BY JANE PRENDERGAST
The Cincinnati Enquirer
OWENTON, Ky. — Charles Satterwhite may have been best-known as the judge who presided over the Carrollton bus crash trial in 1989. But in more recent years, it was the fight for his life that put him in the spotlight.
The circuit judge for Grant, Owen and Carroll counties was shown golfing in the television commercials he did to promote organ donation. He was the picture of health as he described his connection to the issue — he had two transplanted lungs.
But an infection cut the 50-year-old's life short Tuesday. He died in Jewish Hospital, Louisville. He is survived by his wife, Paula, and daughter, Sara, 11.
In 1989, he presided over the trial of Larry Mahoney, the pickup driver charged in the bus crash, the nation's worst drunken-driving accident. Twenty-seven people on their way back from a church trip to Kings Island died. Judge Satterwhite had suffered from cystic fibrosis for 35 years, once dropping to barely more than 100 pounds. In fall 1996, he was told he'd have just 12-15 months to live without a transplant. He got the new lungs in February 1997.
About 30,000 Americans have cystic fibrosis. The disease occurs when people inherit two defective copies of a gene, one from each parent. It causes excessive amounts of mucus in the bronchial tubes, which results in lung infections. For most patients, the life expectancy is about 30 years.
After his transplant, Judge Satterwhite wrote a thank-you letter, sent anonymously to his donor's family.
“I wanted them to make sure they knew how much I appreciated their gift of life; it's definitely a second chance in life for me,” he said. “Every day I wake up and realize how grateful I am for the wonderful gift the donor gave me.”
Arrangements are not finalized.
