Class of 1975
The Honorable R. L. “Chip” Putnam served as a judge for 27 years. He served as the Presiding Judge of the Fresno Municipal Court, the Appellate Department of the Superior Court, and the Juvenile Delinquency Court, in addition to serving on numerous boards and committees. As Presiding Judge of the Juvenile Delinquency Court, Judge Putnam obtained additional mental health services for juvenile inmates and initiated the Character Counts Program. He also initiated an in-custody drug treatment program and created training sessions for pro tem judges.
Judge Putnam envisioned and chaired the development of the ACTION Center (Criminal, Traffic, Infraction, One-stop Network) for court patrons. The success of the center earned the Fresno Superior Court the 2007 KLEPS Award for Innovative Contributions made by an Individual Court in California in the Administration of Justice.
After working for several years as a criminal and family law attorney in his own practice, Judge Putnam joined the Fresno County Public Defender’s Office, and eventually, the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office where he became a Senior Deputy District Attorney.
In November of 1986 Judge Putnam was elected judge of the Municipal Court in the Consolidated Fresno Judicial District. An interim appointment by Governor George Deukmejian led him to officially take office early, due to a vacancy. He was re-elected without opposition in 1992, and again in 1998. He was elevated to the Superior Court by court consolidation, and re-elected in 2004.
Judge Putnam retired from full time service in December of 2006, but continued to sit by assignment until December of 2013. He has been an active Rotary Club member for over 20 years, and was recently awarded the Rotary District Energizer Award, and his club’s Terry Huntsman Spirit Award.