A native of Alexandria, Margaret French graduated from George Washington High School in 1958. She started working at the Alexandria courthouse as a 17-year-old student — a career that extends to the present. In December 2003, she became the clerk of the General District Court. This summer, she will celebrate her 50-year anniversary working for the city’s court system.
<b>How did you first start working at the courthouse?</b>
After my junior year in high school, I got a summer job at the civil and police court. Then, when I went back to school, I worked every day after school. It was mostly clerical work, typing and filing and things like that. But I loved it. I lived to work my job. I’m not sure why, but I find it incredibly interesting and fulfilling.
<b>When you first started working for the court system in 1957, all of the city courtrooms were located in City Hall. What were those facilities like at that time?</b>
Dumpy. They were very old. Plaster was falling out of the ceiling and there were cracks in the floor. All the desks in the clerk’s office were bumped up next to each other because there was not enough room for people’s desks. It was very crowded.
<b>If it looked so bad in 1957, how did it look in 1980 when the courtrooms at City Hall were abandoned when the new courthouse opened?</b>
When the interior part of the building was completed, the General District Court moved into it. So we were actually working in the newest part of the building after the renovation.
<b>How has the court changed over the years?</b>
In the time I’ve been working for the court, it’s changed its name from the Civil and Police Court, the Municipal Court and then the General District Court.
<b>Have people at the courthouse changed over the years?</b>
No, I don’t think so. People are people. The judges were judges, and they handed down judgements according to what the evidence showed. And that’s what they do today.
<b>How have operations changed over the years?</b>
The biggest difference is that things are now automated, and we can do more with the information that we receive than what we were able to do before. Prior to automation, everything was done manually and we had to repeat data to compile reports. But once we were automated, data needs to be entered only once and it can be used in several different reports. Another big change has to do with the population of the city. We have many more ethnic groups now, and that has increased the need for interpreters.
<b>What kinds of work do you do as clerk? </b>
Mostly, I oversee the administration of the office now. But for years I worked in the courtroom of Judge Robert Colby.
<b>What is your favorite movie?</b>
Probably “The Robe,” which is a biblically based move with Victor Mature. I also like “Love is a Many Splendored Thing” and “Doctor Zhivago.”
<b>What is the best book you’ve read in the last year?</b>
“Sophie's Heart” by Lori Wick. It made me laugh and it made me cry.
<b>What do you consider your achievements?</b>
Staying in one job for all these years.
<b>What are your interests and hobbies?</b>
I’m interested in music, and I enjoy playing the piano — mostly gospel songs and semi-classical music.
<b>What is your favorite local restaurant?</b>
Probably Bittersweet on King Street and Alfred Street. I like their chicken salad sandwiches and their fruit salad.
<b>What is your favorite place in the community?</b>
I enjoy going to the Masonic Temple because I like going up to the top and looking out over the city.
<b>What do you think are the community’s hidden treasures?</b>
It used to be the people because they were native. Now it seems like everybody is an import or a transplant. I think there’s not as much of an interest in Alexandria as there used to be, and that’s because the natives that were here before had so much more interest. And now everybody moves out and other people come in.
<b>What are your personal goals?</b>
I guess I’ve achieved my goal of doing the best I could in a job that I enjoy. In the future I plan to retire and spend time with my husband.