Charles Branson, the Douglas County district attorney, spends some of his spare time out on the lake. He is shown here at Clinton Lake.

Editor’s note: Eileen Roddy’s former column, “Cup of Tea,” has become “Slice of Life,” in which she will profile a different local or area resident each week. If you have a suggestion for a person to profile, shoot Roddy an e-mail at roddyphillips@aol.com.

A heart attack changed the course of Charles Branson’s life.

The Douglas County district attorney was 15 years old when he accompanied his father on a tree-cutting job.

“We were on this big-bucket tree truck in Hutchinson when my father turned ashen, clutched his chest and told me to drive him home,” Branson recalls. “I was terrified. I’d never driven before, but knew I had to do it.”

Under his father’s instructions, they got to hospital where his father (now 83) underwent successful triple bypass surgery. The event made a lasting impression on Branson.

“I was a sports-mad freshman hellion,” he said. “My fireman father, like many of his colleagues, needed a second job to make ends meet. I hated that and decided I didn’t want that kind of life.”

Branson quit sports and got a part-time job at a Hutchinson bank where president R.A. Edwards mentored him and encouraged him to go into the financial world. After junior college he went to Kansas University and majored in business administration. He got a job at Douglas County Bank but knew banking wasn’t his passion.

“I loved helping people solve their problems like my father did,” he said. “I dreamed of being a street lawyer – you know, put the shingle outside my office and wait for people to come in. R.A. wrote letters of recommendation for me, and I got into KU law school in 1993.”

Becoming a lawyer

The tenacious negotiating skills learned from his father were soon utilized.

Local lawyer Ronald Schneider needed an experienced clerk.

“I called him persistently for two months until he finally hired me,” Branson says with a laugh.

“I followed him to court and learned how to be a lawyer – that’s very different from just studying law.”

After graduation, he got an old laptop computer, ink jet printer, rented a property near the courthouse and hung his shingle outside.

“My lawyer friends, who got lucrative jobs, thought I was crazy,” he says. “But my wife, Kathy, and I decided we wanted a happy, affordable lifestyle that didn’t depend on making big bucks.”

In addition to his private law practice, he worked part-time as municipal prosecutor in Eudora. He complained regularly about the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office until his friends finally said: “Why don’t you run for the office yourself and change things?”

He did and won. He took office in January 2005 and will remain for a second unopposed term. He’s accomplished a lot, he says, including setting up Douglas County’s first consumer protection program.

His family accompanies him to many charity events, including those related to Van Go Mobile Arts and Big Brothers Big Sisters.

“It’s important to support younger people during the most vulnerable times in their lives,” he says.

Tough times

Being on duty 24/7 has its challenges – especially if he’s informed about a murder at 2 a.m. So how does Branson cope with seeing victims of violent crimes?

“I’ve a wonderful family and great friends,” Branson said. “I work with a first-class team in an open, trusting atmosphere where we provide honest feedback and mutual support. We try to keep a sense of humor.”

He acknowledges it’s hard to erase certain scenes from memory.

“Three years ago, on Father’s Day, we were having fun on our boat at the lake when the phone rang. A father had just beaten his 3-year-old son to death.”

He paused to re-focus.

“I remember that call every Father’s Day,” he said.

Touching moment

He’s fiercely protective and proud of his two children. He wants to love and encourage them like his father and mentor, Edwards, did him.

“I want them to have integrity and honor, a good work ethic, and be happy and trustworthy in whatever they do. I’m so proud of them,” he said.

They’re proud of him, too.

When his son invited him to speak to his first-grade class, Branson was beyond nervous; he didn’t want to disappoint his son.

After the talk, Branson received a treasured note:

“Dear DAD,

I no people get nurves because their surrounded by people and it is hard to talk sometime I get nurves to but you were great dad and I am glad to have a dad like you.”

Tears of pride welled up.

“Sometimes you’re blessed more than you deserve,” Branson says