Albert Sheppard Jr., 74, senior Phila. judge

Albert William Sheppard Jr., 74, of East Falls, a senior judge who presided over a special business court he helped establish, died of a heart attack Sunday, Sept. 4, at home.

Judge Sheppard was elected to Philadelphia Common Pleas Court in 1983 and reelected in 1993 and 2003.

In 2000, he and other court officials established the Commerce Case Management Program.

As one of the three judges assigned to the program, Judge Sheppard was instrumental in its continuing success, said Rudolph Garcia, chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association. "He was very practical and worked hard to resolve disputes by agreement, but he made tough decisions when necessary," Garcia said.

In 2009, Judge Sheppard ended an eight-year feud between the Eagles and the city.

The Eagles had to cancel a preseason game at Veterans Stadium in 2001 because of poor field conditions. The city, which was responsible for maintaining the field, did not reimburse the team for the game. The Eagles responded by withholding $8 million in luxury-box revenue. The city sued and the Eagles countersued, seeking compensation for the canceled game.

Judge Sheppard ordered the Eagles to turn over the $8 million but required the city to reimburse the team $5 million for the lost game.

In 2008, Judge Sheppard received the Justice William J. Brennan Jr. Distinguished Jurist Award from the Philadelphia Bar Association for his impact on the administration of justice in Philadelphia.

In 1990, he received the Golden Crowbar Award from the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges for his work as chairman of a committee that recommended efficiencies in the courts.

Common Pleas Court President Judge Pamela Pryor Dembe said the court's civil division was rated the best in the country by the National Center for State Courts thanks to the efforts of Judge Sheppard.

After turning 70, Judge Sheppard served as a senior judge and carried a full caseload, Dembe said.

"He loved his job and took an incredible amount of pleasure from being a judge," said his son, Mark, a lawyer. "Lawyers were always telling me how down to earth he was."

Judge Sheppard grew up in East Oak Lane. He graduated from North Catholic High School, where he starred on the football team.

In 1960, he earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Villanova University. He then served four years in the Navy and was stationed aboard the destroyer Furse during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.

Judge Sheppard told The Inquirer in 1990 that his most challenging job was being a judge but that his most exciting job was his tour in the Navy.

As an operations officer, he stood watch on deck while the ship cruised just ten miles off the Cuban Coast. He was also entrusted with communications marked, "for the captain's eyes only."

After his discharge, he was an engineer with Philadelphia Electric Co. while attending Temple University Law School at night. He was an associate editor of the Temple Law Review and graduated first in his class in 1968.

Before becoming a judge, he practiced law with the firms Schnader, Harrison, Segal & Lewis and Monteverde, Hemphill, Maschmeyer & Obert.

Judge Sheppard had season tickets to the Flyers and Phillies and was a subscriber to the Philadelphia Orchestra. He played piano and composed classical and pop music, his son said. "He took me to a Moody Blues concert and was a fan of the Grateful Dead."

A longtime friend, Pete McCarthy, told the Inquirer in 1990 that Judge Sheppard, "had the most marvelous ability to be able to discuss the intricacies of classical music while riding with you on the subway to watch the Sixers play."

A passionate gardener, Judge Sheppard inherited a green thumb from his mother, who grew up on a farm in Maryland.

In addition to his son, Judge Sheppard is survived by his wife of 20 years, Alice C. Sheppard; daughters M. Susan and Lisa; a stepdaughter, Tanya Hayner; a brother; a sister; nine grandchildren; and his former wife, Marlene Sheppard.

Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, at McIlvaine Funeral Home, 3711 Midvale Ave., Philadelphia, and at 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 9, followed by a Funeral Mass at noon at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul, 18th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery.