Donald J. Metcalfe

METCALFE, DONALD JUAN (1937 ~ ). Don Metcalfe was born March 2, 1937, in Chicago, Illinois, the son of James J. and Lillian Hammer Metcalfe. His father was born in Berlin, Germany; his mother was born in Stravanger, Norway. His father earned a law degree at Loyola University in Chicago in 1931. After graduation, he served as a special agent of the FBI from 1931-36, participating directly in cases involving John Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson.

Later, his father was a reporter for the then Chicago Times, and won the National Headliners Club Medal of Honor for the best news story of 1937, an undercover expose of the German Bund in the United States. From 1945 until his death in 1960, his father authored the nationally syndicated column. "Portraits," poems which appeared daily in over 150 newspapers in the United States through the Chicago Sun-Times Syndicate.

Don Metcalfe grew up in Dallas, graduating from Highland Park High School in 1954, where - during his senior year - he was District batting champion for the 1954 Highland Park state runner-up baseball team and earned All-District and All-State honors. At Southern Methodist University, he earned a B.A. degree in 1958 and a J.D. degree in 1960; while at SMU, he served as Chairman of the Student's Publishing Board, and was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha, Sigma Delta Chi and Delta Theta Phi fraternities.

In 1959, Don Metcalfe and Linda Minshew married in Hawkins, Linda's east Texas hometown. Linda graduated from Tyler Junior College in 1957 and with honors from the University of North Texas in 1959. They have three children: Robert Scott Metcalfe, Anthony Thomas "Tony" Metcalfe and Carol Ann Metcalfe Thomas, and five grandchildren: Julian Metcalfe, Andrew Thomas, Sarah Thomas Newman, Phillip Metcalfe and Elizabeth Metcalfe. Don Metcalfe practiced law in Dallas for 24 years and served as Judge of Criminal District Court No. 2, Dallas County for 12 years.

Beginning in 1996, he served by assignment as a Senior District Judge in the First Administrative Judicial Region. During his legal career, he was a member of the Dallas, Texas and American Bar Associations, serving on various committees. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Dallas County Criminal Bar Association, Chairman of the Criminal Law Section of the Dallas Bar Association and a member of the Dallas County Bail Bond Board and Juvenile Board. He was also Presiding Judge of the Dallas County District Judges. He also served on the Texas Attorney General's Commission for Bail Reform and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals' Rule Advisory Committee. He attended courses at the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada; the Texas Judicial College and the American Academy of Judicial Education, and served as an instructor in criminal justice at Dallas Baptist University.   He was a Staff Sergeant in the Texas Air National Guard from 1960 to 1966.

He authored a number of articles, and published five books:  So You're Going to Be a Judge, a primer for new judges (co-authored with Judge John Marshall of Dallas); 40 Years of Christian Radio, a history of radio station KCBI in Dallas; G-Man Poet, a biography of his FBI-agent father James J. Metcalfe; 50 Years of History, a history of the First Baptist Church of Dallas from 1968 to 2018; and 100 Years on Radio, a history of the radio ministry of First Baptist Church of Dallas.   He also co-authored the 40th anniversary yearbook of the Texas Center for the Judiciary.

Since 1959, Don and Linda were members of the First Baptist Church in Dallas, where he served as a deacon beginning in 1975. Don also served as trustee of Criswell Bible College, Dallas Christian Academy and Hope for the Heart. He also served on the Executive Board of the Southern Baptist of Texas Convention.

Information provided by Judge Don Metcalfe.