RETIRED NH SUPERIOR COURT judge and former assistant attorney general Arthur E. Bean, Jr. was honored by the Manchester Bar Association with its Lifetime Achievement Award at a special award dinner on April 16 at the Bedford Village Inn.

Manchester Bar President William S. Hewitt, Jr. and Manchester attorney David L. Nixon presented Bean with a plaque and mock Distinguished Flying Cross (to go with the two real Distinguished Flying Crosses he received during World War II) for his service to the country, the state and the Manchester Bar.

Bean, 83, grew up in Concord and graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 1940. He then enlisted as a flying cadet in the Air Force and became 2nd lieutenant. He was sent to England during World War II and flew as an acting command pilot of a B-17 bomber, leading most of the missions in which he flew. He left the service in 1946, having earned two Distinguished Flying Crosses, four Air Medals and other honors for his military service.

Bean earned a law degree from Boston University Law School in 1951 and was admitted to the NH Bar the same year. He landed his first job in the law profession as a legal assistant for NH Attorney General Gordon Tiffany. Two years later, he was promoted to assistant attorney general, where he served from 1951 to 1957.

In 1957, Bean opened a law office in Manchester with then-Attorney General Louis Wyman. He practiced law there for 20 years until, in 1977, he was appointed a NH Superior Court judge by Gov. Meldrim Thompson. He rode the circuit, but sat mainly in the superior courts of Hillsborough, Merrimack and Rockingham counties.

During his career, Bean was also selected by Gov. Walter Peterson as chair of the state's Personnel Commission and by Gov. Thompson as a member and later chair of the Eminent Domain Commission.

Bean retired from the bench in 1987, about a year before the mandatory retirement age of 70. He then became a judicial referee for the court system. In 1990, he began doing private mediation and arbitration work and has worked on over 700 cases as a private mediator/arbitrator.

In presenting Bean with the Manchester Bar's Lifetime Achievement Award, Nixon cited Bean's distinguished service to his country and to the state's judicial system. He described Bean as "as decent and fine a lawyer, judge and gentleman as walks the earth" and a "unique and generous person."

Nixon also read a letter from Supreme Court Chief Justice David A. Brock, who couldn't attend the award dinner, in which Brock called Bean a "mentor, role model and friend."

Upon accepting the award, Bean praised his fellow NH attorneys for their skill and professionalism. "I can't tell you how much admiration I have for the attorneys in this state. We are so lucky to have good lawyers and judges," he said.

Since 1984, the Manchester Bar has annually honored one of its members as "Lawyer of the Year." The award has been given to celebrate and recognize the valuable contributions that a member of the Manchester Bar has made to the profession and to the community. Since prior recipients have largely been recognized for their career accomplishments, the Bar's Executive Committee decided a few years ago to rededicate its annual honor as a Lifetime Achievement Award. Award winners from the past three years were attorney Joseph Millimet, Judge Norman Stahl and attorney Dort Bigg.

Also at the award dinner, Hewitt presented a plaque with the names of all Manchester Bar Association Lawyer of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Award winners to Hillsborough County Superior Court - North Clerk John M. Safford to hang in the Superior Courthouse in Manchester.

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