He’s a man focused on integrity. He has an admirable work ethic and intelligence. He’s willing to tackle the tough issues, especially if it betters the lives of children.

Those are the qualities that have earned Coos County Circuit Judge Richard Barron one of the highest honors in Oregon for judicial excellence. Lawyers and judges from around the state gathered in Portland on Friday night to bestow Barron with the Wallace P. Carson Jr. award for Judicial Excellence.

“Judge Barron represents every ideal a judge can represent in a community. His impact on the people of Coos and Curry County has been enormous, and he has gained the respect of every facet of the bar, and legions of community leaders,” Oregon State Bar President Albert Menashe said in a press release.

It’s only the second time the Oregon Bar has given out the award. The first year it went to the man for which it’s named.

“I think you’re always surprised at receiving an award like this,” Barron said this morning. “You don’t go out and ask for it.”

He was 34, the youngest circuit judge in Oregon, at the time he stepped onto the bench. It was Feb. 29, 1980. Barron was a different person then, having worked for 10 years in private practice. In those days he was tasked with changing his role in court from being an adversary to an independent decision-maker.

In talking about his early judgeship days, it’s a conversation about putting one’s mind around the concepts of the strong rule of law, about democracy and that to succeed in such a pursuit a country must have judicial independence. But when it comes to the daily shuffling of paper and people into the courtroom, Barron spends much of his time with teenagers, children and families, as the family/juvenile court judge. That’s been his focus for 26 of his 27 years on the bench.

“I had a personal view of kids that age and I think that helped,” said Barron, who at the time went home to a 14-year-old and an 10-year-old.

Over the decades, that personal attention and his approach to handling juvenile and family cases earned him the respect of child case workers — and nomination support from Nancylee Stewart, the Child Welfare Program manager in Coos and Curry counties.

“He really takes time to strongly acknowledge the progress that youth have made and celebrate it publicly. That really makes a big difference,” Stewart said.

He works hard to find solutions that are fair, yet is firm when people don’t follow through, she added. And for Stewart, her respect for Barron goes back 22 years to when she moved here to work in her field. It was election time, Barron’s name was on the ballot. He was running unopposed.

“I had to run to register to vote for him,” she said. “I personally feel he sets the gold standard.”

Barron has changed over the years and so has the bench. Judges in Oregon have strived for more access and cultural awareness. There are more minority and more women judges, he said. That’s brought about a broader view for courts, which are more able to handle society’s problems.

“There is a younger, enthusiastic group coming on who really care about people and different aspects of the law,” Barron said.

But it’s Barron’s enthusiasm and willingness to seek new approaches to solve ongoing problems that have surprised and pleased groups working with troubled families. For Judy Moody, the executive director of the Women’s Safety and Resource Center, Barron solidified her admiration when he started suggesting victims attend domestic violence education classes before agreeing to drop their restraining orders.

“He does not blame victims if they return to an abuser. He understands the complicated dynamics of it,” Moody said.

Even now, Barron is involved in a new program in the local courts to help families with children younger than 3. The goal is to give them intensive help in building strong bonds with their children.

“I’ve always felt, I guess, I’ve had the best job in the judiciary. Being a trial judge is extremely interesting,” Barron said.

He enjoys having first crack at deciding how to interpret law and statutes. He also enjoys watching trial lawyers and Coos County has some of the best.

“The public would, I hope, come and watch trials — the trials we have with very good lawyers,” Barron said.

But, those who go to the Coos County Courthouse in Coquille to watch trials will see more than good lawyers; they’ll see Oregon’s 2007 award winner for judicial excellence in action.