HUMANITARIAN

Advocate For The Mentally Ill and Persons of Addition

During his years in office Judge Dean won state and national recognition for his work in improving the lot of the mentally incompetent. Almost from his first day in office, Judge Dean had attacked the laws covering the mentally ill as "barbaric". He pointed out that they were treated like "common criminals". He advocated at the State level for receiving hospitals where the mentally ill could be treated as such persons - and not jailed for the "crime" of becoming mentally unbalanced.

In the late 1930’s Dean lead an effort among State of Ohio’s probate judges to enact a Mental Health Bill under the administration of Governor Martin L. Davey (governor 1935 to 1940).

It was largely through his efforts that a receiving hospital was opened in Cuyahoga Falls. (This facility was closed in the 1980's as a result of the Reagan Administration's closing of mental facilities.) In 2012 this facility was purchased by the long-established Edwin Shaw Rehabilitation organization, now Summa Hospital. (See photo above.)

Judge Dean also protested the practice of jailing alcoholics whom he regarded as "ill persons" as well. Through the probate court system, alcoholics were sentenced to the infamous "work house". Dean’s initial solution was to devise an alternate sentence. In that time our society was still predominately rural. Lacking a program for treatment and cure for incarcerated alcoholics, his bailiff was instructed to research family ties outside of the Akron urban area. If the family was agreeable to accept the "offender" back home, he would be offered an alternate sentence. The alternative was to leave the city and live under the care and attention of the family. If accepted (s)he would be required to check in with the bailiff on a weekly basis with a report of progress from the attending family. Learning of Judge Dean's program, Sister Ignatia Gavin, CSA of Akron's St. Thomas Hospital called upon him for assistance in 1935. This was the year Alcoholics Anonymous was formed in Akron. Her request: Offer the AA 12-step program to the alcoholic "offender" as an alternative plan. This worked so well that Judge Dean replaced the rural rehab program with the AA program. (footnote 13) At Judge Dean's urging, fellow Probate Judge and close friend, Judge Woodside of Mahoning County, incorporated this program in his court.

In working for reform of the laws on the insane and alcoholics, Judge May achieved such prominence that in June 1948 he was elected president of the Ohio Probate Judges Association.

Less known but just as important in its field was Judge Dean's work in connection with the development of Metropolitan parks in the district. He appointed the Metropolitan Park Board members choosing people with a keen interest in recreational developments.

Notes:

13. Personal Note: Dean believed so strongly in this program that he implemented it at his farm/ residence in Hudson Township. Bill Gallagher, as so many others did, came to Akron from West Virginia following WWII to work in the rubber industry. Also like so many other lonely "transplants", Bill became dependent upon alcohol. As a result he was in and out of the Work House on Cuyahoga Street in Akron. As a ward of the Probate Court in 1948 Dad offered, and Bill accepted, the alternate AA plan. Dean provided him residence and pay to work on his farm.

Joe: "Bill was an interesting study for this 10-year old as I got an earful of stories and experiences, some rather salty!"