Happy New Year to all! It will be an especially Happy New Year to Joyce Reid Beman, who has just retired after serving as town justice in the town of Victory for the past 20 years. Congratulations, Joyce, for your dedicated service to the town and for a job well done.

Joyce is starting 2008 with time to finally do some long-awaited reading and some traveling. She and her husband, Tom (who has been court bailiff since his retirement), also love going to garage sales and selling some items on E-bay. They have children and grandchildren who live in the greater Victory area.

The oldest of six children who grew up on Maroney Road in Victory, Joyce followed in her father's (S. Webster Reid) footsteps as he became Justice of the Peace in the 1950s. Joyce credits her Aunt June (June Maroney Welling) for her becoming justice as her aunt urged her to serve. Although Joyce resisted the first time asked, she became convinced when the next Mass sermon she heard was on the value of community service. When Joyce became town justice Jan. 1, 1988 she worked along with another Victory justice, Kenneth McBride.

Joyce graduated from Red Creek Central School and worked in the 1960s in a law office in Lyons becoming familiar with the law and setting the foundation for her later calling. She has presided over some 80 marriages and many, many overnight arraignments at 2, 3, 4 a.m. or even on Sunday mornings and afternoons.

Joyce said she did recommend jail time for people “only when all else failed.” There was always community service, large fines, probation, drug, alcohol and mental health counseling, and in-patient and out-patient services to help people who deserved it and who showed remorse. She took pride in going the extra mile(s) to individualize the treatment. Joyce attended refresher courses and training classes for justices every year to keep up-to-date with legal decisions. She felt the hardest part of being justice was serving for small claims court.

Joyce also served a term on the Cayuga County Water/Sewer Authority bringing good water from Wayne County to the Westbury area. She and Tom are also very active at St. Thomas Church in Red Creek where they volunteer with the food closet by ordering food, stocking cupboards and securing grants.

Victory Town Supervisor, Lucille Craine presented a plaque to Joyce honoring her for her service to the Town of Victory on Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2007.

Best wishes Joyce on a well deserved retirement.

Beverly Sayles is the Victory town historian.