tec, 8th Judicial Circuit, 1974-78. Past chairman,
Maryland Rctardatc Trust; arbitrator for Better Business
Bureau; chairman of panels for Health Claims Arbitration
Office; member. Remington Improvement Association.

MARY ANN STEPLER. Associate Judge, Frederick
County Circuit Court, 6th Judicial Circuit, since 1986.
Born in York, Pennsylvania, November 7,1942. American
University, B.A., 1967; University of Baltimore School of
Law, LL.B., cum laudc, 1974. Admitted to Maryland Bar,
1974. Member, American, Maryland State and Frederick
County Bar Associations; American Judges Association;
National Association of Women Judges. Member, Heuis-
ler Honor Society, University of Baltimore Law School.
Former newspaper reporter and editor, 1967-1970.
Diplomatc, National Institute for Trial Advocacy. Partner,
Stepler and Stepler. Panel Attorney, Frederick County
Public Defender's Office, 1974-75. Assistant State's Attor-
ney, Frederick County, 1975-80. Judge, District 11, Dis-
trict Court of Maryland, 1980-86 (Administrative Judge,
1982-86).

DENNIS M. SWEENEY. Associate Judge, Howard
County Circuit Court, 5th Judicial Circuit, since 1991. Born
in Louisville, Kentucky, July 23,1945. Loyola College, B.A,
1967; Georgetown University Law Center, J.D., 1971.
Admitted to Maryland Bar, 1971. Member, American Bar
Association (vice-chair, committee on health and human
services, 1978-82); Maryland State Bar Association (chair,
administrative law section, 1984); and Howard County Bar
Association. Staff Attorney, Baltimore Legal Aid Bureau,
Inc., 1971-75. Assistant Federal Public Defender, 1975.
Chief Attorney, Baltimore Legal Aid Bureau, Inc., 1975-79.
Assistant Attorney General and Special Assistant to Attorney
General, 1979-81. Chief, Civil Division and Chief, General
Counsel, 1981-84. Deputy Attorney General, 1984-91.
Member, U.S. District Court Trial Experience Committee,
1984-88. Member, Governor's Task Force on Administrative
Hearing Officers, 1987-88; Advisory Council to the
Maryland Legal Services Corporation, 1987-89. President,
Public Lawyers Legal Services Program, Inc., 1989-91.
Chairman, State Advisory Council on Administrative Hear-
ings, 1989-91. Vice-Chairman, Governor's Prescipnon Drug
Commission, 1990-91. Chairman, General Assembly's Task
Force on Uninsured Employers, 1990.

CORNELIUS F. SYBERT, JR. Associate Judge,
Howard County Circuit Court, 5th Judicial Circuit, since
1987. Born in Elkridgc, Maryland, June 4,1928. Loyola
College, B.A., 1949. U.S. Army, 1950-53. University of
Maryland School of Law, LL.B., 1956. Admitted to
Maryland Bar, 1956. Member, Maryland State and
Howard County Bar Associations. Assistant State's Attor-
ney, Howard County, 1958-62. State's Attorney,
Howard County, 1962-66. Senior partner, Sybcrt, Sybert
& Nippard, 1966-83. Senior partner, Sybert & Adams,
P.A, 1983-87.

FREDERICK AUGUSTUS THAYER III. County
Administrative Judge and Chief Judge, Garrett County
Circuit Court, 4th Judicial Circuit, since 1983 (Associate
Judge, 1977—). Born in Cumberland, Maryland, April 29,
1933. Attended Oakland public schools; College of
Wooster, B.A., 1955; Duke University Law School, J.D.,
1958. Editor, Duke law Journal, 1957-58. Served in
Maryland National Guard. Member, American and
Maryland State Bar Associations; American Judicature
Society. President, Garrett County Bar Association, 1960-
61. State's Attorney, Garrett County, 1962-74. Secretary,

Circuit Court Biographies/629

Maryland State's Attorneys' Association, 1968-74. Past
Master, Oakland Lodge No. 192, AF 8c AM; Ali Ghan
Shrine; Court 117 Jesters; St. John's Episcopal Church;
Oakland Volunteer Fire Department (ret.); graduate,
North American College of Piping. Instructor, Pipes and
Drums, Garrett Community College.

JOHN C. THEMELIS. Associate Judge, Baltimore City
Circuit Court, 8th Judicial Circuit, since 1988. Born in
Baltimore, Maryland, September 23, 1947. University of
Maryland, B.S., 1970; University of Baltimore School of
Law, J.D., cum laude, 1975. Admitted to Maryland Bar,
1975. Member, Maryland State, Baltimore City and Dis-
trict of Columbia Bar Associations. Member, Judicial
Education Committee for District Court of Maryland,
1985-87. Member, Baltimore City Bar Association
(domestic violence committee, 1985-86; judicial ad-
ministration committee, 1986-87; District Court subcom-
mittee, 1986-88; historical committee, 1986—; judicial
awareness committee, 1986—). Member, Sentencing
Guidelines Advisory Board, 1987—. Vice-Chair, DWI
Sentencing Guidelines Subcommittee, 1987—. Member,
Criminal and Motor Vehicle Matters Standing Committee,
Maryland District Court, 1987-88. Assistant State's Attor-
ney, Baltimore City, 1976-83. Contract Assistant Public
Defender, Baltimore City, 1983-84. Judge, District 1,
District Court of Maryland, 1984-88. Member, Hcuisler
Honor Society; listed in American HtlUnic Who's Who in
Business and the Professions. Adjunct Faculty, University of
Baltimore School of Law, 1986-89; Loyola College, 1987-
89. Instructor, Maryland Institute for Continuing Profes-
sional Education for Lawyers (MICPEL), 1986—. Board
of Trustees, St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, 1983-
87 (treasurer, 1983-84; vice-president, 1984-87). Presi-
dent, Greek School Board of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox
Church, 1984-86. Member, AF & AM; Boumi Shrine,
Baltimore; York Rite; Scottish Rite; Order of AHEPA.
Board of Directors, Druid Hill YMCA, 1988—. Board of
Directors, Jenny McDonald Group Home. Life sustaining
member, NAACP. Member, Southern Christian Leader-
ship Conference.

ALFRED T. TRUITT, JR. Chief Judge and Circuit
Administrative Judge, Wicomico County Circuit Court,
1st Judicial Circuit, since 1990 (Associate Judge, 1977—).
Born in Salisbury, Maryland, April 5, 1927. Attended
Wicomico High School; Western Maryland College, A.B.,
1950; University of Maryland School of Law, J.D., 1953.
Served in U.S. Army Signal Corps. Admitted to Maryland
Bar, 1952. Member, Wicomico County Bar Association;
Maryland State's Attorneys' Association. State's Attorney,
Wicomico County, 1959-71. Public Defender, Wicomico
County, 1972-77. Chairman, Executive Committee,
Maryland Judicial Conference, 1985-86.

JOHN GRASON TURNBULL II. Associate Judge,
Baltimore County Circuit Court, 3rd Judicial Circuit, since
1986. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, August 28,1943. Mc-
Donogh School, 1961; University of Baltimore, AA, 1963.
Law clerk to Judge John E. Raine, 1963-66. University of
Baltimore School of Law, J.D., 1966. Served as 2nd
Lieutenant in U.S. Army Special Forces, Airborne, 1967-68.
Admitted to Maryland Bar, 1969. Trial Magistrate, Bal-
timore County, 1968-71. Member, American, Maryland
State and Baltimore County Bar Associations. Member,
Maryland Criminal Defense Lawyers Association;
Dissenter's Law Club; Gamma Eta Gamma Law Fraternity;
St. Andrews Society of Baltimore.