Standing, at center, Rev. Jeff Redding, Senior Associate Pastor at Pinelake, Madison, gives the benediction at the Mississippi Bar Memorial Service at the Supreme Court on Oct. 8. Seated, foreground, are Mississippi Bar President-Elect Rhea Tannehill of Oxford, at left, and Bar President Meade Mitchell of Ridgeland.
Seated on the bench are, left to right, Justice James D. Maxwell II of Oxford, Presiding Justice Jim Kitchens of Crystal Springs, Chief Justice Mike Randolph of Hattiesburg, Presiding Justice Leslie D.King of Greenville, Justice Robert P. Chamberlin of Hernando, and Justice David M. Ishee of Gulfport.
The Mississippi Supreme Court, Mississippi Bar leaders, family members and friends on Oct. 8 honored 112 lawyers and judges who died during the past year. The Mississippi Bar Memorial Service is a solemn annual tradition of the bench and bar.
Mississippi Bar President Meade Mitchell of Ridgeland in his eulogy said, “Each of the lawyers we honor today served their clients, the legal system and the pursuit of justice very well. Some of them practiced many years, and for others, their time with us was too short.”
Mitchell said that many he knew well; others he knew only by reputation. He recalled John Corlew as “a fantastic lawyer.” Among the list are respected judges, and a former Bar President, Grady F. Tollison Jr. of Oxford. “I know that we all benefit from the life they lived and the legacy they leave behind,” Mitchell said.
Supreme Court Presiding Justice Jim Kitchens of Crystal Springs in a response on behalf of the Court said, “All of them understood that lawyers exist to assist and to serve other people, not just their paying clients. And throughout their careers they were mindful, day after day, of their never-ending obligation to the cause of justice.” Justice Kitchens said that those who were memorialized were “women and men who helped provide the glue that holds and American system of justice together.”
Bar President-elect Rhea Tannehill of Oxford read the Bar’s memorial resolution, which said, in part, “Whereas, we recognize and give thanks for the legacy of each in shaping this honored profession both in Mississippi and beyond. While some gave decades of service, the careers of others were cut short, but we acknowledge each had an impact on the pursuit of justice and upholding the rule of law; and accordingly we celebrate the legacy and memory of their dedication and contributions to our profession; and Whereas, we give thanks for the devoted public service of those we honor today, and we acknowledge that, without their devotion, and often sacrifice, which they exemplified, the liberty and freedoms we enjoy today would be endangered and our individual lives diminished.”
Tannehill read each name of the deceased.
Recent deaths included former Supreme Court Chief Justice Edwin Lloyd Pittman of Ridgeland, former Supreme Court Justice James L. Robertson of Jackson, and former Court of Appeals Chief Judge John. J. Fraiser Jr. of Starkville. Trial judges who passed away include Circuit Judge Claiborne “Buddy” McDonald IV of Picayune, retired Circuit Judge Andrew C. Baker of Charleston, Senior U.S. District Judge Neal B. Biggers Jr. of Oxford, retired Chancellor J. Shannon Clark of Waynesboro, retired Hinds County Circuit Judge William A. Gowan Jr. of Madison, retired Chancellor L. Melvin McClure Jr. of Senatobia, retired Chancellor Franklin C. McKenzie Jr. of Laurel; retired Workers Compensation Commission Administrative Law Judge Virginia W. Mounger of Jackson, Municipal Judge Philip Hal Neilson of Oxford, retired Hinds County Court Judge Melvin Priester Sr. of Jackson, retired Circuit Judge Kenneth B. Robertson of Pascagoula, retired Hinds County Chancellor Stuart Robinson of Jackson, retired County Court Judge Patricia B. Sims of Oxford, retired Chancellor George D. Warner Jr. of Meridian, and retired Hinds County Circuit Judge W. Swan Yerger of Jackson.
Attorneys memorialized were: Lee B. Agnew Jr., Jackson; Bethel T. Amos, Dade City, Fla.; Melinda Bryant Arrington, Hazlehurst; Dorrance Aultman, Hattiesburg; William H. Austin Jr., Southaven; Russell L. Bailey Jr., Clarksdale; James E. Baine, El Dorado, Ark.; Nathan Bass, Nashville, Tenn.; Charles A. Becker Jr., Water Valley; Charles S. Bidgood III, Meridian; Michael W. Boyd, Greenville; Jim R. Bruce II, Kennett, Mo.; Thomas W. Burt, Montrose, Ala.; Matthew D. Busby, Natchez; Kevin J. Carroll, Tallahassee, Fla.; Bernard W. Chill Jr., Jackson; John T. Church, Hanahan, S.C.; Jeptha C. Clemens, Oxford; Doyle L. Coats, Gulfport; Thomas R. Cobb, New Albany; Revia N. Cohen, Madison; Robert D. Coit, Chunky; Suzanne M. Collipp, Pearl; Richard C. Conant, Ocean Springs; John G. Corlew, Jackson; John J. Crow Jr., Water Valley; Oscar E. Davis Jr., Little Rock, Ark.; Jerry L. Delaughter, Biloxi; Donald R. Downs, Corinth; David M. Duckworth, Nashville, Tenn.; Katherine D. Ervin, Oxford; James O. Ford, Tupelo; John W. Gary III, North Palm Beach, Fla.; Wilfred W. Geisenberger, Natchez; James R. Gilfoy IV, Saltillo; Timothy L. Gowan, Macon; R. Stewart Guernsey, Water Valley; Frances S. Gustafson, Atlanta, Ga.; Robert D. Harrison, Ridgeland; Deborah K. Hester, Long Beach; E. Clifton Hodge Jr., Baton Rouge, La.; Joel W. Howell III, Jackson; Jay H. Hurdle, Starkville; John W. Hutto, Hattiesburg; Robert W. Johnson, Asheville, N.C.; William W. Johnson, Madison; Barry K. Jones, Jackson; William H. Jones, Petal; Earl P. Jordan Jr., Meridian; Harold R. Jumper, Booneville; Ernest Lane III, Oxford; Almond G. Lumpkin Sr., Poplarville; McGehee V. Marsh, Memphis, Tenn.; Sarah A. McDavid, Jackson; Carl A. MeGehee, Natchez; Anselm J. McLaurin, Brandon; William E. McLendon, Spring, Texas; Joseph L. McNamara, Jackson; Clyde C. McRaney Jr., Collins; Frank L. McWilliams, Jackson; Alan E. Michel, Spanish Fort, Ala.; George K. Mihalyka, Vicksburg; Jane Stroble Miller, Farragut, Tenn.; Jimmy L. Miller, Marks; Samuel M. Millette Jr., Destin, Fla.; Robert H. Milner Jr., Gulfport; Shella M. Montgomery, Jackson; Jack G. Moss, Raymond; Paul E. Moyers, Jackson; Albert L. Necaise, Gulfport; Judith W. Overall, Booneville; Felecia Perkins, Jackson; Morris Clayton Phillips Jr., Carthage; Elizabeth M. Phipps, Jackson; Charles K. Pringle, Biloxi; Tony P. Provenza, Greenville; William M. Rainey, Franklin, Tenn.; J. Scott Rogers, Jackson; Rex F. Sanderson, Houston; Lynn J. Segars, Iuka; Thomas L. Segrest, Birmingham, Ala.; James S. Simmons, Florence; Ferr Smith, Canton; James F. Steel, Hattiesburg; Wayne L. Sterling, Canton; Frederick P. Strickland Jr., Louisville; Senith C. Tipton, Jackson; Grady F. Tollison Jr., Oxford; Betty L. Ward, Ocean Springs; Crystal L. Welch, Jackson; Joseph Q. White Jr., Pascagoula; William R. Wilson Jr., Oxford; Charles E. Wood, Long Beach; and Emmett N. Young, Tallahassee, Fla.
Mitchell said, “They are in your hearts. They are in your souls. They will always be there.”