Eternal Thanks to Judge Oliver Gasch
The honorable Judge Oliver Gasch was a graduate of Georgetown's Western High School, Princeton University, and the George Washington University Law School. He received his commission as Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, on August 11, 1965, after his nomination by President Lyndon B. Johnson was approved by the United States Senate.
Judge Gasch's wisdom and court rulings prevented the sale of the sacred Mount Zion and Female Union Band Society Cemeteries' land to real estate developers.
In an interview honoring his long career as an attorney and Judge, Gasch noted his review and findings related to attempts by developers to remove all the interred bodies from the sacred burial grounds and build apartment buildings were particularly satisfying work.
May 4, 1906 - July 8, 1999
Painting by Donald Stivers (1926 – 2009)
In February 1974, the Trustees of the burial ground sought permission to sell the Female Union Band Society Cemetery property. Civic groups led by the Afro-American Bicentennial Corporation sought to have an earlier court order approving the disinterment of those buried in the grounds overturned and the sale of the property prohibited. Before issuing a decision, Judge Gasch met with the parties to the court proceedings and heard the petitions of descendants of those buried in the grounds in several lengthy court hearings. He visited the burial grounds several times and issued at least four other Orders on various points. This delay resulting from these proceedings allowed Vincent DeForrest and the Afro-American Bicentennial Committee, working with respected members of the Georgetown community, to have the burial grounds recognized in the National Register of Historic Places - effectively blocking the property sale.
Eighteen months later, in a Memorandum Order dated July 31, 1975, Judge Gasch vacated the 1964 Order and rejected the Trustees’ request to sell the property. In considering the legal issues, he kept a close watch on efforts to restore and maintain the property. After his July 1975 ruling, Judge Gasch kept jurisdiction over the case, received regular status reports, and made a number of additional rulings, most of which dealt with matters relating to funding of restoration efforts.
In his memoir, Judge expresses admiration for Captain John Sullivan, considered one of the toughest policemen in town, who became interested in the cause of saving the cemeteries. Sullivan enlisted the Police Boys Club to cut weeds and brush and remove debris from the grounds. These efforts, together with help from Western High School students, the Afro-Bicentennial Committee, and neighborhood volunteers, caused the DC Government to declare that the grounds were no longer in violation of City safety codes.
Related court cases and rulings by Judge Gasch: