A CASA Tribute to the
Honorable Judge Mark Mascara
On June 11, 2010, the CASA for Kids program mourned the loss of Washington County Juvenile Judge Mark Mascara. His legacy to the CASA for Kids program and the children who came before him in his courtroom is immeasurable. He had a gift of understanding, not only for the children, but for the parents as well. Children and parents were praised for the positives, but he wasn’t opposed to a stern parental talk when things weren’t going so well. If a child wanted to share a good report card, or a specific instance that concerned them, he was always happy to listen and in response to them, he always had the right words.
As a father of 4, he understood how challenging parenting could be. He realized that we all make mistakes from time to time and looking back at his own youth, he would readily admit that he wasn’t always perfect as a child either. He had the wisdom and the courage to see that the children who came before him were victims crying for help in a world that seemed turned upside down to them.
His concern for the children was reflected in how he viewed the Washington County CASA Volunteers. He took special pride each time he swore in a new class as CASA’s. Judge Mascara told each class how much he appreciated their work in providing him information which he might not obtain from any other sources. The reports written by the volunteers made the child, and the family, real to him – not just names on a piece of paper. He expressed to the volunteers that he wanted them to feel comfortable in his courtroom. "Never hesitate to raise your hand, or speak out with a concern”, he would tell them. He was also never shy about thanking a volunteer for their report and recommendations, especially if their input shed a new light on a particularly difficult case. He respected the knowledge presented by the volunteers and considered them as part of the dependency team. He understood that the volunteers took their role as advocates for the best interest of the child seriously.
Judge Mascara always wore his CASA pin proudly and saw the CASA for Kids program as playing an important role in the Court Improvement Initiative instituted by Chief Justice Baer. He was know not only throughout the county, but the State as well, for his willingness to do whatever he could to improve outcomes for the children who were victims of abuse and neglect. He recognized the difficulty of being a juvenile dependency judge and always shared the following personal story with the volunteers during the swearing in ceremony - He was appointed as the dependency judge by President Judge Debbie O’Dell Seneca and he said he questioned her decision to place him there. After hearing the horrific instances of abuse in his courtroom, he doubted his ability to handle the cases before him as he was taking these situations too much to heart. The turning point he said was when he read an article in the CASA Connections Magazine by Judge Glenda Hatchet expressing the same concerns. In the article, she related that one day she realized that all she could do was get down on her knees and pray. Judge Mascara said he followed suit and it helped lift the burden of the life altering decisions he had to make and the worries he had regarding the children.
It truly seemed to those of us in the CASA program that indeed, God did lead the decisions made by the Honorable Judge Mark Mascara.
Our condolences go out to his family who will forever miss this amazing man who loved them from the depth of his soul. His friends and associates too, will also always mourn his loss, but no more so than the children of
Washington
County who came before him in his courtroom – those children that he took to heart and cared about so much. We were all blessed to have known him and will forevermore carry a piece of him in our hearts.