SAM BELL

BELL--Sam, U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Ohio, Inactive Status, died December 23, 2010, in Akron, Ohio. The only child of Marie Williams Bell and Samuel H. Bell was born in Rochester, NY, on a snowy New Year's Eve in 1925. A short time later the family moved to Akron, Ohio. Intelligent and evenhanded in his approach, Judge Bell treated those with whom he dealt with fairness and respect. And he listened, intently. Watching his mind work was like watching the twinkling facets of a turning crystal. His wit, his love of sports and Notre Dame, and his capacity for understanding humanity enhanced his intellectualism. He served on every level of the judiciary except the U.S. Supreme Court. When sitting as a trial judge, he always stood up when the jury entered his courtroom; not the reverse. "A gift" was the way he described his time as a federal judge. Though he took senior status to preserve a temporary judgeship for Akron and inactive status in 1998, the law continued to live for him. He team-taught with his wife, a lawyer and legal writing teacher, and others, a pre-law seminar at The College of Wooster, culminating in the Bell Lectureship in Law at The College of Wooster. He helped to found the Scanlon Inn of Court. Considered a Constitutionalist, he was an avid reader of history and visited many Civil War battlefields to study the logistics involved. Time spent outdoors with his wife Jennie, whether flyfishing, bicycling or walking local trails was relished by both. Preceded in death by his parents and his first wife, Joyce Shaw Bell, the mother of his sons, he is survived by his wife Jennie McCall Bell of Silver Lake, Ohio; sons Henry W. and wife and Steven D.; six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He shall be greatly missed by the Steven H. Mault family of Portsmouth, Ohio. Services have been held. Memorials may be made to the Bell Lectureship at the College of Wooster or to the Humane Society of Greater Akron, Ohio, or of your choice. His Quiet Strength was Magnificent. May God bless Sam Bell in Heaven as his presence blessed so many of us on Earth.