She's no Judge Judy, nor does she want to be. For Donetta Wypiski Ambrose, an Arnold native and Lower Burrell resident, the Alle-Kiski Valley is all the public venue she needs or wants. Now chief judge of the Western District of Pennsylvania, the Honorable Donetta Ambrose received her lifetime federal judicial appointment on Nov. 24, 1993, from then-President Bill Clinton. One of about 625 federal judges in the country, she presides over civil and criminal cases involving federal statutes and laws. A variety of diverse issues appear before her daily and could include constitutional issues, drug cases, racketeering or patent infringement. Among her log of 400 civil cases is the much publicized Babcock & Wilcox case out of Apollo that revolves around possible violations of the Nuclear Regulatory Act. Ambrose also deals with numerous discrimination cases, ranging from employment, age and race, to sexual and disability based cases. "I have the greatest job in the world," said Ambrose, whose love of law started her in first day in class. She found the study of law to be the most academically fulfilling experience and still does. Yet her legal aspirations never surfaced until her later college years, when she met Carol Mansmam, a law student, who became her friend and mentor. The world might have lost an English teacher, but the legal profession gained a tireless dynamo with a thirst for more. "I love the drama of the courtroom and being in the arena," said Ambrose, who also "likes the story behind the case." Her own story began in Arnold, where her father, Chester Wypiski, 90, still lives. Her late mother, Mary, made her believe she could do anything, and her parents placed a high value on education. With a loving and supporting family, it never occurred to Ambrose to leave the Valley. "It's real here. It keeps you grounded," she said. "It's nice to have that rooted feeling, to know where your roots are." Those roots spread out to include friendships of long-standing. In fact, Ambrose credits her friends for getting her elected a judge in the first place -- in 1981, when female judges were a rarity. "Wonderful people pitched in and helped me," Ambrose said. "My hometown got me elected." Lifelong friends, friends from high school, friends such as George DeSimone, Jim Collodi and Jim Palochik, whose only payment was seeing her elected to the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas. "Family and friendship," Ambrose said. "That's what makes this a special place." In addition to wonderful friends she's made in the legal community, she also meets with six college friends annually. She also has a high school "class reunion" virtually every day, running into friends everywhere she goes. "I've known Terry Van Horne since first grade," she said, referring to the former state representative from Lower Burrell, who shares office space in New Kensington with her husband, Ray Ambrose, also an attorney. The couple have been married for 30 years. They have a son, J.R., a Harvard law school graduate whose legal speciality keeps him in Boston, where he remains true to his roots and the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pirates. Ambrose regards her marriage and her son as the "best joint effort ever" that she and her husband have accomplished, either personally or professionally. Approachable, personable and a real "Valley girl" -- Alle-Kiski Valley, that is -- you can find Ambrose daily working up a sweat at the New Kensington YMCA where she takes spinning classes and step aerobics. A self-proclaimed "news junkie," she also is a voracious reader. She puts former Pittsburgher and Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Chabon at the top of her list, along with Richard Russo, David McCullough, and friend and former lawyer, Lisa Scottoline, a Philadelphia mystery writer. She enjoys traveling and was recently a delegate for the International Association of Women Judges in Ireland, where she met with 180 other judges from around the world. Having accompanied her husband on "the grand tour of all the national parks there are," he plans to reward her with a beach vacation in the Dominican Republic. World traveler, gardener, judge, friend, public speaker, former Duquesne University Women's Law Association Woman of the Year, supportive and loving wife and mother. Girl next door? Ambrose might dispute that last image, but she would agree that life in her hometown is wonderful. In fact, she plans to continue living in Lower Burrell after she retires. Recently, she ran into a former high school classmate who lives in Mechanicsburg and was visiting family in the Valley. When she learned that Ambrose still lives in Lower Burrell, she looked at her in disbelief. "You never got very far, did you?"

Donetta Wypiski Ambrose

Age: 57. Hometown: Lower Burrell. Family: Husband, Ray Ambrose, 60; son, J.R. Ambrose, 28. Favorite thing about the Valley: Her family and friends. Motto for the Valley: "Western Pennsylvania's best-kept secret."

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