Judge John J. Donnelly served as the Presiding Judge of the Cuyahoga County Probate Court from 1991 until his retirement in 2008. Judge Donnelly began his career in Cleveland’s historic old courthouse and worked from the bottom to the top position in the probate court. He worked as part of the court’s janitorial staff in college, then he was hired as a desk clerk during the day while attending evening classes at Cleveland State University College of Law. Upon graduation he was hired as Court Administrator and Chief Trial Referee. Judge Donnelly was elected Associate Judge in 1980—serving alongside his judicial mentor, the Honorable Francis J. Talty—and was eventually elevated to Presiding Judge. Donnelly’s skills as a jurist earned the confidence of the Ohio Supreme Court, which chose him to preside over all the civil litigation regarding the Home State Savings and Loan failure—litigation that involved a multitude of million-dollar claims. During his career Judge Donnelly served as President of the Ohio Probate Judges Association and Chairman of the Ohio Judicial Conference. He received numerous awards for superior judicial service from the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association as well as the Distinguished Alumni Award from Cleveland State University College of Law in 1986. Upon his retirement, the Cuyahoga County Metroparks named the John J. Donnelly Nature Center in his honor for his exemplary leadership in appointing the governing board for so many years.