Giving children a loving family

A picture of St. John Bosco greets Judge John F. Cherry when he takes his seat at the Dauphin County Courthouse in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

"I have his picture everywhere, on the bench, on my desk at home, in the bedroom, at my sink. He is a constant reminder to me," said Cherry, 69, the president judge at the Court of Common Pleas in Dauphin County.

Cherry's lifelong devotion to the Apostle of Youth serves him well in presiding over cases involving delinquent, neglected, and abused children.

“Dom Bosco said, ‘It is not enough that you love children. They must know they are loved,’” said Cherry, who along with Camille, his wife of 37 years, are members of Legatus’ Harrisburg Chapter.

Cherry, the grandson of Italian immigrants who grew up in a large extended family where his aunts and uncles always had the doors to their homes — and kitchens — wide open for him, finds it heartbreaking to see children who have been raised in dysfunctional broken homes.

“The children that I see don’t know they are loved,” said Cherry, who estimates that in 80 percent of the cases involving children over which he presides, the parents have severe mental health or drug addiction issues.

“And that has a great impact on how they deal with the children,” Cherry said. “The tales are horrific, in what we find when we go to rescue these children, but a lot of it has to do with mental health and drug abuse. That’s the issue.

“You can have all the programs you want. You can build all the facilities you want. You can institute all types of programming and government work, but it all starts in the home,” Cherry said. “That’s the foundation. It’s God, family, and country. Without that base, you’re doomed for a life of problems.”

Lifelong desire to help youth

For as long as he can remember, Cherry wanted to be a mentor or coach-type figure for youth. After graduating from Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania, Cherry taught, coached cross country and track, and became a high school administrator.

“All my life has involved children, teaching, and education,” said Cherry, who grew up in DuBois, Pennsylvania, surrounded by uncles, aunts, and cousins. Cherry’s grandfather was just 15 when he arrived in the United States from Naples, Italy, unable to even read or write in Italian.

“He came here and the rest is history. From that family emerged the American dream,” said Cherry, whose father, also named John, was one of 10 children and the first to attend college. One of Cherry’s uncles — “Uncle Joe” — bought a gas station and worked to put everyone in the family through college, law school, medical school, or dental school.

“He gave his life to the family,” said Cherry, who added that he owes “everything” to his parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. Most of them, and the 23 nieces and nephews, lived within a short walking distance to one another. The aunts and uncles corrected the kids when necessary.

“And you did what they said because you knew they loved you,” said Cherry, who would “make the rounds” to all the relatives’ homes whenever he later came home from college. “I mourn them all,” Cherry said.

As young lawyer, handled troubled kids

Cherry worked for a few years in teaching before attending law school. Over the course of his legal career, he prosecuted crimes as an assistant district attorney and later as a district attorney and deputy attorney general. As a young prosecutor, he often handled juvenile cases.

“There, you see what the lack of care and love results in,” Cherry said. “You see children who have no guidance, and most times no love or care from their parents or parent. That’s why they end up in the system.”

Cherry worked in private practice for a time. In 1999, after serving five years as the district attorney of Dauphin County, he was elected to the bench for the first time, and retained by the voters in 2009. In addition to being the county’s president judge, Cherry presides over civil cases and matters involving juvenile dependency.

“I think that any dependency judge is called to do more than just process cases. Our job is to protect and defend these children who are the most defenseless,” said Cherry, who estimates that his courthouse processes 60 to 70 adoptions every year.

“We’re very busy here,” Cherry said.

Big heart for adoptive parents

One case this year was that of a 7-year-old boy named Xavier, who was adopted in October by Tawzya Adams. In the last eight years, Adams — who has also been a foster parent — has adopted four children. Cherry presided over each adoption in his courtroom.

“He is wonderful with the children. You can truly see it means a lot to him to see these kids going to good homes and being adopted,” said Adams, who added that Cherry has personally thanked her and called her “an angel of God” for welcoming the children into her home.

“He’s got probably one of the biggest hearts I’ve ever seen,” Adams said. “He calls the children little angels, and just his tone of voice with them, there are times when he tears up because he’s just so overwhelmed and thankful on their behalf.

“You can truly see it means a lot to him to see these kids going to good homes and being adopted,” Adams said.

Knowing that a courtroom can be an intimidating setting for anyone, especially children, Cherry, with the help of his wife, came up with the idea of “Judge Cherry’s Treasure Chest.” The children are promised that they can get a toy from a treasure chest in the courtroom if they’re “good” and behave during the formal adoption proceeding.

Love changes children

“It’s a real joy to see those children, especially after seeing them a few years earlier when they were in tough spots, and then they come back, and it’s such a metamorphosis, the changes in those children. They’re happy because they’ve loved, it’s as simple as that,” Cherry said.

Earlier this year, the coronavirus pandemic prevented several adopted children from receiving a toy from “Judge Cherry’s Treasure Chest” because the proceedings had to be done virtually. With in-person adoptions resuming, Cherry said he intended to bring 15 children and their families back to his courtroom for a mini-reunion in mid-November so the kids could get their gifts.

“At adoptions, I say no birth is by accident, and no adoption is by chance,” Cherry sasid. “God’s hand is in all of this. God foresaw this when no one would ever have thought about this, but God knew of this.”

Just as St. John Bosco noted in the 19th century, Cherry said most people today he encounters in his courtroom are yearning for the presence of love and God in their lives.

“And it means so much to them when a judge recognizes that,” Cherry said. “This is really a vocation for me.”

BRIAN FRAGA is a Legatus magazine staff writer.