3 www.loubar.org July 2025 “ PRESIDENT’S PAGE Memories are funny. They tend to change as we get older. What we remember must be what is most important to us. Memories of Summers Past and Present Maria A. Fernandez LBA President Welcome to summer. I am writing this and the temperature outside is 92 degrees! Never thought I would wish for Florida summers and an ocean breeze. Summers, when I was kid in Florida, meant the neighborhood pool, the ice cream man and occasional trips to the beach. Memories are funny. They tend to change as we get older. What we remember must be what is most important to us. I taught swimming lessons on summer mornings in junior high school at the Bright Park Pool in Hialeah. When I taught there, we did not have a pool slide. Other than that, it looks the same (photo courtesy of the pool’s website sponsored by the City of Hialeah). My siblings and I would walk back in the afternoons and stay until closing time. The pool was the best babysitter ever. Later in the day, on certain afternoons, the ice cream man, Frances, would ride his bicycle pushcart through the neighborhood. He knew all our names and what we liked. We moved from that neighborhood and missed seeing him every summer after that. I often wish I knew what happened to him. I wonder what memories today’s children will have. My daughters’ memories include summers at my parents’ home in Florida, affectionately called Nany’s summer camp. Those trips include a weekend on Miami Beach, going to work with my parents at our family business and dinners where my dad ordered one of every ap- petizer (lots of leftovers). July is also the month many people take a vacation. As a child we visited my grandfather in Florida one year and drove from Chicago to Miami. We stopped at many small roadside motels which boasted pools and shuffleboard courts. Our parents could watch us from the window as we spent time together at the pool. These days, it seems international travel has become more popular, but this year it may be harder to travel internationally as a no-fly ban may be expanded to include more countries. But that does not preclude a trip to many wonderful U.S. destinations. I am partial to big cities and love Chicago and New York as a tourist. San Francisco was great, less traffic than Los Angeles. New Orleans had great food. It’s a great time to travel across the United States via Route 66 or take a train from Chicago to the West Coast. * * * This month, not only do we celebrate July 4th commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, but there are also a few other days of celebration. On July 1st, it is Canada Day for our neighbors to the north. July 14th is Bastille Day in France to commemorate the start of the French Revolution. July 17th is National Hot Dog Day, and July 30th is National Cheesecake Day. * * * As we end the first half of the year, I want to thank those of you that have supported our bar association in its efforts to sup- port the rule of law. We have created a committee to further those efforts, and all members are welcome to join. If you have an interest in civics education, reaching out to community or speaking at a CLE program on the issue of the rule of law, please contact me, [email protected]. These are but a few examples of the programs discussed at the most recent meeting and plans are starting to evolve. We also have a committee to celebrate our Bar Association’s 125th anniversary. We have already begun planning our signature event on August 24—a picnic party the whole family can enjoy (see page 14 for details). If party planning and fun events are your speed, please reach out to me. I also want to thank those of you that support the Legal Aid Society (on whose board I also serve) as it deals with challenges with funding. Many of you also support the Louisville Bar Foundation, which recently made over $125,000 in grants to worthy legal related programs in the area. Without the support of the Bar, both of these organizations might not be able to do what they do so well. Thank you, and happy summer.
