EACH YEAR, THE Bar recognizes those members who have reached the milestone of 50 years in the practice of law. This year, 23 members achieved honorary status and were officially honored at June's Annual Meeting. Bar News is continuing its series of brief sketches of this year's honorary members. More profiles will appear in subsequent issues.

Forty years after being admitted to practice law in Maine and after a 30-year career in banking, Robert J. Waldron decided to return to the practice of law and passed the NH Bar exam in 1993, at the age of 65. Today, the 75-year-old honorary Bar member remains on active status, operating the Waldron Law Office in Wolfeboro Falls.

Waldron was born and raised in Augusta, Maine, and later moved to Rochester, New Hampshire. He graduated from Rochester High School, Bowdoin College and Harvard Law School (with honors), and served for a year as a first lieutenant judge advocate in the U.S. Air Force.

Waldron decided to follow in his grandfather's footsteps and become a lawyer "because I always thought it would be a good profession," he said. He was admitted to the Maine Bar in 1952, and went to work in the banking industry. His banking career spanned 30 years, and one of his career highlights was starting a Trust Department in his bank, and making it profitable, at a time when successful Trust Departments were unheard of.

Waldron, who has just stepped down as president of the Wolfeboro Rotary Club, continues to practice "enough for it to be worthwhile, but not too much that I don't have to time to do other things." Those 'other things' include spending time with his wife of 45 years and their four children.

He said he is proud to have reached the milestone of becoming a 50-year Bar member. "I never thought I'd get there," he said.

Richard R. Fernald said his 50 years in the practice of law "went by fast."

Fernald, who continues to practice full-time with his son - former gubernatorial candidate Mark Fernald - at the firm of Fernald, Taft, Falby & Little, Peterborough, became a lawyer "because I didn't know what else to do."

"My father was a lawyer and I became interested in becoming one myself," he said.

Born and raised in West Newton, Mass., Fernald graduated from Amherst College and Harvard Law, graduating in 1953, at which time he was admitted to the Mass. Bar. He was drafted into the Navy and served in the Korean War from September 1953 to June 1957. During his military service, he taught in the Naval Justice Corps and was a candidate to become a Navy officer.

Upon completion of his military service, Fernald was admitted to the NH Bar. He said he learned about NH practice from role models like Kenneth Brighton, Stanley Brown, Arthur Nighswander and Joseph Millimet.

Fernald was involved with the successful effort to unify the NH Bar Association and served on the NHBA Board of Governors for nine years, five of them as treasurer.

His career highlights include trying a double indemnity case with Stanley Brown and, while in practice with Ken Brighton, developing the zoning ordinance for the town of Peterborough.

Fernald and his wife of nearly 49 years, Judith, have four sons.

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