09/30/2020
Tribute to Patsy Brinkley
1970 - Richard Nixon was President of the U.S., PBS began operation, the first New York City Marathon is run, the Baltimore Orioles beat the Cincinnati Reds to win the World Series, actor Matt Damon is born and Ronald Reagan is elected governor of California. A first-class stamp was 6 cents and a gallon of gas was 36 cents.
And in 1970 a 16-year old girl named Patsy Carpenter began working part time for renowned, long-time trial lawyer Red Ivy. Her older sister worked for him and knew he needed some more part-time help. That began the career as a legal assistant that has lasted fifty years this month. After 18 years of working for Red Ivy, Patsy married Charles Brinkley and she moved to south Texas where she worked for several attorneys there and they began to raise their daughter Shelby and Charles’ older children.
I began practicing law in 1990 and joined Red Ivy in 1996. When I joined Red Ivy in the practice of law, we had just one staff person - Lorie Hargus. Lorie was literally Red’s right hand-person - she was not only secretary, receptionist and chauffeur to Red, but often had to go home and cut up his cantaloupe and get his dinner ready. Lorie couldn’t get any legal work done until after she took care of all of Red’s individual jobs and that could be extensive at times, including his daily trips to Liberty Drug for coffee with his buddies. We joked that Red had gone from practicing law to holding a royal court at the office for all his friends and former clients who stopped by for home-made pies that Red had delivered each week. Lorie was burdened with being the “Pearl Mesta” for Red Ivy on top of all her other duties. (For those of you who don’t know who Pearl Mesta is, look it up - another fascinating person from Oklahoma).
But from the first day I worked with Red Ivy, he always talked about a former secretary he had employed - Patsy. Red always said Patsy knew more the law then most lawyers and she could work circles around most people. I had never met Patsy but she was legendary, not just in our office, but the whole legal field in our area. It is common to hear attorneys talk about other attorneys that they held in high esteem. But never had I heard other attorneys talk about another firm’s legal secretary before. But when other attorneys learned I worked with Red Ivy, the other attorneys regularly mentioned Patsy in the past tense with the greatest reverence. I often heard comments like, “Back in the day, if Patsy’ drafted the documents, I didn’t even need to look at them, they were just right.”.
In 1997, Red Ivy came in and said “Well, I just got off the phone and Patsy is coming back to work here in a few weeks, she’s moving back from Texas.” I had never met Patsy, I just knew the legend. A few weeks later, I had gotten to the office early, gathered a file and driven to court in another town where I had a hearing all morning. I got back to the office around lunch, walked in to my desk and set my briefcase down. I then looked at my desk to see a pile of files with various documents on top. I began sifting through the files and documents on top, only to feel my amazement grow - there weren’t just simple cover letters to clients or opposing counsel, but some complex documents already neatly drafted without flaw. My mouth-dropped open when I realized how much work was done in the half-day that I was gone, all by someone I had never met, never spoken to, or even given any direction.
The legend was real. And the best news was that I got to work with her beginning in 1997.
Moses had Aaron, the Lone Ranger had Tonto, Laurel had Hardy. But none compared to having a Patsy. April Chasteen joined our legal practice in 1998 and Red unfortunately died in January 1999 after fifty years of practicing law himself. In the few years I got to work with Red Ivy, I learned a lot and cherished the stories from the legendary attorney. But the greatest gift he gave me in the practice of law was Patsy. For now going on 23 years, she has been an incredible legal secretary, co-worker, trainer to many new legal staff in our office, listener, advisor, and most importantly, friend.
Patsy is smart, having done several years of college at USAO back in the day as she really should have gone to law school herself. She is hard-working, nearly always early, not just on-time, and just as happy to make coffee as to draft a whole set of probate documents. She’s always been organized, disciplined and been willing to help people, sometimes even when I wasn’t. She has had patience with people that I’d given up on long ago.
The only downside is that Patsy is like a shadow, never in the light. She doesn’t like attention and never wants to be in front. My only regret in writing this to honor her is that it may be my last post - ever, as she may use her letter opener to bludgeon me for sharing this with the world. But her fifty-year career merits the recognition and I am willing to take the risk even if it means the ultimate sacrifice.
After working with Patsy for twenty-three years myself, she is one of our best friends. Congrats to an amazing fifty year career in the legal system, of which 40 years have been at Ivy, Ratcliff & Chasteen, P.C., and we are so glad you are still working with us, even if it is only part-time at this point.
