and he asked whether I was staying in Kent County or returning to Baltimore to practice law. I told him that I wanted to stay in Kent County but I was concerned because there were already a lot of lawyers in the area. He replied, “There is always room on the top shelf”. Beyond a reasonable doubt George Bacon Rasin, Jr. was on the top shelf of life.
John Nunn is Associate Judge of Maryland’s Circuit Court
Beth Armstrong says
Thanks John for allowing us to get to know this great man a bit better!
Rachel Goss says
Thank You, Judge.
I enjoyed the memorial and plan to share with my young boys the ‘top shhelf’ quotation/concept. They had a wonderful role model with my father but never had the opportunity to meet Judge Rasin. I will pay it forward…