(Events, News)

The first African-American woman to serve as an Allegheny County judge will be honored Saturday by McKeesport Heritage Center in celebration of Black History Month.

Cynthia Ackron Baldwin, who also served two years as a state Supreme Court justice, will deliver the annual Black History Month address at 2 p.m.

The program, which is free and open to the public, will include a solo performance by singer Byarr Meekins and an original poem by Jordan Slater, a fifth-grader at Francis McClure Intermediate School in White Oak, a spokeswoman said.

Lydia Lockhart, a professor of business administration at Penn State's Greater Allegheny Campus in the city, will serve as mistress of ceremonies.

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Baldwin, a 64-year-old city native and McKeesport Area High School graduate, in January was named the first-ever chief legal officer for Penn State University.

A graduate of Penn State who earned both bachelor's and master's degrees at the university, Baldwin has been a member of its board of trustees since 1995, and chaired the board from 2004 to 2006.

Baldwin, who will serve as the university's interim general counsel, was asked by Penn State President Graham Spanier to establish a new in-house legal department to review contracts and policies, and help lead the search for a permanent attorney.

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Prior to her 2006 appointment to the state Supreme Court, Baldwin was for 16 years an Allegheny County judge and served as a visiting and adjunct professor at Duquesne University, where she earned her law degree.

She also served for 12 years on the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.

Besides her local and state activities, Baldwin has experience in international law. In 1994, she was named a Fulbright scholar and traveled to Zimbabwe, where she lectured at the University of Zimbabwe School of Law and served as an adviser to the country's supreme court.

Baldwin later helped lead judicial education programs in Malawi, Uganda and Tanzania, and in 1998 taught seminars for judges, law professors and students in the People's Republic of China.

She lives in White Oak with her husband, Arthur, a senior engineer at the National Energy Technology Laboratory in South Park.

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Light refreshments will be served following Saturday's events. The Heritage Center is located at 1832 Arboretum Drive in Renziehausen Park. For additional information, call (412) 678-1832 or visit the center's website.

Editor's Note: The editor of Tube City Almanac is a member of the board of directors of McKeesport Heritage Center. However, opinions expressed here do not represent those of McKeesport Heritage Center, its directors or volunteers, and McKeesport Heritage Center does not influence and is not responsible for any content on www.tubecityonline.com.