Berks Barrister Winter 2018 - 20

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Referee to
Judge to
President Judge
By Donald F. Smith, Jr., Esquire

T

Judge Parisi showing his Villanova pride at the 2016 Holiday Reception

Congratulations
Judge Thomas G. Parisi
ROG ORTHODONTICS
Robert E. Doleva, DMD
Natalie M. Parisi, DDS
Dennis J. Mauro, DMD
1268 Penn Avenue
Wyomissing, PA 19610
Phone: 610-374-4097

20 | Berks Barrister

homas G. Parisi, a longtime water polo referee, ascended
to the bench in January 2002 as a Judge with the Berks
County Court of Common Pleas. Now, sixteen years
later, he has become its President Judge.
He does not foresee any major changes. "I hope to keep
things running as smoothly as they have been in the past." He
would like to make advances with technology. "I want to see,
within the next two years, at least one courtroom move into the
21st century and be technology friendly."
The new President Judge does not anticipate any changes in
judicial assignments. Judge Nevius is to be assigned the cases that
were previously being handled by Judges Peter Schmehl, Grim
and Koestel.
When asked what he enjoys about life on the Bench, Judge
Parisi said, "The intricacies of the law and when attorneys make
legal arguments based upon a creative interpretation of the law
instead of just saying, 'This is what we want.'" He does admit,
however, that the position can be a solitary one at times. That is
in sharp contrast to the time he spent as a young lad.
He was one of nine Parisi children. Dinner time was quite a
confab. The family dined together at a large round table with an
enormous lazy susan in the center. Around the table were two
regular chairs for the parents and three semi-round benches for
the children.
Once grace was said, the lazy susan would start spinning, and
one had to be alert not to miss taking their portion. Among the
eleven, multiple conversations would be going on at the same
time. Quite different from having lunch alone in chambers.
Growing up also meant spending summers at the Wyomissing
Pool. "I was a pool rat." When he was 14 years old, he and his
pool friends formed a water polo team and taught themselves the
sport from a book. Thus began a true love affair.
His school, Holy Name at the time, did not have a water
polo team but he and his friends played in a summer league.
Following high school graduation, Tom followed his father
and older brother to Villanova University. There he excelled at
water polo, captaining the team in his junior and senior years
and being its top scorer his final season. In each of his first three
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Berks Barrister Winter 2018

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