DUBUQUE - On a recent afternoon at the Dubuque County Courthouse, Judge Alan Pearson strolled the back hallways in a pair of shorts and a Hawaiian-print shirt.

Pearson, chief judge of Dubuque County District Court and the 1st Judicial District, which includes Waterloo, already had ditched his long black robe for a more casual look, one that he intends to sport for a while.

"I want to retire and be retired and do nothing until I'm bored," he said.

Pearson officially retired July 31, but he already had left the courthouse to go fishing.

Before starting his career in law more than 30 years ago, Pearson and his wife, Pat, sold their car and flew to Europe for six months, where they traveled around in a Volkswagen camper.

The judge, who has since shed his wire-rim glasses but is regrowing a beard, still considers himself a child of the '60s. His background contributes to his belief that law is not just a job, it's a calling and a form of public service. It was the unique circumstances of the '60s that led him to law school, though it seemed improbable at the time.

"At one point at Iowa State (University), I was on temporary enrollment for low grades," he said. "Partying and having a good time would have a lot to do with that."

After graduating from college, a hearing impairment prevented him from being drafted during the Vietnam War. Not quite sure what he should do, he chose law school.

"I started law school at Iowa without really knowing much about what law school was or what it meant to be a lawyer," he said. "It was just an opportunity that presented itself serendipitously."

Once there, he excelled and graduated in the top 10 percent of his class in 1971. Soon, he was hired as a legal aid staff attorney in Dubuque. Just a few years later, he was appointed to be a judge.

Making tough decisions

Pearson moved to Dubuque more than 35 years ago and spent most of that time as a judge.

Over the years, he came to know himself and the community he served perhaps in a way only a judge can.

He sat through heart-wrenching cases and, by drawing a line between emotion and his job, made calculated and professional decisions.

"But occasionally you get those cases that break through that professionalism and really touch you," he said. For Pearson, child custody cases wore on him most.

"I've written decisions that I was just sick about," he said, "but felt as if, in the context of the history of the family that I'm being given and Iowa law, that I had to do what I did."

A career with so many emotional ups and downs helped nurture a friendship between court reporter and judge. Court reporter Phoebe Miller said she and Pearson have developed a particular sense of humor, one that helped them get through the tough cases.

Even their families have grown close. Miller's husband lends tools to Pearson, and her kids feed the judge's cat while he and his wife are away.

They've worked together since 1985, and Miller has proof of the passage of time: a picture of the duo in her office shows Miller with big hair and Pearson with a mustache and buggy, '80s eyeglasses.

"I've worked for a lot of judges in this district, and we're losing one of the finest," Miller said.

The letter of the law

After several decades on the bench, Pearson established a judicial style and reputation.

At times, he was tough - he blasted county prosecutors in the late 1990s after he said they frequently didn't show up to hearings, and he refused to allow the prosecution to reschedule a hearing to contest suppressing evidence.

He also was resourceful. Before the days of tight security and metal detectors at the entrance of the courthouse, Pearson lined the judge's bench with outdated, heavy law books, hopefully thick enough to stop a bullet.

But his most enduring legacy is his commitment to following the letter of the law, colleagues said.

"He really made an effort to understand how he felt about something and divorce that from the legal requirements of the case," District Associate Judge Randal Nigg said.

Contact Courtney Blanchard

at newsroom@wcfcourier.com.