Remembering Peter Macky

     On September 14, 2016, this world lost one of its greatest victim advocates.  Peter Macky, warmly referred to as “Pete,” left this earth unexpectedly.  I had known of Pete almost my entire life.  He was an everyday legend in my house while growing up.   My Mom would fondly share the story of the day she met Pete to anyone looking for a chuckle. “I met Pete in the basement of the Union County Courthouse. I was one of, if not his first case, as a legal aid attorney. It was May 1974. I was 17 and had committed an act that was considered "detrimental to the welfare of the school" and the district had removed me from the elected office as President of Student Council (for streaking no less). He defended my 1st amendment right to express myself and instilled in me a passion for defending those who cannot defend themselves. We went on to forge a friendship that would span 42 years, serving on a number of community committees together, collaborating on various social justice issues and often reminiscing with amusement about my case and those early days.”

     When I came on board at Transitions in 2014 I was excited to learn I would be working closely with Pete and North Penn Legal Services through my new position as a Legal Advocate.  Over the next year or so I had the awesome opportunity to witness a true advocate of “the people” in action.  It wasn’t even necessarily his brilliance in the courtroom or his impeccable integrity but rather his ability to set at ease his clients and give them a reassuring reprise that they would have zealous representation.  As with a lot of our mutual clients, these individuals came from abusive relationships where their personal empowerment voice had sometimes literally been beaten out of them.  Pete recognized this trauma in people and became their voice.  The attendance at his memorial only served to validate his well-respected presence in the legal community further.  From Common Pleas Judges to District Attorneys down to the very clients that he represented, all walks of life had been treated with the same respect as the next.  

     To say that the world lost one of the best is an understatement.  The void that he leaves behind is immeasurable.  We can only gain comfort in knowing that thousands of us have been affected for the better and will and have lived much fuller lives because of his presence.  Thank you, Pete. Thank you for making us better and the world better for generations to come.  

Written by Jamie G., Paralegal