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was re-elected to additional ten-year
terms in 1991 and 2001. He served on
the Superior Court for over 30 years from
Chambers that the Court maintained for
him in our County Courthouse, five years
as President Judge and ten additional
years as President Judge Emeritus. In
2001, he was honored in a ceremony in
which his portrait was presented to the
Superior Court and the Court's Stephen J.
McEwen, Jr. Conference Center, located
in the Court's Administrative Offices
in Philadelphia, was dedicated. His
appreciation of history and respect for
tradition was evident when, in 2004, he
arranged for the Superior Court to hold an
en banc session in Independence Hall. It
was the first time in over 130 years that a
non-ceremonial session of the Court was
held there.
While serving on the Superior Court,
Judge McEwen achieved an LL.M. at
the University of Virginia School of
Law in a Masters of Law program for
Jurists. At various times, Judge McEwen
also served on the Pennsylvania Judicial
Inquiry and Review Board, as well as
on the Pennsylvania Court of Judicial
Discipline as President Judge. Following
his retirement from the Superior Court in
2012, Judge McEwen handled hundreds
of cases as the Court Conciliator for
the Civil Division of the Delaware
County Court of Common Pleas until his
retirement in early 2018.
Judge McEwen was also involved
in legal affairs internationally. With
the approval of the U.S. Dept. of State,
commencing in 2005, Judge McEwen
served as Honorary Consul to the
Republic of Bulgaria. In that role, he
conferred with the Foreign Minister and
Deputy Ministers of various Republic of
Bulgaria Cabinet Agencies. He lectured
in Bulgaria on several occasions on
topics ranging from judicial ethics to
international development.
In addition to his work on the
judiciary, Judge McEwen taught and/
or lectured at several associations and
institutions, as well as at: Temple, Tulane,
Widener and Villanova Universities'
Schools of Law; Bucknell, DeSales, and

St. Joseph's Universities; and, Franklin
& Marshall and Bryn Mawr Colleges. He
was a frequent author of legal articles and
treatises.
Judge McEwen was also much
acclaimed during the last several decades.
The following are just a few examples
which include: Distinguished Service
Awards from several Bar Associations,
Universities and Civic and Fraternal
Organizations. Most recently, he was
inducted into the Hall of Fame of the
Council of Chief Judges of the State
Courts of Appeal, one of only 11 Judges
so honored in that Organization's 38year history. He had been a Member of
the Council since 1996, serving as its
President in 2003 and 2004.
With regard to the honors garnered
over the years, true insight into his
character is evident. That is, each and
every accolade he received was bestowed
upon him over his objection. In Judge
McEwen's eyes, there was always
someone who he saw as more deserving
or better suited. He was indeed an
individual of great humility. He simply
did not take himself too seriously. He was
just one of the guys. In the Courthouse,
the tipstaffs, custodians and clerical staff
were all on a first name basis with the
Judge. If he had a dislike for any group
of people, it was the elitists who were
over-impressed by themselves - and their
accomplishments. When being in the
company of such men, he would now and
again aptly note, "He is a self-made man
who worships his creator."
Judge McEwen's virtues were never
in question and he radiated the common
touch. While he counted Governors,
Senators and Congressman as friends,
his regular Friday night gang was an
assemblage of neighborhood guys - no
lawyers, no Judges, just good, decent
people. Characters for sure, but good,
decent people.
Though his stature in national and
state judicial affairs was at a pinnacle
most of the past few decades, during that
time Judge McEwen not only steadfastly
maintained, but also consistently nurtured,
his relationships with his colleagues and

friends. Judge McEwen coined the notion
that "friendship is a faith" and he had an
abundance of affection for his fellow man,
particularly those in need or distress. He

was most sensitive to the plight of those
who were challenged in their pursuit of
justice. He always found time to comfort
the sick, give encouragement to the meek,
and yes, testify for the accused, and on
many occasions visit the imprisoned. If
you were a friend of Judge McEwen's,
no barrier existed that could restrain his
exercise of that friendship. He was even
known to keep a priest's shirt and collar
in the office so that he could circumvent
hospital visiting hours when it was
necessary that a good friend receive a
blessing from "Father" McEwen.
He never let pass an opportunity to
preserve and promote the camaraderie
that is the core of the success of the
Association and our legal community.
He mentored an untold number of Bar
Association Members, their family
members and others in their educations
and careers as well as in their personal
and professional matters. His creation
of the Geezers, an intra-Bar Association
social group for members who have
practiced 25 years or more, is one
example of his innate ability to bring
people together. Another would be the
Delaware County Friends of Saint Patrick,
a fraternal organization celebrating the
success of Irish Americans that he started
many years ago. Well known and much
enjoyed by friends and colleagues were
the "Heritage Tours of Coal Country"
which he organized most years. The
tour group would make stops at various
sites important to the soft-coal labor
movement, including the Courthouse in
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