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A champion of small causes dies

Monroe Treiman took on invasive weeds and high courthouse fees. Once the only judge in the county, he stayed active in many organizations.

BROOKSVILLE - Monroe Treiman, a fixture in the county's courthouse during and after his 28 years as a judge, died Saturday (Aug. 28, 2004). He was 84.

Longtime residents of Brooksville remember Mr. Treiman when he was the only judge in the county. More recently, he was known as an authority on local history and for adopting causes that others neglected.

In the 1990s, he sued two clerks of courts in the county, claiming their high fees for photocopies were a violation of the state Sunshine Law; he also campaigned to raise awareness about cogongrass, an invasive weed.

"If there was a small cause, he was for it," said Karen Beasley, a judicial assistant for Circuit Judge Jack Springstead who formerly worked at a private law firm with Mr. Treiman.

"But these were real issues that people didn't take note of."

Until he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer several weeks ago, he delivered documents for a Spring Hill lawyer, David Buck. Mr. Treiman was known in the courthouse for his trim white mustache, driving his 30-year-old Lincoln Mark IV and dropping jokes and historical facts he had written on sheets of paper.

"It was great to have him around," Buck said.

"I almost feel reluctant to call him an employee because he was such a respected elder in the community."

Mr. Treiman, who grew up on a farm near what is now Wiscon Road, attended the University of Florida and served with the Army Air Forces during World War II.

When he returned, he raised yams and cattle, experimented with exotic strains of hay and grew new varieties of orchids.

As a member of the Junior Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Treiman was one of the leaders in a fight to require farmers to fence their cattle. He helped make sure the federal government turned the airport over to the county after World War II and then helped maintain it.

"He was a hell of a contributor to the community," said Joe Johnston Jr., a Brooksville lawyer who was also a member of the junior chamber or the Jaycees.

"Monroe was one of those quiet people who got things done."

He was elected as county judge in 1948, before such judges were required to have law degrees. Since circuit judges only visited Hernando County occasionally, Judge Springstead said, "He was the only judge that was full-time sitting in Hernando County. It was a very important position that he held in the community."

He married his first wife, Margaret - who became an official with the Pasco County schools - the same year he was first elected.

They were well known for holding a Christmas party every year at their home on South Brooksville Avenue.

"He served his famous punch. And it threw a punch," Beasley said. "You couldn't have more than two."

In later years, Mr. Treiman suffered a series of setbacks. Margaret Treiman died in a car accident after about 20 years of marriage; he also lost his second wife, Lorelei, to a brain tumor.

He was defeated in an election for county judge in 1976 by six votes and, a decade later, he was reprimanded by the state Supreme Court for practicing law without a license.

After such difficulties, he said in a 1993 interview, "You can go with the depression route or with the productive route, which is what I've done."

Beside the causes he championed, Mr. Treiman remained active in various community organizations, including serving as speaker of the House for the Florida Silver-Haired Legislature. He was also a member of the Hernando County Builders' Association, the Hernando County Realtors' Association, the Greater Hernando Chamber of Commerce and the Hernando-Citrus Farm Bureau.

Mr. Treiman seemed to be active in everything and sometimes to know everything, Beasley said.

"He was the most intelligent person I've ever met," she said. "He was so well-read, he had a fact to relate to every event that occurred."

Mr. Treiman is survived by his daughter, Carol Heffernan of Inglis; a sister, Alma Graddy of Brooksville; and two granddaughters.

Arrangements are being handled by Merritt Funeral Home Brooksville Chapel.