Ceremony celebrates naming of Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse for Judge Walter H. Rice

DAYTON, OHIO – The U.S. General Services Administration and U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio commemorated the naming of the Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse to the Walter H. Rice Federal Building and United States Courthouse in a ceremony on the building’s plaza on Sept. 6, 2019.

Judge Walter Rice speaks to the crowd at the Sept. 6 naming ceremony for the Walter H. Rice Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse. Photograph by Carrs & Company Photography House

“This is truly the honor of a lifetime!” said Judge Rice, who is still presiding over cases at the courthouse bearing his name with reportedly no plans to retire. “Becoming a federal judge and being able to work to maintain and advance our wonderful system of justice was the summit of my life’s ambitions. To have the building in which I have worked for nearly 40 years bear my name is humbling beyond my ability to express.”

More than 500 attended the ceremony on the building’s plaza, including GSA Regional Administrator Brad Hansher, Congressman Michael Turner, Chief Judge Edmund A. Sargus and friends, colleagues and community members.

“It is not often that we are able to meet the people for whom our buildings are named,” said Hansher. “Today’s ceremony is an opportunity to reflect on everything Judge Rice has done in his life and career in service to the local community and our country.”

“For over 40 years Judge Walter Rice has served justly over our community with the utmost dignity,” said Congressman Turner (OH-10). “A panel I convened of our local leaders unanimously chose him as the namesake of this building. I have worked alongside Senators (Sherrod) Brown and (Rob) Portman to finally give our community’s federal building a name, and I cannot think of a more deserving person to receive this honor than Judge Rice.” 

GSA Great Lakes Regional Administrator Brad Hansher addresses the crowd, noting, "It is not often we are able to meet the people for whom our buildings are named." Photograph by Carrs & Company Photography House

Though they could not attend personally, both senators Brown and Portman sent representatives to read formal remarks.

“Judge Rice has spent his legal career in service to Montgomery County, and it is fitting that the Dayton Federal Building, where he has devoted nearly four decades of his life, bears his name,” wrote Senator Brown. 

Senator Portman echoed those sentiments.

“For more than four decades, Judge Rice has been a tireless advocate for justice, the people of Dayton, and the state of Ohio. Renaming the federal building after him is a fitting tribute to his life’s work, and I join community leaders across the Miami Valley in thanking him for his service,” wrote Senator Portman.

Full view of the newly named Walter H. Rice Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse during the ceremony. Photograph by Carrs & Company Photography House

Judge Rice was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northwestern University in 1958. In 1962 he received both a Juris Doctorate degree from the Columbia University School of Law and a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business Administration.

Judge Rice began his law career as an Assistant County Prosecutor for Montgomery County, Ohio, in 1964. On June 4, 1980, Judge Rice was sworn in as judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, at Dayton, having been appointed to that position by President Jimmy Carter. Judge Rice served as Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio from October 13, 1996, to October 12, 2003. 

In his 50th year as a full-time active judge, he continues to carry a full docket of civil and criminal matters.