The 2006 Dave Frohnmayer Award for Public Service will be presented to Multnomah Circuit Court Judge Clifford Freeman at a Portland banquet April 21.

“To me, he personifies the qualities of a good judge, a public servant, and a mentor —he doesn't seem to be affected by his own considerable power as he goes about living an exemplary life for the good of his community,” said Ellen Rosenblum, Oregon Court of Appeals judge who has known Freeman for 30 years.

A circuit court judge since 1996, Freeman was a member of Portland's Community Courts from their inception and presided over the courts from 1998 until 2002.

Freeman has used his University of Oregon degrees in economics, education, and law to serve others through the years. He has defended the poor and mentally ill; developed education policy for the state; advocated for minority-owned, women-owned, and small business; and, advanced the welfare of Oregon youth. He also has been a member of many local, state, and national boards and commissions.

Freeman, a Portland native, is currently Oregon's only African-American state judge.

The Frohnmayer Award is given each year in Portland by the University of Oregon School of Law Alumni Association. It recognizes a graduate, faculty member, or friend whose public service brings honor to the school. For information about the banquet, call (541) 346-3970 or e-mail colleen@law.uoregon.edu.