Court clerk regarded as ‘problem solver’ retires after 37 years

CEDAR RAPIDS - Sylvia Dawson came to work in the Linn County Clerk of the Court's office after graduating high school in 1980 and stayed for 37 years.

'I got the job here, moved into an apartment and started working the following week,” Dawson said. 'I grew up on a farm in Toddville. I didn't have a car. My mom drove me to the interview. I stayed because I loved it.”

Dawson, 55, of Cedar Rapids, who took early retirement last month, is going to be missed by co-workers, lawyers and judges, who relied on her ability to know the criminal filing process inside and out, as well as her smile, compassion, work ethic and friendship, they said.

'She was always my go-to person when I had a problem,” 6th Judicial District Senior Judge Thomas Koehler said. 'She is the best problem solver and always reaches out to help. It will be hard to replace her.”

Harold Denton, former Linn County Attorney, agreed, saying it will be difficult to replace Dawson's institutional knowledge. He recalled Dawson was always good about bringing any problems with documents or files to the attention of a judge or prosecutor.

'She's very sharp regarding the details on records and deferred judgments and how certain orders may affect a client,” said Mark Brown, a Cedar Rapids defense lawyer who has known Dawson for 26 years.

Mike Lahammer, a Cedar Rapids defense lawyer, pointed out Dawson was 'always accessible and extraordinarily patient with pro se litigants and attorneys. The clerk's office will not be the same without her.”

Senior Judge Nancy Baumgartner met Dawson in 1983. when the judge was a public defender.

'She has taught me so much and helped me so much - both as an attorney and judge,” Baumgartner said. 'She is a stellar employee, and also a mother of three great kids who were outstanding athletes and students at Washington High.”

Lori Schoon, case specialist in court administration, said what always impressed her was that Dawson never treated anyone differently, no matter if someone was a judge or a defendant. She treated all with respect and her willingness to do more 'warmed even the hardest hearts.”

Connie Tronsky, case specialist in court administration, agreed, saying Dawson always does 'what's right and best for the job. She wanted it done right.”

Joyce Hite, a clerk who sat next to Dawson, said she is going to miss hearing Dawson's exclamation, 'Sweet Georgia Brown we're cooking with bacon,” when some problem was solved.

'Most of the time, she was really all business,” Hite said. 'She is the most professional and hardest working woman I've ever worked with.”

Dawson, who was honored at a reception last week, said she is going to miss her friendships with co-workers and others at the courthouse. She said she longed for the old days of the paper system, before everything was filed electronically, because she got to interact with more people.

Dawson is relocating to the Kansas City area, where her fiancé lives.

l Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com