LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commending The Honorable Betty Staton upon the
occasion of her appointment as Acting Director of Bedford Stuyvesant
Community Legal Services

WHEREAS, Individuals who give of their time and energies and serve the
best interests of their communities are an asset beyond remuneration and
cannot be sufficiently extolled; and
WHEREAS, Judge Betty Staton has given not only of her time and ener-
gies but also of her competence, intelligence and leadership and conse-
quently has been designated for special honor; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to commend The Honor-
able Betty Staton upon the occasion of her appointment as Acting Direc-
tor of Bedford Stuyvesant Community Legal Services; her appointment was
effective Wednesday, July 20, 2011; and
WHEREAS, A 1979 graduate of New York University Law School, Judge
Betty Staton ascended the legal ranks, becoming a Brooklyn Family Court
Judge in 1991; and
WHEREAS, Judge Betty Staton retired from her judgeship at the age of
70, but returned to serve for another year as a referee; and
WHEREAS, In 2007, Judge Betty Staton returned yet again to become a
Judicial Hearing Officer (JHO) in Family Court; and
WHEREAS, Judge Betty Staton stayed on as one of the few remaining JHOs
in Brooklyn after the program was suspended, eventually retiring and
returning to Bedford Stuyvesant; and
WHEREAS, A longtime board member of Bedford Stuyvesant Community Legal
Services, Judge Betty Staton's extraordinary career returns full circle
through her appointment as its Acting Director; and
WHEREAS, Judge Betty Staton has been called upon to contribute her
time and talents to countless civic and charitable endeavors and has
always given of herself unstintingly; and
WHEREAS, A leading motivational force and architect in the rebuilding
and expansion of services to the less fortunate population of Brooklyn,
Judge Betty Staton is a longtime resident of Bedford Stuyvesant and a
consistent advocate for community development and services to the under-
served; and
WHEREAS, Throughout the entire period of her community service, a
period of constructive involvement, Judge Betty Staton has stood
constant in dignity, good grace and humor; and
WHEREAS, Rare indeed is the impressive dedication shown by an individ-
ual for the benefit of others which Judge Betty Staton has displayed
throughout her life; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend The Honorable Betty Staton upon the occasion of her appointment
as Acting Director of Bedford Stuyvesant Community Legal Services; and
be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to The Honorable Betty Staton.