'If there's a problem, fix it': O'Connor's brother shares childhood memories

Sandra Day O'Connor, and her brother Alan Day in 2003.
Sandra Day O'Connor, and her brother Alan Day in 2003.
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Sandra Day O'Connor, the ranch girl from Duncan, Arizona, who grew up to be the first woman to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court, died on Dec. 1.

On Dec. 18, she entered the highest court in the land one last time. Admiring Americans came to pay their respects.

On Dec. 19, President Joe Biden and Chief Justice John Roberts eulogized O’Connor at her funeral at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.

On Dec. 22, her family said goodbye at a private service in Phoenix.

"She and I were discussing a case in chambers. And I think she grew tired of my 'on the one hand, and on the other hand.' She simply got up and said, 'You just have to decide,'" Roberts said in his remarks. "There was impatience in her voice, but I don't think it was entirely due to me. She had made her own decision about the future and announced her retirement six months earlier. I think she was anxious to get it done."

According to those who knew her, that “get it done” attitude was ingrained deep in the woman who grew up self-reliant on a cattle ranch.

'A very bossy big sister': Sandra Day O'Connor receives her final goodbye in Phoenix

Welcome to the final episode of The Gaggle’s miniseries on Sandra Day O’Connor.

This week, we’ve heard from many voices of those who knew O’Connor: her biographer, a historian and a good friend.

Today, we’ll hear from her younger brother, Alan Day. Although 10 years her junior, Alan has vivid memories of a youthful Sandra Day learning to take charge of her life on the family ranch.

National politics reporter and Gaggle host Ron Hansen connected with Alan Day remotely in spring 2022.

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Read the episode transcript here. Please note, there might be slight discrepancies due to the AI used to transcribe the conversation.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Alan Day remembers sister Sandra Day O'Connor on a special Gaggle pod