Retired Judge Eugene Arthur Moore (left) and Retired Judge Barry M. Grant are honored that the Honorable Barry M. Grant and Honorable Eugene Arthur Moore Probate Judges Library at the Oakland County Probate Court is named after them. On Friday, March 1, the Honorable Barry M. Grant and Honorable Eugene Arthur Moore Probate Judges Library was officially dedicated at the Oakland County Probate Court. Retired Judge Barry M. Grant and Retired Judge Eugene Arthur Moore were honored at the ceremony by their family, former colleagues, staff, and many well-wishers from the court. Hallmark stated: "The Oakland County Probate Judges are pleased to dedicate our library to Judge Barry M. Grant and Judge Eugene Arthur Moore. Judge Grant and Judge Moore served Oakland County with distinction for a combined total of over 75 years. Also in attendance was Attorney Mark Frankel who remarked that probate judges have the unique opportunity to help people during very difficult times and that his father-in-law, Judge Barry Grant, took that responsibility to heart. Judge Barry Grant was appointed to the Oakland County Probate Court in September 1977. He served continuously until his retirement in December 2009. Prior to becoming a judge, Grant served as an assistant prosecutor from 1961-1964 before moving to private practice. At the time of his retirement, Grant was the longest-serving member in the history of the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission. He is a past-president of both the National College of Probate Judges and the Michigan Probate and Juvenile Judges Association and a member of multiple judicial and legal associations. His many recognitions include the Citation of Appreciation Award from the Michigan Society for the Mentally Disabled and the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanities Award. Grant served his community in multiple ways, including as a member of the Southfield Board of Education, the Oakland County Mental Health Board and as chairman of the William Beaumont Hospital Research Institute. The Honorable Barry M. Grant and Honorable Eugene Arthur Moore Probate Judges Library is located adjacent to the judges' former chambers on the 1st Floor East Wing of the courthouse.

Barry Grant, Judge Grant's father, retired from the Oakland County Probate bench in 2008, some 11 years after administering the oath of office to his daughter. At the time, she was probably best known as "Judge Grant's daughter. "When she told me her father was Barry Grant, I felt more than a bit embarrassed that I hadn't recognized her. But it was early evidence to me that she was going to make a name for herself and wouldn't be resting on the laurels of her father. She was that good." Grant admitted to be a "nerd in high school" and didn't necessarily harbor thoughts of attending law school when she began her studies at the University of Michigan. She was majoring in sociology and anthropology at U-M when the "law school light went on" in her head as a junior. "I remember calling home to tell my mom and dad that I planned to take the LSAT and planned to enroll in law school upon graduation," said Grant, vice chair of the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission. Her mother, Lisa, attended the University of Vermont and Wayne State University, and is the "rock of the family," according to Judge Grant. "She is an incredible person, very kind and compassionate," Judge Grant said of her mother, a native of New York. "But she also was demanding. She didn't put up with poor grades or bad behavior. My parents set the bar high for all of us." The result: a lawyer and two physicians among the couple's offspring. "That's probably a mother's dream, isn't it," Judge Grant asked with more than a slight grin. All too often, Judge Grant sees the other side of parental life. It's played out in her courtroom each day, where she tries to impress upon youthful offenders the far-reaching consequences of their actions. "Judge Pezzetti regularly sends juveniles down to my court to sit in on my criminal call," Judge Grant said. "He immediately took it into the store, figuring that one of their customers must have lost it," Judge Grant said. Of course, I'm not speaking to her anymore," Judge Grant said with a laugh. Stress is in ready supply as chief judge, however, as Grant wrestles with budgetary challenges that are inherent with a county that is faced with eroding property tax revenues. The Circuit Court has trimmed nearly $6 million from its operating budget over the past 7 years and another round of significant cuts are expected during the next 3-year budget cycle. "It was part of the 'sunset' provisions that are in place," Judge Grant said of the decision to eliminate the judgeship. "We will all have to share the load and find creative ways to maintain the same level of service that our citizens have come to expect in Oakland County. "There certainly has been plenty of doom and gloom in this state over the last few years, but I'm enough of an optimist to believe that better days are ahead, especially if we bond together with a positive outlook on life," she said. "I'm confident that the tide is turning."

Additionally, Tony Troth takes up the role of general manager for the Technical Services Division, and Mark Brown is now general manager for Sales and Marketing, replacing former marketing manager, Barry Grant, who departed in December last year.

While Anitech says it has found an ideal NZ partner in Sign Supplies, the company's marketing director, Barry Grant, concedes the process involved in identifying the right partner choice was not an easy one. "It was not as easy as you might think finding a company with the credentials of Sign Supplies," says Grant. "We have specific core objectives for our price models, product quality delivery and standards of client service which have to be matched by those offered by our agencies. "Sign Supplies have the same commercial objectives and standards as we do, so there is a natural rapport with organisational and staff values," he says.

Director: Barry Grant