NORWICH – The Chenango County Bar Association invites the community to celebrate America’s 53rd National Law Day at the Chenango County Courthouse at 9 a.m. Friday. The featured program this year will be the presentation of the 2010 Liberty Bell Award to Leland G. “Gary” Brookins.
Other honorees will include the Afton Central Schools mock trial team, winners of this year’s Chenango County Mock Trial tournament. The 2010 recipients of the annual Chenango County Bar Association scholarships will also be named.
Law Day was established by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1958 as “a day of national dedication to the principle of government under law.” Commemorated annually since that date, Law Day programs are conducted throughout the country by bar associations, courts, schools, and civic groups.
The Liberty Bell Award recognizes distinguished contributions to our community by non-lawyers who have fostered public understanding of the importance of law in our community. This year the Bar Association recognizes Brookins, a native son, for his many contributions.
The son of William Brookins and Gladys Prindle Brookins, Gary was born in Norwich, New York in 1949. Gary is not the first in his family to make a significant impact on Chenango County. His paternal grandfather and namesake, Leland Brookins, was Sheriff of Chenango County. His maternal grandfather owned and operated Prindle’s Comer Cigar Store on the current site of Garfs Deli. His great-uncle Louis Brookins was Norwich Fire Chief. Another great uncle, Horace Prindle, was Chenango County Judge for 14 years and an esteemed member of the Chenango County Bar association for 40 years.
As a boy, Gary was active in the Boy Scouts of America, attaining the Scout’s highest rank, Eagle Scout. In 1967, Gary graduated from Norwich High School. In 1974, he received a Bachelor of Science in Education Degree from the State University of New York at New Paltz. In 1978, Gary completed a Master of Science in Education Degree at SUNY Oneonta. In 1988, he received a Certificate of Advanced Study in Administration from the State University of New York at Cortland.
Gary was married to his wife, Patsy, on April 17, 1971 in Norwich.
Gary graduated from New York State Police Officer Training Academy and has been both a Chenango County Deputy Sheriff and a Police Officer dutifully protecting the citizens of each jurisdiction. He served in these capacities with distinction.
As Norwich Town Justice from 1974 until 1988, Gary earned the thanks of his community and the respect of attorneys.
He was an outstanding teacher at Stanford J. Gibson Elementary School from 1974 to 1988, where he was well-liked by students and teachers. He was named the Norwich City Schools’ Teacher of the Year 1981 and earned the PTA’s Founder’s Day Award in 1986.
In 1988, Brookins became principal of Gibson School, a position he kept until 1994 when he became the principal of Lake Wylie Elementary School in Charlotte, North Carolina. Brookins returned to New York State in 1997 to become the principal of Kelly Elementary School in Newark, New York. In 2000, his heart prevailed and he returned home to become the principal of Norwich’s Perry Browne School until his retirement a few years ago.
Gary currently works for Chenango County Area Agency on Aging where he goes above and beyond to find solutions for the special needs of seniors in our county.
Brookins has been a vestry member and warden of Norwich’s Emmanuel Episcopal Church and serves on the Smith Foundation. He has maintained his lifelong commitment to the Boy Scouts of America by sitting on the Eagle Scout Board of Review.
For a lifetime of commitment to America’s children and to citizens of all ages in Chenango County, the Chenango County Bar Association is honored to present Gary Brookins with this 2010 Liberty Bell Award for outstanding contribution to citizenship.