Your Honor, My Mom

By Chrissy Nolan

Your Honor, My Mom is a story about a woman who succeeded against all
odds. It is a story that will move you no matter how old you are or what gender.
Judge Theresa Nolan went back to school after having eleven children. She
had only a high school diploma and one year at a business school. Not only
did she attend college, but she also worked full time as a legal secretary.
When she was ready to be admitted to law school, she was turned down by
the dean of the University of Baltimore. She convinced them to allow her to
attend. She went on to be the fi rst woman master of domestic relations. She
was the fi rst woman president of the bar association. She remained involved
with her children and grandchildren, whom she affectionately refers to as her
clan. You will laugh and you will cry reading her story . . . but most of all . . .
you will be inspired!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 27, 2014
• ISBN: 9781493164332

Chrissy Nolan

Author Chrissy Nolan is affectionately known as “number seven” of Judge Nolan’s children. Chrissy has felt compelled to share her mother’s story her entire life. She has drawn strength from her mother’s example and finished her college education at age fifty. Chrissy is an entrepreneur and a mother of four children and has two grandchildren. Her daughter Colleen McCarthy was the first of Judge Nolan’s offspring to graduate from law school.

Book preview

YOUR HONOR,

MY MOM

Chrissy Nolan

Copyright © 2014 by Chrissy Nolan.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2014900878

ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-4931-6432-5

                Softcover        978-1-4931-6431-8

                eBook             978-1-4931-6433-2

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 11/07/2014

Xlibris

1-888-795-4274

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CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

DEDICATION

I WOULD LIKE TO dedicate this book first and foremost to my mother, The Honorable Judge Theresa Alice Nolan. She has not only been the inspiration of my life, but all of her children and grandchildren. She is a phenomenal woman who I believe was chosen for this mission. I love you Mom; Thanks for everything!

I would also like to dedicate this book to other special people in my life:

My son, Tom. He has been my driving force and my angel. Words cannot describe my appreciation for you, Tom. I never would have achieved any of my goals in life without your love and support. You have been there for me—always and always!

My sister, Micki. She loves me more than I deserve. This book would not have been published without her love and concern for me; not to mention all of her financial support. I will never be able to repay my big sister for all of her encouragement and help to me throughout my entire life.

My brother, Bernie. My rock, my sound mind in the insanity of life, my father, my brother, my friend. We share a bond with this story that no one else on earth will ever understand besides the two of us. I love you brother!

My Sister, Terry. Words cannot describe what you have done for me emotionally and spiritually when our mother was too busy. You taught me how to pass it down to the younger kids. Your mother can’t be here, but you have me to help you. I love you Sista.

Another angel in my life is John Brennan. My dear friend and business associate. Every time I hit the skids in my journey, you show up like an angel to carry me out of the ditch. I never could have survived in my life without your love and compassion. In addition, I have never met another human being with your spiritual conviction, morals, values, and integrity. You are a blessing in my life!

My special angel, Anthony Purcell. My nephew who became paralyzed in an instant. Anthony, your courage and determination have inspired me more than anything else in life. Your love and compassion for other people and your hard work and perseverance, I believe, was the final inspiration for me to publish this book. You are my hero! I love you man.

Last, but not least, all of my other siblings, and of course my other children. I have been blessed.

Proceeds from this book will go to my angel’s charities:

Michael Davis Foundation—Terry and Barry Davis

Walking With Anthony Foundation—Micki and Anthony Purcell

Help For the Hungry and Homeless—John Brennan

People helping people is what life is all about.

1. MDF. Michael Davis Foundation is a charity that gives football scholarships to high school football players from Thomas Stone High School where Michael was the youngest head football coach in state of Maryland. After his death, Thomas Stone Highschool renovated the football stadium and named it after Michael Davis. Scholarships go to athletes that exemplify the spirit of Mike Davis. In addition, Mike Davis was a Special Education Teacher and his foundation gives scholarships to the physically and mentally challenged children who exemplify Mike Davis with their courage. As is noted in this book, Mike was Judge Nolan’s first grandchild born of her second child who was her first born (her first child was adopted) Theresa (Terry) Nolan Davis, and his death was a devastating challenge to Judge Nolan’s life. If you would like to contribute to this charity, please send donations to Theresa Nolan Davis, 4640 Duley Drive, White Plains, MD 20695.

2. WWA. Walking With Anthony Foundation sponsors people with Spinal Cord Injuries who cannot afford the state of the art rehabilitation that they need to be able to recover and walk again. WWA also gives money for the advancement of spinal cord injury research that was started by Christopher Reeves. Anthony Purcell is Judge Nolan’s grandson born of her second born child, Mary Ellen (Micki) Nolan Purcell and his injury was also a devastating challenge to the life of Judge Nolan. If you would like to contribute to this charity, Please visit Walkingwithanthony.org

3. Help for the Hungry and Homeless is a charity that was founded by John Brennan, President of Brennan Title Company. Every transaction of Brennan Title Company gives money to this charity. John Brennan has built homes for many severely poor families in Boznia. In addition, he has built roads and provided food for these people. If you would like to contribute to this charity, please send donations to, Help for the Hungry and Homeless, 3261 Old Washington Road, Suite 3040, Waldorf, MD 20602.

INTRODUCTION

N EVER LOSE SIGHT of your goals. You can do anything or be anything you set your mind to. I heard these words over and over throughout my life-only second to the words, Don’t worry, the Lord will provide.

My mother, Judge Theresa A. Nolan, was a person who never gave advice that she wasn’t willing to follow herself. She did accomplish everything that she put her mind to, and the Lord did provide her with an abundant life, both spiritually and materially.

There were many factors behind the driving force of my mother’s success, but I truly believe that the suppression of women was the strongest. The theme of women’s rights ran throughout her career, seemingly unconscious to her. Her mother, Mary Hagan, was a very talented and motivated woman. Mary was never given the opportunity to pursue a career because her husband and the social standards of her time were still male dominated. She was an opera singer and a concert pianist with many offers to make records and appearances. She was also one of the first women to work for the Navy in World War I. The only outlet her husband permitted her away from her children was church.

Because of my grandmother’s suppression, she whispered into my mother’s ears throughout her life, Theresa, you are going to the heights! Don’t ever let anyone stop you. She was the silent motivator behind the scenes of Mom’s success. She was an honored guest at the swearing in ceremony for Mom’s District Court Judgeship, and I cried when I saw the look of pride on her face that day.

I believe that God had a plan for my mom that was encouraged through the prayers of her mother and her mother’s mother. My mother was a trailblazer for the women’s movement. When I tell her this, she laughs because she says that she never even realized that she was a huge player in the movement until after the fact. She says that it was a personal quest motivated by the attitudes of her father, her husband, and her male bosses. She resented being treated as a second-class citizen. She never participated in the burning bra ceremonies, or protests, but she says that she woke up one day and realized that her personal journey was in the midst of a huge movement for the liberation of women.

Since I was a teenager, I have felt compelled to write a book about my mother. I was originally fascinated with the fact that she lived through the Depression and was a devout Catholic who raised eleven children. I must confess that I never imagined that when I finally became serious about publishing this book, she had realized every dream she ever had.

I can only hope that through this book many women will be touched by this one woman’s life, especially my daughters, granddaughters, and great-granddaughters. My mother, Judge Nolan, is such a unique human being. I will probably only be able to show a glimpse of the beauty of her inner self.

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Judge Nolan with her eleven children

Pat, Terri, Micki, Joanne, Fran, Bernie,

Chrissy, Tom, Barbara, Billy and Katy

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Judge Nolan with her four sons Pat, Bernie, Tom, and Billy

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Judge Nolan with grandson Tom McCarthy

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Judge Nolan with her seven daughters,

Terri, Micki, Joanne, Fran, Chrissy, Barbara and Katy

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Judge Nolan with her namesake grandaughter,

Theresa Nolan Breslin

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July 4th Family Reunion newspaper article, Ocean City, MD

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July 4th Family Reunion annual Battle of the Ages tournament.

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Judge Nolan with grandson, Anthony Purcell

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Judge Nolan with her children and her namesake granddaughter, Theresa Nolan, bride and William Breslin, groom.

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Judge Nolan with her seven daughters

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Judge Nolan with husband Walter Planet

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Judge Nolan with husband, Tom Dugan

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Judge Nolan’s grandchildren at family reunion

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Judge Nolan with Judge Lewis (Patty)

Judge Theresa A. Nolan is a true example of what it means to be a woman living in America. She has the roots of her original immigrant grandparents. She suffered through the Great Depression growing up. She is the mother of eleven children from the baby boom generation of the ’50s and ’60s. And in her own quiet way, she has paved a smooth road for the women of the present and future. Through all of her hardships in life, Mom has maintained her strength of character, but more importantly, the strength of her convictions.

Every single goal that my mother has ever set, she has achieved. She is 100 percent devoted to every commitment in her life. As the mother of eleven children—ten children in twelve years—her large family is the most important and the most difficult responsibility in her life. I would have to say that after having four children of my own, I am overwhelmed by her as a mother. Just the fact alone that she carried ten babies for nine months—one was adopted—and went through labor and childbirth ten times—amazes me. After the birth of my first child, Colleen, my respect and admiration for my mom grew extremely. After four, I can just begin to see a glimpse of what she went through. I could never fully understand because the modern conveniences of the ’80s, when I gave birth, were much greater than those of the ’50s.

One of the things my mom has repeated to me that she heard