THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 29, 1995 TAG: 9501270752
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Rebecca Myers
LENGTH: Long : 112 lines
While the rest of America might be riveted to the O.J. Simpson trial, you won't find lawyer Ann Gourdine glued to her TV set.
``I'm not following it,'' said Gourdine of the downtown law firm Melvin and Gourdine. ``I live that life, and I normally don't follow the sensational trials . . .
``But I have seen `My Cousin Vinny!' '' she said with a chuckle.
A lawyer for 12 years, Gourdine recently was appointed a substitute judge for Portsmouth Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, but the position will cover all General District Courts in the commonwealth.
``I look at that as a step in the right direction, naturally,'' said Gourdine. ``I like the step because it doesn't nail me down to one position, and I can still do the zillion other things that I enjoy doing during the day.''
Growing up in Truxtun, it was not Gourdine's childhood aspiration to become an attorney.
``I was so painfully shy, it hurt,'' Gourdine said. `` It really did.''
But Gourdine, the youngest of seven, did have a goal. She wanted to be self-employed.
``There are quite a few physicians in the family, and I thought about med school,'' she said, ``but I'd probably still be in remedial classes!''
So the 1969 graduate of Cradock High School dabbled in other endeavors while working toward a degree in philosophy and sociology at Virginia Commonwealth University. She later transferred to and graduated from Howard University.
``I`ve always been a people's technician,'' she said. ``I've worked as a director of a day camp, I've taught modern dance and yoga . . . I can't think of things that I haven't done . . . I've sold ice cream from a truck, and I've sold flowers . . .''
It was her work as a probation officer that inspired Gourdine to become an attorney.
``I was a little tired of being the gatekeeper for the status quo,'' said Gourdine who passed the bar exam prior to graduating from law school at American University in Washington.
``I also wanted a little more control over the things that I was doing as opposed to rubber-stamping processes. And I wanted to be self-employed. So all those led to the profession,'' she said.
Gourdine returned to Portsmouth to live and work in 1982 after being away for 13 years. During that time, she did quite a bit of traveling.
``Europe. Greece. The Caribbean. And I really could not enjoy and appreciate Portsmouth unless I did what I did . . . There's nowhere I'd rather be than where I am now.''
In order to appreciate the smallness of Portsmouth, Gourdine had to experience life in bigger cities long enough to get tired of all the noise, she said. In order to appreciate the ocean here, she had to live in the Midwest.
``There's nothing like the Atlantic Ocean to work its magic on your psyche,'' she said.
Gourdine likes the warmth and familiarity of Portsmouth, she said.
``It's an honest approach to living,'' Gourdine said. ``And in order to know these things, I had to experience other things . . .
``It's hometown.''
Name: Ann A. Gourdine
Neighborhood: Truxtun
Number of years in Portsmouth: Entire life except 13 years when I lived in various places and traveled the globe
Birthplace: Portsmouth
Birthday: Oct. 21
Occupation: Mother, lawyer, hearing officer and substitute judge
What other job than your own would you like? Photojournalist for travel magazines
Marital status: Unmarried
Children: Joy, 17, and Emily, 7
Fondest childhood memory: Home-life and traveling with my parents and six brothers and sisters
First concert: At Sunset Lake Beach with my family when I was about 4 years old.
What song or book title best describes your life? ``I Need Thee Every Hour''
If you won the lottery, what's the very first thing you'd buy? A Caribbean island
If you could trade places for just one day with anyone in the world, who would it be and why? Cleopatra. History has her as a beautiful, intelligent, rich and powerful lady.
Biggest accomplishment: Aside from passing the state bar exam prior to graduation, being sworn in as a substitute judge
Most embarrassing moment: When I first tried to catch a bus in Corfu, Greece
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? Improve my attendance at Fellowship United Church
Perfect way to spend the day: Watching a sunrise oceanside, reading, hiking, eating good meals, gardening alone or with my loved ones
I can't resist: Sharing good humor
Favorite Portsmouth restaurant: Wicker's on Airline Boulevard; Leon is the area's best seafood chef.
Favorite Portsmouth hangout: Walking or running all over the city
Biggest problem facing Portsmouth: The crime rate needs to be lower.
If you had three wishes for Portsmouth, what would they be?
That Downtown would continue its renaissance
That our citizens would develop a pride in our diversity
That the city continue to produce the great people we are known for
Other than its small-town atmosphere, what do you like about living in Portsmouth? Portsmouth is a good place to be home-based. The city services are great. City Hall is sensitive to the needs of the residents. We are close to the ocean, mountains and accessible to any place worldwide. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MARTIN SMITH-RODDEN
KEYWORDS: INTERVIEW PROFILE
by CNB