From Vietnam soldier and law student to mayor of Dublin and father of three, Michael Close has worn many hats in his life. Now, Close says he’s enjoying his time as a grandfather and managing partner of one of central Ohio’s largest law firms. But, he says, arriving at this point in his life was quite a journey.
Dublin Life: What were the circumstances that led to you serving in the Vietnam War?
Michael Close: Having grown up on the west side of Columbus, I was a prime target for the draft during the Vietnam War. This was in the days before the lottery. I managed to go to The Ohio State University for undergraduate school but, since I knew that upon graduation I would be drafted, I enrolled in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and, upon graduation, was commissioned a Second Lieutenant. Fortunately, I was able to pass the pilot aptitude test and, after receiving initial instruction at Ohio State, I went to the U.S. Army flight training program and won my wings. After a brief stop on the West Coast, I reported for duty in Vietnam in April of 1969 and came home in March of 1970. I was released from active duty in February 1971.
DL: What life lessons did you take away from your time in Vietnam?
MC: I think what Vietnam did for most of us who were lucky enough to have survived relatively intact was to make us appreciate the things that are truly important in life and not sweat the small stuff.
DL: What made you decide to attend Capital University Law School following your time in the army?
MC: Both a girl I met on a blind date when I came back from Vietnam – now my wife of almost 44 years, Chris – and my dad thought I should try to get into law school. On a lark, I took the law school admission test and did extremely well. When you look at my undergraduate grades, you would wonder why any law school would let me in, but they did, and the rest is history.
DL: In 1980, you moved to Dublin to build a home with your wife. What drew you to the area?
MC: We had been living several miles down Dublin Road in the Ridgewood subdivision near Hilliard and Upper Arlington. Chris had been raised in Upper Arlington and wanted to move back there, and I wanted to buy a farm. We compromised on a large lot in Dublin and still live in the home that we built there.
DL: You ran for council and, in 1983, you were elected vice mayor. In 1986, you were elected mayor. What inspired you to become involved in politics?
MC: When Chris and I built our house and moved to Dublin in 1980, it was a different world. There were probably 2,500 people living in Dublin at the time, and it seemed like you knew everyone. Whether it was running the soccer league or Dublin youth football or politics, everybody got involved. Having had considerable municipal law experience as a city attorney in Hilliard, I thought I could bring something to the table. In addition, within three years of my completing my house, the City began looking at plans to build a bridge across the river on Brand Road directly through my house. Never having been one to complain if I didn’t have a solution, I decided to run for City Council and help with the planning.
DL: What’s one thing you learned about the City of Dublin during your time as vice mayor and mayor?
MC: Dublin was never afraid to be on the cutting edge. When you add to that the plethora of gifted people who were willing to devote their time and effort to making Dublin a great place to live, I learned that when you have people that are willing to work together and, in my instance, stifle their own selfish interest, you can create a real community. I would add parenthetically that Dublin today has 40,000 more people than it did when we moved here, but in many regards, it is still the same City. One only needs to see how many people volunteer for various City committees and the huge recreation programs run primarily by volunteer labor, to appreciate that as much as everything changed, it is still pretty much the same. Dublin truly is an attitude.
DL: Following your time on City Council, you served as a judge for 10 years before retiring. What have you been up to since leaving the bench?
MC: I retired from the bench at approximately the same time my last child, Brian, graduated from high school. My two boys, Dan and Brian, both graduated from Dublin High School, now Dublin Coffman High School, and my daughter, Allison, graduated from Bishop Watterson High School. Fortunately, two of the three have remained at hand. Allison lives down the street from us with her husband, Rion, and their children, Julian and Addie. Brian lives in Upper Arlington with his wife, Jorie, and their children, Michael, Marley and Billie. Dan and his wife, Anna Marie, live in Chicago with their three kids, Sophia, Charles and August. We are fortunate to see them on a very regular basis. In short, what I’ve been doing is being a grandfather. I find I’m a much better grandfather than I ever was a father. Thank God Chris did a great job of raising the kids. In addition, when I left the bench, I returned to the private practice of law and am now the managing partner in one of the largest law firms in central Ohio, Isaac Wiles Burkholder & Teetor. Several of my partners live in Dublin. It has been a great run, and it is fun to age with all the people I grew up with in Dublin.
Hannah Bealer is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at hbealer@cityscenecolumbus.com.
