Retired Vincy judge utters sound words of advice
Caribbean L 16 ife, Jan. 18–24, 2019
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By Nelson A. King
As he prepares to be honored
this Rev. Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. holiday weekend, by
the Brooklyn-based St. Vincent
and the Grenadines Ex-Teachers
Association of New York,
a retired Vincentian judge on
recall in New Jersey is issuing
sound words of encouragement
to all on their career path.
Judge Emille R. Cox — an
administrative supervising
judge of compensation (retired
on recall), Division of Workers’
Compensation, New Jersey
Department of Labor and
Workforce Development — laid
out his advice in an exclusive
Caribbean Life interview.
“Don’t be deterred by hurdles
you encounter along your
career journey,” urged Judge
Cox, who received his legal
training at Rutgers University
School of Law in Camden,
NJ. “The old truism ‘nothing
ventured, nothing gained’ still
holds true.”
Judge Cox, who received this
bachelor’s degree in economics
from Long Island University,
downtown Brooklyn, in June
1974, recalled that, when he
decided to enter college, he had
some misgivings since he did
not have the resources for four
years of college in the US.
“I still recall the words of
the Embassy representative, as
she advised, ‘I’ll grant you the
visa, but be sure to get to the
college’s foreign student assistance
office and inquire into any
assistance for which you may
qualify’ — music to my ears,”
he said.
Similarly, Judge Cox said,
when he was accepted to law
school, he resigned his fulltime
position with the promise
of assistance from his mother.
“Shortly before my first
semester, my mother, a longtime
cancer survivor, passed
away,” he said. “With encouragement
from family, particularly
my wife, we took a leap
of faith and relocated to South
Jersey.
“My wife was offered a position
on the first job interview
in Philadelphia,” he added.
“I liken a career journey as a
climb uphill: you bear the rigors
going up in order to enjoy
the ride coming down.”
The judge also urged: “Don’t
let others define your goals or
your potential.”
After working for just over
two years after college, he said
he was promoted to associate
manager at Prudential Property
& Casualty Insurance company.
He said, when he looked at
the composition of the staff, he
noticed that there was only one
person of color at the management
level, stating that he saw
a law degree as “a short-cut to a
promotion to manager.
“When I informed my manager
of my decision, he asked
rhetorically, ‘you are an associate
manager, what else are
you looking for?’” Judge Cox
said. “That question erased any
misgivings I may have had as to
whether I was taking too much
of a risk by resigning.”
Even during his orientation,
following his appointment to
the bench, Judge Cox said he
“had to listen to a colleague
wonder if I was the right person
for this assignment. She
was wrong.”
Retired Vincentian Judge Emille Cox receives proclamation, in early November 2017, from
Philadelphia Councilwoman, Jannie L. Blackwell (to his left), fl anked by St. Vincent and the
Grenadines Organization of Pennsylvania (SVGOP) offi cials and other dignitaries.
Photo by Nelson A. King