A pair of state officials stopped by the home of a local resident on Monday to honor the man for his service to his community and his country.

State Sen. Rusty Crowe and State Rep. John Holsclaw Jr. visited with retired judge Arden Hill and presented him with a Senate Proclamation issued in his honor.

Hill, 94, is a World War II veteran. While Hill spent the majority of his adult life pursuing truth as an attorney and later a judge, he laughed and said he began his military service with a lie so the military would accept him. That lie, he said was not about his age, as a lie told by so many of his brothers in arms. For Hill, the lie had to do with medical issues with his ears that could have kept him from serving.

After returning from the service, Hill attended school to pursue a career in law, which ultimately led to him seeking election to the judiciary.

Hill was elected in 1974 to serve as Criminal Court Judge for the 1st Judicial District, comprised of Carter, Washington, Unicoi, and Johnson Counties.

“I was a General Sessions Judge for eight years before that,” Hill said.

Hill retired from the bench in 1998 after a judicial career that spanned 32 years. During his tenure, Hill presided over several high-profile cases throughout the District.

“I was honored to serve,” Hill said.

While he may have hung up his black robes, Hill maintains an active lifestyle and is still an avid outdoorsman, enjoying walking and hunting. These days he mainly hunts turkeys and deer, but in his younger days he also hunted elk and grouse.

“His hunting prowess was chronicled in a short film for Winchester Rifles in honor of the company’s 150th anniversary,” said Crowe.

The proclamation which Crowe and Holsclaw presented to Hill noted some of his accomplishments as a judge, a service member, and an outdoorsman.

“Throughout his estimable life, Arden Hill has demonstrated the utmost ability and integrity, winning the unbridled respect and admiration of all the people whose lives he has touched,” the proclamation states.