Farewell to a hero

By Rhonda Cook

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
(Published: 09/08/2013)

Retired Judge Arthur Kaplan -- who sat on the bench by day and trolled metro Atlanta’s streets at night as a volunteer EMT -- died Friday after a long illness. He was 84. Before he retired a decade ago, the long-time Atlanta Municipal Court judge and former Fulton County magistrate was honored by the Secret Service, trained thousands of law enforcement officers in emergency rescue and on a few occasions personally treated wounded officers even as shots were being fired.

He appeared on the television shows To Tell the Truth and he was featured on This Is Your Life. Newsweek Magazine included the judge on its list 100 "unsung heroes" of America in 1986, and People magazine wrote about his unusual “hobby". Judge Kaplan was recognized for receiving more Red Cross Certificates of Merit for Lifesaving than anyone else in the nation.

“Judge Kaplan was a man of absolute integrity,” said Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Vernon Keenan. “He was a war hero and he was a hero to men and women in Georgia law enforcement. He trained thousands of police officers in first aid, specifically in how to treat gunshot wounds. On several occasions, he went in, under fire, to rescue wounded police officers.”

Judge Kaplan died at 1 a.m. at Hospice Atlanta, where he had been for 12 weeks, according to his family.

Judge Kaplan, a Navy frogman during World War II, was in five Pacific island invasions and he survived the sinking of a ship. He was awarded a Naval Commendation for Meritorious Service for helping doctors care for injured sailors under fire at the battle of Okinawa.

After the war he was faced with deciding between two loves -- medicine and the law. He got a law degree from John Marshall Law School while also training as a medic at Grady Memorial Hospital, which led to decades as a volunteer paramedic. He has taught his lifesaving techniques to officers and Secret Service and FBI agents as well as some probation violators who would appear before him in court. “He just loved medicine and he just loved this city,” said one of his daughters, Gwinnett Judge Debra Turner.

Cobb County Public Safety Director Mickey Lloyd once told a story about Judge Kaplan coming to his aid when, as a young Atlanta police officer, Lloyd was hit by a taxicab, "When I opened my eyes the first thing I saw was the sincere and serious face of Judge Arthur Kaplan looking down at me, saying ‘You're going to be all right, son,' " Lloyd said in a previous AJC article. One of his most dramatic rescues was in 1975 when he was first to respond to a report that an officer in DeKalb County had been shot twice and the gunman was still shooting. Returning fire with his own revolver, the judge dragged the officer to safety. One of his shots struck the gunman's pistol and disabled it but the attacker continued shooting with a shotgun while Kaplan began emergency treatment on the wounded officer. After taking care of the officer, Judge Kaplan also treated the gunman who was shot 14 times by officers arriving at the scene. The officer and the gunman both survived their wounds. In 1983, Judge Kaplan heard on his police radio that an officer had been shot in the face by a barricaded gunman. Even as the gunfire continued, the judge provided emergency first aid to officer J.E. Burke and then helped move him to an ambulance. Four years later, marshals summoned the judge to the sidewalk outside the Fulton State Courthouse because a child had stopped breathing. The judge revived the child with mouth-to- mouth resuscitation. "One of the most beautiful things in the world is to see someone breathe again,” Judge Kaplan said  at the time. And in 2003, Judge Kaplan received the U.S. Secret Service Director's Award -- the agency's highest honor – for voluntarily training agents for 35 years. “The Atlanta area has lost one of its greatest volunteers and heroes,” said a former law clerk, Noal Solomon. “It didn’t matter who you were or what your background was – if you needed help, Judge Kaplan was there.”

Judge Kaplan is survived by his wife of 63 years, Frances; a son, Dr. Ron Kaplan; two daughters, Turner and Shelley Wisely; their spouses and eight grandchildren. The family asks that in lieu of flowers,  donations be made the Hospice Atlanta or the Atlanta Police Foundation.

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As I sit here monitoring the mass casualty incident / shooting at the Washington, DC Navy Yard I know with a certainty, had it occurred in Atlanta, Judge Kaplan would have been there because that was what he did. It didn't matter to him that he was a volunteer, he would be right there side-by-side with the paid EMS and fire personnel, and police officers. Often, as Ms. Cook's article points out, he would go about and beyond the call of duty aiding shooting victims even as the gunfire still rang out around him. Not only that, but he served as an inspiration to many - including myself - to enter the EMS field and tirelessly serve others. Thank you Judge Kaplan!