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When Katie Emmons hears the word appeal, she thinks not of going to a
higher court, but of bells chiming.
The 32-year-old lawyer works at the Securities and Exchange Commission
in Washington D.C., and in her spare time practices "change ringing" -
the ancient "art and science of ringing bells, which developed in
England during the Renaissance. These are not jingle bells she
rings, but two-ton tintinnabula that are found in bell towers.
Ms. Emmons started ringing 10 years ago while attending college.
She wanted to get to know some different people, so when she saw a sign
on the bulletin board recruiting ringers, she chimed in.
As far as the lawyer knows, she is the first active change ringer in
North America to become an attorney. But since she joined the
300-member North American Guild of Change Ringers, four other lawyers
have become members.
In fact, Jim Storey, a partner at Boston's Gaston Snow and Ely Bartlette
is a change ringer, and when Ms. Emmons worked at the firm in the
mid-1970s, the two used to ring together at a tower near the office and
then have a beer, a common pastime of ringers.
In addition to meeting unusual people, Ms. Emmons says she rings because
it's relaxing and good exercise. "Peal ringing," she explains, "is
like running a marathon. It can be very exhausting."
Asked why she enjoys the hobby, Ms. Emmons joked, "I like to make a lot
of noise and disturb a lot of people." Elizabeth M.
Hengeveld, 1/9/1984
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By whom the bell tolls:
Washington D.C. lawyer Katie Emmons spends some of her free time ringing
the bells at such places as the National Cathedral in Washington. |
