05/22/2026
A Memorial Minute of Respect was held today for esteemed YCBA member J. Ross McGinnis, who died on January 3, 2026 at age 97.
It is the tradition of the Bench and members of the Bar to gather and share stories about the professional and personal lives of deceased members as a historical record of their contributions to life and law, with the remembrances permanently recorded as part of the proceedings. Only attorneys are permitted to speak.
President Judge Michael Flannelly presided with an introduction by YCBA President Justin Tomevi and the Motion for the Minute presented by Judge John C. Uhler (ret). The Motion was seconded in turn by attorneys Gil Malone, Bill Gierasch who also read comments submitted by Jane Schussler and Mike King, Bill Anstine, Tom Shorb, Judge Craig T. Trebilcock (ret), Charlie Calkins, Tom Kearney III, Jody
Anderson Leighty, Judge Chris Ferro, and President Judge Flannelly who shared written remarks by Judge Maria Musti Cook.
It is especially fitting that the proceedings were held in the Ceremonial Courtroom of the “old York County Courthouse”, now the administrative center, where Ross conducted a reenactment, per his authoritative book "Trials of Hex," about the murder of farmer Nelson Rehmeyer.
A noted historian and author, Ross also assisted with a special YCBA project to compile a four volume collection of the minutes from 1881-2017, Reflections at Journey's End, and wrote the forward. Attorney McGinnis’s legacy will continue with the publication of future volumes, the next edition from 2018-2028, featuring his minute, is anticipated to be published in 2029.
J. Ross McGinnis, was born in 1928 and was raised on a potato farm in southern York County. After graduating from Fawn Township Vocational High School in 1944, he attended York Collegiate Institute/York Junior College for one year. He then went to Princeton University, graduating in 1949 summa cm laude, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and awarded the Lawrence Hutton Prize in History, and was the co-recipient of the C.O. Jolene Prize in American Political History for his thesis on Henry Adams, the Sequence of the Democratic Force. He graduated from the Harvard Law School in 1952 and was given a direct commission in the U.S. Air Force. He became a staff judge advocate and, after two years, was discharged with the rank of Captain. Since 1954, he was a practicing attorney in York County. He was President of the York County Bar, Moderator of Donegal Presbytery, and a life member of the Salvation Army. He ended his career serving of counsel” for the law firm of Stock and Leader in York, Pennsylvania.
See links in comments for more on his life and legacy.
