State of Mississippi Judiciary

100th Bar Memorial Service honors 65 lawyers

October 17, 2006

The Mississippi Bar and the Mississippi Supreme Court on Tuesday, Oct. 17, paid tribute to 65 Mississippi lawyers who died during the past year.

A white candle was lit as each name was read during the 100th annual Bar Memorial Service in the Old Supreme Court Chambers at the State Capitol in Jackson. Mississippi Supreme Court Presiding Justice William L. Waller Jr. of Jackson presided over the gathering of judges, lawyers, friends and family members.

Mississippi Bar President C. York Craig Jr. of Jackson in his eulogy said, “What noble men and women, who gave their lives in service to others....They were lawyers, legislators, judges, Sunday School teachers, avid sports fans, little league baseball coaches, husbands, wives, grandfathers.” Craig said, “We have a wonderful and noble profession, and your loved ones did their part to preserve it, and for that I am so grateful.”

Among those honored were two retired Supreme Court justices, a former Supreme Court administrator, a former circuit judge, a former federal magistrate judge and a former Mississippi Bar president.

Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Jess H. Dickinson of Gulfport, in a response for the Court, said those who were honored Tuesday “assumed upon their shoulders the burdens and problems of society. They took up the causes of the weak and disadvantaged, the single mothers and the children, the mentally incompetent and the aged and the injured, and even the outcasts. Their love of the profession and their commitment to justice was the only hope for so many who were represented by these dedicated lawyers.”

Memorial Committee Chair George Fair of Jackson presented a memorial resolution which read, in part, “While we deeply mourn the deaths of our dear friends and colleagues, we joyfully celebrate their lives and accomplishments in their community and in the noble profession of the law. Their tireless dedication to justice has enriched the lives of all of us.”

Here is a list of the names of the deceased, their hometowns and bar admission dates:

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