Bartholomew County is preparing to bestow a new honor for the two longest-serving judges in Bartholomew County history.
A ceremony to unveil the portraits of retired Bartholomew Circuit Court Judge Stephen Heimann and former Superior Court 1 Judge Chris Monroe will be held this month.
The event will be at 1 p.m. April 18 in Bartholomew Superior Court 1, located on the second floor of the Bartholomew County Courthouse. The public is invited to attend.
When Monroe stepped down in Superior Court 1 at the end of 2012, his 23 years on the bench made him the longest-serving judge in Bartholomew County history at the time.
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But four years later, Heimann became the longest-serving judge after presiding for 25 years in Bartholomew Circuit Court before he retired.
Rather than paintings, the portraits of Heimann and Monroe will actually be photographs, said Laurie Wright, who owns her own photography studio and framing shop. After examining the portraits of former judges already hanging in the courthouse, Wright said she and associate Peggy Hanley were first provided a digital image of Monroe.
However, the only photograph of Heimann at their disposal was a 4-inch by 6-inch picture that appeared to have been taken by a professional photographer, Wright said.
After scanning the Heimann picture, Wright and Hanley were able to enlarge the images to a portrait size for each of the former judges, Wright said.
Once they finished their work, the portraits were forwarded to Bob Anderson of Stillframes Photography and Imaging, Wright said.
The studio did some minor changes regarding clothing style and backgrounds, Wright said. But then, she asked Anderson to "work some of his Photoshop magic" to give both portraits a classic and timeless look, Wright said.
"We all thought about the history these two judges represent," Wright said. "We all realized these portraits are going to hang in the courthouse for at least 100 years. We took all of that very seriously."
The goal was to make the new Heimann and Monroe portraits fit right in with the images of former judges already on display in Bartholomew Superior Court 1, she said.
That goal is evident by the choice of frames, as well as the use of a glass that minimizes light reflection, Wright said.
While there are a number of portraits of former judges already hanging, Wright said most are actually photographs processed to resemble paintings.
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What: Ceremony to unveil portraits of retired Bartholomew Circuit Court Judge Stephen Heimann and former Superior Court 1 Judge Chris Monroe
When: 1 p.m. April 18
Where: Bartholomew Superior Court 1, located on the second floor of the Bartholomew County Courthouse.
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