For nearly half a century, Norman Goodman's signature was at the bottom of all the jury duty notices every Manhattan resident was bound to receive. Now the New York County Clerk is retiring.
The 91-year-old grandfather with the genial blue eyes will step down Wednesday, and the man whose signature has appeared on every jury summons sent out in Manhattan since 1971 declared jovially Tuesday: "I'm finished with this."
In his 45-year-old stewardship, Goodman's office has issued 11 to 12 million jury summonses. He's heard every excuse and then some.
He recalled one person claiming: "This person is dead, here are his ashes."
Some excuses were more credible.
"I got a letter from this fellow named Ehrlichman, from the White House," said Goodman, referring to one of President Richard Nixon's closest advisors. "And he says, 'Mr. Nixon, he saved the communication, the jury summons, but he no longer lives in Manhattan. He resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.'"
Still, the likes of Madonna and Woody Allen showed up when they were summoned. Neither was selected, but a sitting Mayor Rudy Giuliani was.
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Afterward, "he invited all of the jurors and me to dinner at Gracie Mansion, and we all went," he said.
Goodman said a 90-year-old former mayor Abe Beame begged off, "and I said, 'Don't give me that Abe, I saw you running after a bus.'"
Beame was excused.
Goodman offers this advice for his successor, current Supreme Court judge Milton Tingling: "Have a heart."
