Cook County Public Defenders Blog

Brothers and Sisters:

As some of you may know, our sister, Martha Fitzsimmons left the office after her battle with lung cancer took a turn for the worse.  The Executive Board, voted to honor Martha and her service to our clients and this union by making a donation in her honor to a cause she has felt strongly about for many years.  What follows is a letter that we sent along with a donation to the Illinois Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. 

 Martha is also our Member of the Month.

It is with a heavy heart that we learned of the passing of our brother, Assistant Public Defender, Porter Louis Merriwether.  Portor was an attorney at 26th Street and had been a public defender since April 16, 1984.  He passed away on November 13, 2009.  Anyone that knew him truly appreciated his charm, wit and passion for justice.

Portor was born to the late J.B,. and Shirley Kendric Meriwether on March 16, 1940.  Portor was 1958 graduate of Lincoln High School in Evansville, Indiana, where he was an award winning basketball player.

He went on to attend Tennessee State A & I University on a basketball scholarship.  While there, he made the first team  in his freshmen year and was team captain for 3 years; he was a 3 time All-American; a United Press International All-American; a Chuck Taylor Converse All-American team member; and an alternate on the 1960 U.S.Olympic Basketball team.

Portor was inducted into the Tennessee State University Hall of Fame in 1984 as a member of the 3 time NAIA championship basketball team (1958 – 59) led by legendary coach John B. McClendon.  He was also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.

Portor was drafted in the 3rd round of the 1962 draft to the Syracuse Nationals.  After retiring from professional basketball, he graduated from Howard University School of Law.

Portor is survived by his devoted wife of 39 years, Marlene; daughter, Dr. Pippa Meriwether; one granddaughter, Teilei Hall; brothers, Lawrence (Garnette), Lee (Carol); sisters: Arrelia Coleman, Joan (Lewis) Lyons; sister-in-law, Alicia Peck; dedicated surrogate family, Aleen Donaldson, Jimmie Covington, Phillip Beverly,Pierre Jones, Brandon (Ice) Heard, Daniel Willis and a host of nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.

Portor is, posthumously, our member of the month.

The good news just keeps on coming!  Only a few days after we were celebrating Bernie Sarley’s rise to the bench did we find out that the Illinois Supreme Court is appointing our sister, Pamela Leeming (LRD) to fill the vacancy of Judge Carol Pearce McCarthy starting on December 1, 2009.  Please join me in congratulating our sister on her appointment to the bench. When she is sworn in, she will be the only full circuit judge in Cook County of Asian descent, since the passing of Judge Sandra Otaka.   Pamela, the membership salutes you on your accomplishment.  (Pam is also our November, Member of the Month.)

On behalf of the members of AFSCME Local 3315, the Cook County Public Defenders Association, I want to congratulate one of our own, Assistant Public Defender Bernard Sarley (HTF) on being elected Associate Judge by the Judges of the Circuit Court of Cook County.  Bernie, as we call him, has had over three decades of service to the office, with the last two as an attorney in the homicide task force.   Once again, congratulations to an esteemed colleague who will make a fine additon to the bench!  Bernie is also, our member of the month.

Here he is, by popular demand, George Grzeca, the Local’s Member of the Month.  An Assistant Public Defender in Cook County since 12/16/78 and veteran of the Homicide Task Force, he retired at the end of last year.  He remains, unofficially, “of counsel” and a holdover tenant as well.