ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, December 12, 1996 TAG: 9612120065
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG
SOURCE: LISA K. GARCIA STAFF WRITER
THE FORMER longtime county prosecutor is closing out a legal career that once thrust him into the spotlight as the victim of a horrific bombing.
J. Patrick Graybeal, Montgomery County commonwealth's attorney for 25 years before becoming a Juvenile and Domestic Relations judge, will retire in the spring.
Graybeal, who turns 65 in March, will quit effective April 30 after more than six years on the bench. He plans to spend more time with his family and travel the country visiting places he lived during his service in the Navy.
"I've been at it for about 32 years," Graybeal said of his career in the 27th Judicial District.
He will miss his work in the district's courtrooms and wishes he could "do it all over again," he said.
His work as a prosecutor made him the target of a revenge bombing that cost him both his hands in 1974. The man convicted of setting the booby-trapped potato chip can that exploded outside Graybeal's home was a murderer he had prosecuted in 1968.
Graybeal was appointed to the bench in June 1989 after Judge Jacque Pierce died of a heart attack. He was reappointed to another six-year term last year.
He chose this time to retire so that local bar associations would have ample time to decide who to endorse as his replacement before the state legislature adjourns in March. The bar associations forward the nominee's name to the General Assembly, which then interviews the candidate and votes on the appointment.
Looking back on his work as a judge, Graybeal said, "I like to think we provided a great deal of guidance ..." to families. He also noted the creation of two "alternative" schools as accomplishments of the court in the last three years. The schools offer troubled young people who do not want to attend the public schools an opportunity to finish their schooling in another setting.
"I'm very happy to get them back into education," he said. "One of the things we tried to do was get education back as a major priority."
Graybeal said the court has been working toward creating a family court system that would include divorces and adoptions in the same system. Currently those cases are handled in circuit court. Funding for the family court is the major holdup, Graybeal said, but he would like to see the concept pursued after he retires.
Phil Keith, Montgomery County Commonwealth's attorney, said he knows of four attorneys who are interested in pursuing the judge's seat when he retires, including his own assistant of 51/2 years, Peggy Frank. The other potential candidates are Robert Viar Jr., a Christiansburg lawyer who often represents social services; Harriet Dorsey, a Blacksburg lawyer, and Pulaski Public Defender Victoria Robison. Both Dorsey and Viar serve as substitute judges in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, according to Graybeal.
LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Graybealby CNB