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Judge W. Allen Schmitt is a commanding figure who doesn’t need a gavel to summon attention. His gentlemanly demeanor, precise speech and enthusiasm for the law make him a model for his profession.

Even at age 100.

Schmitt, who was an attorney and a civil court judge for eight years in his native Louisville, Ky., celebrated the century mark Aug. 29 with an ice cream and cake party at his church, Muirs Chapel United Methodist in Greensboro.

After that, his family and special guests had an evening meal at the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro.

The evening before his birthday, guests from Georgia, California, Florida and Kentucky, as well as local guests, joined Schmitt for a cookout.

This judge gets around — and without a cane or wheelchair.
He was still practicing law from the basement office of his Jamestown home until Jan. 1 . “I decided at my age that I should quit practicing law. You have to keep up with changes (in the law), and I don’t do that much anymore,” Schmitt said.

Soon after his 88th birthday, he qualified for his North Carolina law license on Oct. 31, 1997, after moving here to live with his daughter and her husband, Selene and Phil Kaelin.

Schmitt has a well-equipped office but said he doesn’t have to have as many law books as he did in Louisville. His “wonderful” computer provides much of the research he once needed to look up case law, he said.

During his years in Jamestown, Schmitt has practiced law and also has taught pro bono classes on Saturday mornings at his church, explaining people’s rights under the law. He also established clientele helping with wills, estate work, procedure for trustees for children and even a wrongful death case – all for modest fees.
“My father has always had a love for the law,” Selene Kaelin said.

He studied at the University of Louisville Law School and passed the state bar exam. A law degree wasn’t necessary when he joined his father M. Joseph Schmitt’s law firm in 1936, he said.
“The main reason I love (practicing) the law is that it is a way of helping somebody. That’s what it’s all about,” he said.

Schmitt’s career was spent in civil law, mostly as an attorney. He became a judge on Jan. 1, 1962, and left office eight years later because “I lost the election.” He is a former president of the Kentucky Bar Association.

Among his fondest memories is the time that he and Ralph Dudgeon — normally competitors — teamed to win the National Public Parks Tennis doubles championship in 1956.

In legal circles, Schmitt probably is best known as the author of a law book, “Kentucky Probate,” first published in 1980 and now in its second edition. Schmitt constantly updates the loose-leaf book. The second edition published in 2001 is co-authored by his friend and fellow attorney Glen Bagby of Louisville.

His wife of nearly 62 years, the former Dorothy S. Turner, died in February 1998, leading to Schmitt’s decision to move to Jamestown.
Besides their prominence in practicing law, the Schmitt family also was heavily involved in another pleasure common to Kentuckians — raising racehorses.

“My father owned a horse farm, and there we tried to raise winners, which is difficult to do. My brother Sherman managed the farm, and he and I kept it going after Dad died in 1962. It was costing a lot of money to keep it going, and we closed it down in 1979,” he said.

Schmitt said he has other pleasures in life, like watching movies on TV — even some of those trials on TV are rather interesting, he said.
Schmitt looks almost fit enough for a strong game of tennis, singles or doubles. The former national tennis champ would love to give that a try. If only that hip would cooperate, he might be found on the court today. He had a hip replacement in 1979 and six years later had the same hip replaced again, he said.

“That’s why I had to give up tennis. I think playing tennis had something to do with my longevity, and has had something to do with my good health,” Schmitt said.

With his heydays in tennis and in court behind him, one of Schmitt’s biggest pleasures is laboring on the computer — a place a judge can constantly make new discoveries. He likes keeping up with news, current events and sports. “I’m self-taught on the computer,” he said. “I use the system of trial and error.”

Contact Bob Burchette at bburchette@triad.rr.com