Honorable Sylvia H. Rambo

 The Honorable Sylvia H. Rambo, federal district court judge, passed away peacefully on December 23, 2024. She was born on April 17, 1936 to Granville A. Rambo and Hilda E. Rambo (later Pierce). She was the widow of George F. Douglas, Jr., Esquire. She was predeceased by her brother, Robert Pierce, and sister, Ruth Coulson. She is survived by a brother, Granville A. Rambo, Jr. of Poughkeepsie, NY, four stepchildren, Patricia Donnelly of Rutland, VT, Deborah Stoup, George F. Douglas, III, and William P. Douglas, all of Carlisle, PA, and 8 step-grandchildren. She is also survived by brother-in-law Barry Coulson and 8 nieces and nephews, including Ruth’s children with whom she had a special bond and lifelong influence: Todd Coulson (Stephanie) of Carlisle, PA, Joel Coulson (Tracy) of Little Falls, NY, and Jody Coulson-Robinson (Richard) of Muncy, PA. Additionally, she is survived by 14 great-nieces and nephews.

A special thank-you is given to the family of S. E. and Betty Alsbaugh, who opened their hearts and home to Sylvia and her sister Ruth after the unexpected death their mother.

 Judge Rambo was a graduate of Carlisle High School, Dickinson College, and The Dickinson School of Law. Following law school graduation, she worked in the trust department for the Bank of Delaware. After six months, Judge Rambo returned to Carlisle to engage in the private practice of law. She served as an Assistant Public Defender and Chief Public Defender in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, as well as an assistant professor and adjunct professor of law at the Dickinson School of Law. Judge Rambo served on the Court of Common Pleas of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania from November 15, 1976 to January 1, 1978. On August 8, 1979, she was appointed to the bench of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania by President Jimmy Carter. From September 1, 1992 to August 30, 1999, Judge Rambo served as Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. She assumed senior status April 18, 2001, and retired on August 30, 2024. She was the only female in her law school class, the first female public defender and chief public defender in Cumberland County. She was also the first female judge in Cumberland County, and the first female judge and Chief Judge of the Middle District bench. She will long be remembered for blazing a trail for women in the field of law.

 Judge Rambo presided over many notable civil and criminal federal cases. A few of her civil cases were those arising from the 1979 accident at Three Mile Island, the 1989 riot at Camp Hill State Prison, and the Keystone Sanitation superfund case, Cordero by Bates v. Pennsylvania Department of Education, which led to landmark improvements to the system under which Pennsylvania provides statutorily mandated special education services to public school children. 

 During her tenure as a federal judge, she served as a member of many committees: the Third Circuit Judicial Council; the Committee for the Administration of Magistrate Judges System of the Judicial Conference of the United States; Third Circuit Committee on the Drafting of Model Criminal Jury Instructions; the Pennsylvania Bar Association on Legal Services to the Needy; the Board of Directors of the Cumberland County Bar Foundation; the former Board of Governors for the Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law; the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law; the Board of Counselors of the Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law; the General Alumni Association for the Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law; and the Executive Committee for the Cumberland County Chapter of the American Inns of Court, also serving a term as President of that organization.

 In 2003, she was named point person for the court on the design and construction of the new federal courthouse in Harrisburg, PA, which now bears her name.

 Honoraria include Doctor of Law degrees from Wilson College, The Dickinson School of Law, Dickinson College, Shippensburg University, and Widener University School of Law. She was the first recipient of The Sylvia H. Rambo Award from the Dickinson School of Law Women’s Law Caucus and received the Alumni of the Year Award from the Dickinson School of Law.

 Judge Rambo was a faithful member of Second Presbyterian Church since 1961 and, during the course of her membership, served six 3-year terms on the Board of Trustees (one term as president). She also served on various other church committees and was a member of the choir.

Todd, Jody, Joel, and their families would like to thank Christian Companion and Heartland Hospice for their compassionate care of their beloved Aunt Syl.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am on January 10th at Second Presbyterian Church, 528 Garland Dr., Carlisle, PA. Burial is private.  

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that any memorial gifts be made to the Rambo Douglas Scholarship at Dickinson Law c/o Penn State Dickinson Law, Lewis Katz Hall, 150 S. College Street, Carlisle, PA 17013 or at raise.psu.edu/DickinsonLaw.