1993 Volume 116 No 1–4 - Phi Delta Theta Scroll Archive

Alumni Notes
Lee Faike, county
prosecutor, retires
after 28 years
After 28 years of being
Montgomery County
Prosecutor, Lee Falke,
Ohio State '52, is retiring.
The Dayton, Ohio, native
leaves behind a legacy that
will be difficult to match.
Having won seven
consecutive elections, Falke
was the pride of the
Democratic Party in
Montgomery County, but
his retirement is sad news
for both sides of the
partisan fence. As county
prosecutor, Falke had a
reputation for ignoring
party lines, even hiring
Republican attorneys in his
office.
"\ always hired the best
attorneys available. It's
always been my philosophy
that our job was first to
serve the people and sernnd
RETIRING WITH HONORS. Lee Falke
(left) receives recognition from
Dayton mayor. Clay Dixon.
to be involved in pohtics,"
he says. It's the kind of
response the people have
come to expect from the
quiet, modest prosecutor. It
is a rare approach that is
unique in this era of mudslinging
partisanship.
Perhaps this is the reason
voters often changed party
affiliation just to vote for
Falke.
Falke became a pubhc
servant when politics still
had an untarnished sense of
respectability. The 62-yearold
Democrat first started
as an assistant prosecutor
sfraight out of Ohio State
University's law school. He
was an athlete at the
University of Dayton, and
he turned down a Class-A
confract with the Chicago
Cubs to finish college. He
pledged Phi Delta Theta as
a law student at Ohio State.
The Fratemity offered him
support, encouragement,
and a social life, things
important even for an
upperclassman, he says.
"I was not a fraditional
pledge like most Greeks. I
pledged at a much older
age, but I enjoyed my time
at the chapter," says Falke.
Perhaps his most
dramatic case was the
kidnapping-murder of
Dayton businessman, Lester
C. Emoff in 1975. The crime
caused so much pubUcity
that the trial had to be
moved out of town.
Just as important to
Falke though, is the civil
case he brought against
Dayton Power & Light for
raising utihty rates on
residents to pay for
unnecessary modifications
Class of '51 Lafayette Phis hold reunion
Seven members of Pennsylvania Alpha's class of 1951 held
a reunion at New Jersey Beaches in August. Tom Sparta,
Bud Ruddle, Bill Cleckner, Andy Reed, Jack Guthrie, Fred
Roberts, and George Coffin gathered together to
reminisce.
of a DP&L coal generator.
He prides himself on using
the prosecutor's office more
for serving the public good
than for getting headlines.
Falke has a true belief in
the democratic process and
a dedication to public
service that seems out of
place in the present political
climate. His hero is John F.
Kermedy, who he says
"inspired more people to
enter public service than
anyone has since."
Falke is concerned about
what he sees as a decline in
interest in public service
among the younger
generation. Although he
admits that the abuses of
politicians in the past three
decades have disillusioned
the public, he still sees
public service as a noble
profession. For the past 28
years, FaUce has also seen it
as his duty.
It is no surprise that on
September 23 hundreds of
Dayton citizens attended a
ceremonial dinner to
formally bid farewell to
Brother Falke. Foiir
hundred city and state
officials, local civic leaders,
residents, and friends
attended a fribute held in
his honor. Walter Rice, the
federal Disfrict Court Judge
who had worked as Falke's
assistant, was the master of
ceremonies. Dayton Mayor
Clay Dixon; Ohio State
senator, Neal Zimmers; Jim
Brogan, judge Ohio Court
of Appeals, and other top
Dayton officials, many of
them indebted to Falke,
attended to pay tribute to a
man who played a significant
part in their careers.
Falke received 12 awards
from as varied organizatioi\s
as the Sheriffs Office
and the Public Defender's
Conmussion. Mayor Dixon
pronounced that day "Lee
Falke Day." The Ohio
Senate offered a resolution,
a "Salute to One of Ohio's
Finest Citizens." The
National Orgaruzation for
Victim Assistance gave him
its "Resolution of Honor."
Winter 1993 • The Scroll 11