MEMORIAL RESOLUTION 2008

2008 MEMORIAL RESOLUTIONS

Memorial to

Leon W. Davis, Jr.

As prepared by Gayle A. Lattimore and Robert D. Hale

 

It is a great honor that Robert D. Hale and I have been called upon to memorialize the life of Leon W. Davis, Jr., and we do so with great humility.


Leon was born on May 11, 1927. He dies on June 13, 2007, at the age of 80. A native of Nashville, he had resided in the Chattanooga area for the past 50 years. He graduated from Father Ryan High School in Nashville in 1946 where he was an outstanding athlete. He was a veteran of World War II and Korea, serving in the United States Army with the 5th Regimental Combat Team and was also as veteran of the United States Navy. Following his military service, he was awarded his Juris Doctor degree from the Cumberland School of Law and settled in Chattanooga where among many other things, he raised five children, Gail, Jeff, Carol, Leigh Ann and Amy. As Bob and I recall, there were several years where Leon had more than one child in college at the same time which, as we all know, is a formidable task.


Chattanooga was fortunate that Leon chose it to be his home. He served Hamilton County as delinquent tax attorney for 17 years. He also served as assistant County Attorney, Representative in the State Legislature, and Special Legal Counsel to the Hamilton County Legislative Delegation.


He practiced private law for 30 years and was a past member of the Chattanooga and American Bar Associations. He was also certified to practice law before the Supreme Court. He was a life member of the Sertoma Club and past President and founding member of the Tennessee Claims Association.


Bob and I both joined Leon in 1973. In July of that year, Bob associated his practice with Leon and the late Jim Turner. In September of that same year, I came on board as their legal secretary. That liaison continued until about 1982 when Leon moved his practice to a smaller environment.


On a very personal note, I don’t know if I would be standing before you today, memorializing Leon’s life as husband, father, veteran, legislator, or attorney, if it hadn’t been for him. Bear in mind that I was only his secretary, but he had confidence in my abilities and encouraged my endeavors. That confidence instilled in me a desire to one day become an attorney myself.


Leon was an excellent lawyer and mentor, and Bob and I considered him a true friend. During our years working with Leon, we witnessed over and over again – first-hand – his dedicated advocacy on behalf of his clients. It would be impossible to recount them here.


In spite of his dedication to his clients and to the State and County, Leon was also dedicated to his family, and was one of the fortunate few attorneys who, with careful planning, was actually able to retire. Following his retirement from the practice of law, he was a member of the North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy, and a member of the Hummer Bird Study Group, as well as a supporter of several charitable organizations.


I had the opportunity to speak with Leon at length following my graduation from law school while studying for the bar exam. He uplifted me and encouraged my efforts then just as he had done in 1973 – urging me on and instilling in me a confidence not quite felt. But that was just like Leon – to consider the possibilities and look positively at every endeavor!


Leon leaves to carry on his legacy his beloved wife, Monteen; his five children and their spouses, Gail David Catron and Nick; Jeffrey Hall Davis and wife Sandy; Carol Davis Taylor and husband Lee, Leigh Ann Coleman and husband Tim; Amy Davis Lamsey and husband Daniel; step-daughter, Konnie Smithers and husband Alvin; nine grandchildren, Laura Marle Catron, Kathryn Davis Ledbetter, Martha Lindsey Davis, Lindsey Allyson Taylor, Jeffery Coleman Taylor, Matthew Davis Lamsey, Phillip Louis Lamsey, John Thomas Lamsey an Nathan II Smithers; and his former wife, Charlene Hall Wiley. His friendly, jovial personality and dedication will always be remembered by the Bar Association and his family and friends.


THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED in a special Memorial Session on this 4th day of March 2008, that Leon W. Davis, Jr.’s good deeds and kindness be memorialized through this resolution and be adopted by this association as words of respect, praise and memory.


BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be filed in the archives of the Chattanooga Bar Association and be enrolled in the Memorial Resolution Book of the Circuit and Chancery Courts of Chattanooga, Tennessee; and that a copy be presented to his family as a token of the esteem and honor in which he has been held, and as an expression of our very deep sympathy in our mutual loss.


Chattanooga Bar Association

Cynthia D. Hall, President


Memorial to

James H. Jarvis, II

As prepared by Curtis L. Collier, Thomas Phillips and Leon Jordan

 

James H.  Jarvis II, a judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, died on June 6, 2007 at the age of 70.


Jim Jarvis was born February 28, 1937 in Knoxville, Tennessee, the son of a well-respected trial attorney, Howard F. Jarvis, and his wife, Eleanor B. Jarvis.  He followed his father into the law and received his J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1960. From 1960 to 1972 he was engaged in private practice, where he was a skillful and well-respected trial attorney.


He served on the bench for most of his professional career. In 1972 he was appointed judge of the Law and Equity Court for Blount County, Tennessee. In 1977 he was elected judge of the 30th Judicial Circuit Court for Blount County.  On October 12, 1984, President Ronald Reagan appointed him United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee where he served until his death following a courageous battle with lung cancer.


On the bench he was a dedicated and highly respected jurist. Judge Jarvis had the sharpest of legal intellects, but without the slightest hint of pretension. The many decisions he rendered in his 35 years on the bench demonstrated that he possessed no personal agenda; rather, his only agenda was to decide the case before him justly and in accordance with the appropriate legal precedents. He was blessed with what can only be described as an uncommon amount of common sense. That gift gave him the ability to discern that fine line between law and equity, a line that sometimes only the finest of trial judges can see clearly. He always sought justice, but understood the role that compassion plays in justice.


Judge Jarvis never forgot what it was like to be a trial lawyer and treated all lawyers who appeared before him with great respect. He was admired and respected tremendously by the bar. In 2002 he was awarded the Knoxville Bar Association First Judicial Excellence Award.  In 2004 he was honored as Trial Judge of the Year by the American Board of Trial Advocates. While on the State bench, he was a member of the Executive Committee of the Tennessee Trial Judges Association and the Tennessee Judicial Conference, where he served as president from 1983-1984.


One of Judge Jarvis’s most visible accomplishments occurred in 1995 while he was Chief Judge of the district court when he spearheaded the acquisition of the Whittle Communications Complex on Main Avenue as the Howard H. Baker Jr. United States Courthouse. Countless hours of work were required to convince government officials of the practicality of this venture, and it was by his unwavering belief in this project and his dedication to it that the building was acquired by the government and the courthouse became a reality.  The acquisition of this property and its ultimate use by the court could not possibly have been accomplished without Judge Jarvis’s vision, determination, and persistence.


Judge Jarvis was a member of the Board of Advisors of the University of Tennessee College of Law (Speakers Series), a past member of the Board of Directors of Maryville College, Maryville, Tennessee, past member of the Board of Detoxification Rehabilitation Institute of Knoxville, and past members of the Board of the Metropolitan Knoxville YMCA.


Judge Jarvis was survived by his wife Gail Stone Jarvis, his five children, James H. Jarvis, III, Leslie Pryor, Ann Pruitt, Kathryn Jarvis, and Louise Flynn, and five grandchildren. 


THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED in a special Memorial Session on this 4th day of March 2008, that James H. Jarvis, II’s good deeds and kindness be memorialized through this resolution and be adopted by this association as words of respect, praise and memory.


BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be filed in the archives of the Chattanooga Bar Association and be enrolled in the Memorial Resolution Book of the Circuit and Chancery Courts of Chattanooga, Tennessee; and that a copy be presented to his family as a token of the esteem and honor in which he has been held, and as an expression of our very deep sympathy in our mutual loss.


Chattanooga Bar Association

Cynthia D. Hall, President


Memorial to

B. Stewart Jenkins

As prepared by Rheubin M. Taylor

 

B. Stewart Jenkins, one of Chattanooga’s outstanding trial attorneys, died on October 18, 2007, at the age of 68.


Stewart frequently referred to himself, and was jokingly referenced by others, as “just a country lawyer from Shinbone Valley, Alabama.  He moved to Chattanooga after graduating from the University of Alabama School of Law, and practiced law in the area for 43 years. At the time of his death, Stewart was the senior partner of the law firm of Jenkins & Habenicht, P.C.  Over the years, he had been a partner with other distinguished barristers as Ward Crutchfield, Don Moore, Dick Teeter, Walter Grantham, II, and Troy Wolfe. 


In 1973, he and his partners pioneered among local law firms when they gave a newly-licensed Black attorney wearing an Afro hairstyle an opportunity to become an associate in their law firm, where I remained for more than ten years.


Stewart was a member of First Baptist Church, Golden Gateway, and the Tennessee, Alabama, and American Bar Associations. In recognition of his judgmental qualities, the local Chancellors appointed Stewart as their designee to the Board of Trustees of Erlanger Hospital, where he served for eight years. 


Throughout his professional career, Stewart loved the preparation and practice of the law. He would spend endless hours preparing for forthcoming trials by doing the needed research and strategizing on how he would put a “zinger” in on his legal opponent. Yet despite being a fierce courtroom advocate, Stewart could be the best of friends to all of his fellow attorneys.  He was known for his great sense of humor, and loved to play practical jokes on his closest friends.  He was also known to tell a joke or two that might be labeled “politically incorrect” if broadcast in wider circles; and it was only his closest of friends that knew his tightly kept secret… that the “B” in his name stood for “Boyd”. 


Stewart enjoyed life, and being in association with other people.  Even though Tennessee was he and Kathryn’s home for more than 40 years, he remained a staunch University of Alabama football fan. He looked forward to rising early each morning and meeting others for breakfast at one of his favorite restaurants; going to the office to work until time to go to several court appearances; designating at which restaurant he and his entire office staff would meet for lunch; spend the afternoons meeting clients; and fraternizing with friends, clients, and employees in the late afternoon before going home to spend the evening with Kathryn.  In recent years, Stewart and Kathryn purchased a second home in Atlanta so they could spend quality family time with their expanded family of daughters, son-in-laws, and grandchildren. 


Stewart loved, greatly cherished, and often spoke of his family… his devoted wife of 48 years, Kathryn, their three daughters, Beth, Laura, and Mary; his son-in-laws, Buddy, Ellis, and Jamie; and his six grandchildren.


THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED in a special Memorial Session on this 4th day of March 2008, that Robert Kirk Walker’s good deeds and kindness be memorialized through this resolution and be adopted by this association as words of respect, praise and memory.


BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be filed in the archives of the Chattanooga Bar Association and be enrolled in the Memorial Resolution Book of the Circuit and Chancery Courts of Chattanooga, Tennessee; and that a copy be presented to his family as a token of the esteem and honor in which he has been held, and as an expression of our very deep sympathy in our mutual loss.


Chattanooga Bar Association

Cynthia D. Hall, President


Memorial to

Daniel West Oehmig

As prepared by Judge Don W. Poole

 

Daniel West Oehmig, a fine lawyer, a fascinating multifaceted person, died Sunday morning, June 10, 2007. 


Dan's education began in the bosom of his family and in the area around his home which included the banks of the Tennessee River, the Chattanooga Golf and Country Club, and pastures and woods. His formal education began at Bright School and continued at Baylor School where he excelled at wrestling and football. In 1938, in his senior year he was named captain of the Baylor football and wrestling teams. 


Dan went on to play varsity football with the University of Virginia. While at the university he started for the celebrated 1941 Cavalier football team which boasted all-American running back, Bill Dudley, and to this day recorded the best record of any UVA football team, 10-1. The only loss came to Yale in the last game of the season.


Dan dropped out of UVA to enlist in the U.S. Army during the Nazi and Japanese onslaughts. As a first lieutenant he led troops in combat throughout the atolls of the South Pacific. After the armistice was signed he returned to UVA to complete his BA degree and, in 1948, his LLB degree from the school of law. He entered to practice law in Chattanooga in 1949. 


Dan worked as a lawyer in Chattanooga during the 1950s and until the mid-1960's and built a very successful law practice. For example, he served as legal counsel in the merger of First Flight Golf Company with the Arnold Palmer Golf Company.


Dan was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1966 as a Republican representing a district in Southeast Chattanooga. After those two years he was elected by a wide margin to the Tennessee Senate where he served for eight years, his last term as Minority Leader. He considered a run for the governorship in the early 1970s, but decided against it in light of the fallout of the Watergate Scandal which brought down the administration of Richard M. Nixon and cast a long shadow over the republican party.


Having been a "hands on" public servant for nearly a decade, Dan's law practice declined.  The practice of law held a waning interest for him. Rather than resuscitating his law practice, Dan made a career change—one made in light of his passion for farming and working in the great outdoors. He acquired a farm in Dayton, Tennessee, "Dayton View," which he thoroughly enjoyed. I remember seeing him march into the Mountain City Club for lunch with mud on his boots, a sparkle in his eye and a smile on his face.  The Dayton farming operation morphed into Double D Hog Producers, one of the largest independent pork producers in East Tennessee. He not only farmed, but had wonderful dove and duck hunts and opening day barbeques.


Dan enjoyed playing competitive golf as one would expect, frequently paired with "Brother Lew."


Dan was ever learning. When computer technology came on the scene and the internet arrived these areas became one of Dan's abiding interests. He was a continual, life-long learner.


As a Trustee of the West End Foundation, Dan helped fund a nominee from the Chattanooga area for the Jefferson Scholars Program at the University of Virginia, and also to fund a major capital campaign gift to Baylor School to facilitate the move the coeducation.  The major gift from the West End Foundation to Habitat for Humanity for a new building helped to establish the local affiliate as one of the best in the country.


Dan was an avid hunter, a collector of Case pocket knives, and a lover of poetry, particularly that of Robert W. Service whose "The Cremation of Sam McGee" he committed to memory. 


Dan married Tilda Thomas, his lifelong companion and dearest love, on June 22, 1951. She survives him. He is also survived by several nephews and nieces.


THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, in special Memorial Session on this 4th day of March, 2008, that Daniel West Oehmig's good deeds, and kindness, be memorialized through this resolution and be adopted by this association as words of respect, praise and memory; and


BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be filed in the archives of the Chattanooga Bar Association; and be enrolled in the Memorial Resolution Book of the Circuit and Chancery Courts for Chattanooga, Tennessee; and that a copy be presented to his family as a token of the esteem and honor in which he has been held, and as an expression of our very deep sympathy in our mutual loss.


Chattanooga Bar Association

Cynthia D. Hall, President


Memorial to

John C. Stophel

As prepared by Glenn C. Stophel

 

John C. Stophel, age 81, passed from this life in Chattanooga on October 4, 2007.  He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Pauline Phipps Stophel, his son, Nathan, and his grandson, Hunter Bethea. He was preceded in death by his beloved daughter, Phyllis Stophel Bethea, and his parents, Oscar and Cora Stophel of Bristol, Tennessee. Survivors also include seven brothers and sisters, 19 nieces and nephews and several great-nieces and nephews.


But before proceeding with a brief outline of the professional, civic and religious life of John, I would like to tell you of some of his attributes that help define who he was as a man. John was my brother for 70 plus years, and we practiced law together for more than 45 years. He was the first of eight children (I was the fifth), all born in a small farmhouse in Sullivan County. Dad was a woodworking machinist who taught his children, and those of other families in the community and the little country church where he became the patriarch, that a man’s word should be his bond, that work is a calling of God, that a man’s life is measured not by what he gets but rather by what he gives, and that gratitude is a trait to be admired and practiced. John learned well from Daddy.  Even before Dad’s death in 1969, John, in his late 20s and early 30s, began helping with the educational costs of his brothers and sisters. Looking back, I don’t know how he and Pauline, while caring for Phyllis and Nathan, their own children, did what they did to help the younger ones of us get our educations.

John Stophel was known as a perfectionist. A first mistake would be corrected, but from those who made the same mistake more than one time, he expected deep remorse and repentance.  But, he demanded the same of himself. His high expectations of himself and his associates helped make him an excellent teacher and trainer of younger lawyers.  Several Chattanooga legal icons and others of note give credit to John for helping them learn the practicalities of the practice of law and the importance of legal ethics. And yet, he was a gracious man. One of the first things he regularly did after hearing a public speaker was to write a note of thanks and encouragement to the speaker. His notes of appreciation are the stuff of legend.


John's early education was in the public schools of Sullivan County, Tennessee, near Bristol. While in the United States Navy during World War II as an enlisted man, he attended Duke University for a brief time. After his discharge from the Navy, he attended and graduated from Bob Jones University with a Bachelor's Degree in Business.  He received a Master's Degree in Accounting from the University of Tennessee and his law degree from McKenzie College of Law. 


John and Pauline moved to Chattanooga in 1950 where John practiced as a C.P.A. until he obtained his law degree and license a few years later. His distinguished professional career as a certified public accountant and tax attorney spanned 57 years. At the time of his death, John was a senior member of Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel.  Widely recognized for his expertise and skill both as a lawyer and as an accountant, John was appointed by the Governor to the Tennessee State Board of Accountancy where he served as its president during a portion of his term.  He was appointed by Governor Buford Ellington to serve on the Tennessee Tax Study Commission. In addition, he served as a director and president of the Tennessee Federal Tax Institute, and was a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel. For several years, John has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America, primarily for his work in representing tax-exempt organizations. While excelling in his professional practice, John also distinguished himself as a leader among his professional colleagues. He served as president of the Chattanooga Bar Association, the Estate Planning Council of Chattanooga, the Chattanooga Chapter of the Tennessee Society of Public Accountants, and of the national Christian Legal Society. He was a Founding Fellow of the Chattanooga and Tennessee Bar Foundations. 


John was also dedicated to community service.  He felt strongly about members of the legal profession giving back to their community, and he served as president of the Chattanooga Rotary Club and as chairman of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce. He also chaired an annual campaign of the United Way of Chattanooga.  In his civic work, John also had a special place in his heart for the advancement of education.  To that end, he served as a chairman of the Board of Trustees of the UC Foundation, and as a member of the National Advisory Council of Bryan College, the Covenant College Board of Associates, the University of Tennessee College of Law Continuing Legal Education Advisory Committee, and as a member of the Board of Trustees of Bob Jones University.  In recognition of his service to his profession and to the community, John was named Chattanooga's "Outstanding Young Man" in 1960, Bob Jones University "Alumnus of the Year" in 1970, recipient of the Chattanooga Bar Association President's Award in 1990, the Kiwanis Distinguished Service Award for 1993, the Chattanooga Bar Association Ralph H. Kelley Humanitarian Award in 1996 and the UTC Alumni Board Outstanding Service Award in 2004. Also in recognition of his contributions to education, John was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree by Tennessee Temple University.


While John was esteemed in his professional and civic life, his service to his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was the cornerstone for his life and was best reflected in his compassionate heart and his service to others through his church and many other religious organizations. He faithfully served at Brainerd Baptist Church for many years as a deacon, Sunday School Department Director and adult teacher, as chairman of numerous standing committees, and as a Trustee of the church. More recently, the congregation of Brainerd Baptist Church elected John Deacon for Life, an honor that has rarely been bestowed by the church. John was active in Gideon's International, and served for many years as treasurer of the Public School Bible Study Committee, and on the Board of Directors of Leadership Ministries Worldwide and the Chattanooga Christian Community Foundation.


John will be greatly missed by his family and friends and members of his profession as well as the many community organizations with which he served.


THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, in special Memorial Session on this 4th day of March, 2008, that John C. Stophel's good deeds, and kindness, be memorialized through this resolution and be adopted by this association as words of respect, praise and memory; and


BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be filed in the archives of the Chattanooga Bar Association; and be enrolled in the Memorial Resolution Book of the Circuit and Chancery Courts for Chattanooga, Tennessee; and that a copy be presented to his family as a token of the esteem and honor in which he has been held, and as an expression of our very deep sympathy in our mutual loss.


Chattanooga Bar Association

Cynthia D. Hall, President


Memorial to

Leonard R. Tanner, Jr.

As prepared by Richard P. Jahn, Jr. Esquire


It is an honor and privilege for me to be able to give this resolution on behalf of Leonard Tanner.


Leonard Roscoe Tanner Jr. was born in Nashville in 1916. He graduated from the University of Chattanooga in 1937 and obtained his law degree from Northwestern University in 1941. He entered the U.S. Navy during World War II. Because he was a bright fellow, the Navy assigned him the task of mastering the Russian language. Leonard was part of the Navy team that broke the Russian code in 1945. After the war he practiced law in Washington, D.C. Then in 1948 he returned to Chattanooga and became associated with Charles A. Noone. He became an excellent trial lawyer. He had a passion for the law, and he worked many long nights and weekends on his cases. It should be noted that Mr. Noone, who was not easy to please, let Leonard take his trial files with him when he left to become partners with Carl Swafford. Later, he joined that noted and colorful lawyer, Wilkes Thrasher, in the firm of Tanner, Thrasher and Morgan in the Volunteer Building. In 1968 he became partners with Dick Jahn in the firm of Tanner and Jahn. We knew him as a meticulous legal craftsman who always had the ability to chart the right course for any case. He was very good. He was quite perceptive in evaluating human nature. However, he always treated his clients with dignity, no matter what their status was in life.


During his legal career Leonard served on and headed many civic committees. He chaired the Lawyers Committee that drafted Chattanooga’s first air pollution laws.


Leonard also proved to be an excellent businessman. In 1980 he became CEO of Mitco, a company that made solid industrial tires. He was successful in this enterprise and continued it in other companies until 2004, when he finally retired at the age of 88.


He lived most of his life on Lookout Mountain. He was a long-time member at Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church, where he served for many years as an Elder. He was a faithful family man. With his first wife Anne he had three children: Sherry, Wendy, and Roscoe. After Anne passed away, he married his long time assistant Betsy, and she survives him.

 

Besides the law, Leonard had another lifelong passion, and it has profoundly impacted Chattanooga. That passion was tennis. Leonard was the captain of UC’s tennis team from 1935-37. When he returned to Chattanooga after the war, he won singles and doubles titles here. He also held state titles and was southern champion. He was vice chairman of the U.S. Davis Cup committee for 12 years. He served on many local and national tennis association boards. His son Roscoe, who attended Baylor School and later Stanford, was ranked the number one tennis player in the nation in 18 year olds. Roscoe later turned professional, winning a grand slam tournament and making the finals of Wimbledon in 1976. Leonard’s daughter, Sherry, is married to Ramsey Earnhart, a professional tennis teacher. Ramsey was inducted into the ITA Collegiate Hall of Fame in 2001. They live in Macon, Georgia. Leonard’s daughter, Wendy, is married to Dr. Steve Miller, Sr. Vice President of Education and Research of Methodist Hospitals in Memphis, Tennessee. Leonard himself was inducted into the Greater Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame in 2002 and played tennis until he was almost ninety. 


Leonard’s life was full of remarkable achievements in the law and every other sphere of life. When he assigned another lawyer a task, and if it came back well done, Leonard would always say “Mighty fine, that’s mighty fine.” To Leonard, who lived such an honorable life, we can say to him, “mighty fine.”

 

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, in special Memorial Session on this 4th day of March, 2008, that Leonard R. Tanner, Jr.'s good deeds, and kindness, be memorialized through this resolution and be adopted by this association as words of respect, praise and memory; and


BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be filed in the archives of the Chattanooga Bar Association; and be enrolled in the Memorial Resolution Book of the Circuit and Chancery Courts for Chattanooga, Tennessee; and that a copy be presented to his family as a token of the esteem and honor in which he has been held, and as an expression of our very deep sympathy in our mutual loss.


Chattanooga Bar Association

Cynthia D. Hall, President


Memorial to

Ralph Everette Vineyard

As prepared by Julia Vineyard Cole

 

It is an honor to prepare this memorial to my father, Ralph Everette Vineyard. His life demonstrates a desire to achieve and a kind and loving heart. He was born July 28, 1915, in Knoxville, Tennessee. As a child of the depression, he had many stories of his childhood which could bring tears to the eyes or cause a listener to marvel at his survival. An aunt’s refusal to share homemade egg custard, swims across the Tennessee River and hoboing trains to attend UT football games are a few examples of his stories. He graduated from Knoxville High School in 1936 and a life changing event occurred that summer. He had ridden his motorcycle to a beer joint in Knox County. As he parked the motorcycle, a voice asked, “What are you doing here, boy?” It was Ralph’s uncle, Jim Vineyard, a Maryville, Tennessee, contractor. After a discussion about what they were both doing there, he asked if Ralph wanted to attend Maryville College. Ralph said yes. Uncle Jim gave him money for a bus ticket, a job and a place to live. Daddy always said because of Uncle Jim he was the attorney instead of the defendant. Ralph met and married my mother, Anne McBee, while attending Maryville College. They were happily married for sixty-two years.


When World War II began, Ralph enlisted in the Navy and went to sea as a Pharmacist Mate, 1st Class on the USS Boxer. After the war ended, he returned to Knoxville. Using his construction experience, he built our first home while attending the University of Tennessee. He entered UT law school in 1946. He was older than most of his classmates so his nickname was “Pappy”. At that time, a law degree was not required to take the Bar Exam. Ralph passed the Bar and was admitted to practice before graduation fro law school in 1949.


Following graduation, he and William B. Reynolds formed a partnership in Knoxville which continued until 1960. Ralph came to Chattanooga in 1960 to join the law firm of Keith Harber. He later associated with John Swafford. After leaving Mr. Swafford’s firm, Ralph and Harold Gearinger formed a partnership that lasted until 1971. During those years, Ralph served as Red Bank City Judge and also sat as special Circuit Court Judge on many occasions. He enjoyed every minute of it. In 1971, Ralph and Mr. Gearinger amicably dissolved their partnership and Ralph opened his own office. In August, 1971, I joined Ralph in his practice which was a dream come true for both of us. However, after three years, Ralph came into my office one morning and said, “This practice will not support both of us in the manner in which we want to become accustomed.” I went to work for the US Army as a contracts attorney and Ralph continued a successful practice until 1980. Ralph did not worry, he seldom raised his voice or got angry, which may explain why he outlived many of his peers.


Although he enjoyed practicing law, his family came first. He told me we might have had a bigger house and nicer car if he had worked longer hours. I told him the time spent with him was better than anything money could buy. Ralph chose to close his office when my mother retired from teaching so they could enjoy retirement together. Although retired, he joined his fellow attorneys for coffee several times a week as long as his health permitted.


Ralph was unable to walk the last years of his life which required residence in a nursing home; but he never lost his sense of humor. When his caregivers didn’t do what he wanted, he relied on his judicial experience. He would convene court and sentence them to a jail term of hours or days depending on the severity of their offenses. When I came to see him every evening, Ralph and the nurses would report on the sentencing. Ralph soon had them well trained and their sentences became shorter and shorter.


Ralph passed away July 8, 2007, twenty days short of his ninety-second birthday. He was a wonderful husband and father, a dedicated Christian, a successful attorney and a great friend. I miss him every day.


THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, in special Memorial Session on this 4th day of March, 2008, that Ralph Everette Vineyard's good deeds, and kindness, be memorialized through this resolution and be adopted by this association as words of respect, praise and memory; and


BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be filed in the archives of the Chattanooga Bar Association; and be enrolled in the Memorial Resolution Book of the Circuit and Chancery Courts for Chattanooga, Tennessee; and that a copy be presented to his family as a token of the esteem and honor in which he has been held, and as an expression of our very deep sympathy in our mutual loss.


Chattanooga Bar Association

Cynthia D. Hall, President


Memorial to

Robert Kirk Walker

As prepared by William C. Carriger and Frederick L. Hitchcock

 

Robert Kirk Walker was born in Jasper, Tennessee, the son of Jerry and Clemmie Walker.  He moved to Chattanooga when he was four years old where he graduated from Central High School.  For college, he studied at the University of the South and after the start of the Second World War became involved in the Naval V-12 Program. He proceeded to attend Northwestern University Midshipman School and was commissioned an ensign in the US Navy serving aboard a destroyer in the Atlantic. 


Following his release to inactive duty in 1946, he studied law at the University of Virginia.  He graduated in 1948 and was elected to the Order of the Coif.


He returned to Chattanooga and was a member of the law firm Strang, Fletcher, Carriger, Walker, Hodge & Smith, where he practiced for over 50 years and where he served as managing partner for many of those years.  Since 2004, he has been of counsel to the law firm of Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel.


Robert Kirk Walker's practice of law was interrupted on two occasions – the first, with the Korean War, when he was recalled by the Navy to serve two additional years on active duty, and the second, between the years 1971 and 1975 when he served as the Mayor of the City of Chattanooga. 


He was active in the legal professional organizations, serving as President of both the Chattanooga and Tennessee Bar Associations.  He was a life member of the United States Judicial Conference for the Sixth Circuit.


Robert Kirk Walker served his community in many ways.  He was President of the Rotary Club, Campaign Chairman for the United Way, Trustee of the University of Chattanooga Foundation, serving as its Chairman from 2004-2006, a Director of the Siskin Hospital for Physical Rehabilitation, a Member of the Tonya Public Affairs Committee of the University of the South, and Chairman of the Miller Park Board.


In recognition of his service to the legal profession and to the community, he has been honored and recognized by his election as a Fellow of the Chattanooga Bar Foundation, the Tennessee Bar Foundation, and the American Bar Foundation.


He was awarded the Kiwanis Distinguished Service Award in 1992, the Dorothy Patten "Love of Chattanooga Award" in 1991, the Sertoma International "Service to Mankind Award" in 1969, the Chattanooga Sales and Marketing Executive's "Distinguished Salesman at Large Award" in 1968, US Department of Army "Patriotic Civilian Service Award" in 1975, the Boy Scout "Silver Beaver Award" in 1966, and the Optimist "Man of the Year Award" in 1956.  He was honored by the Tennessee General Assembly for service contributions to perpetuate the public good in 1998, he was the recipient of Ten Freedom Foundation Awards, the Crusader Award for outstanding service from Tennessee Temple University in 2000, and the UTC Alumni Council Distinguished Service Award in 1998.


The University of the South awarded Robert Kirk Walker the honorary degree of Doctor of Civil Laws in 2000, and the Tennessee Temple University awarded him an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters in 2004.


He was a member of the First Baptist Church and the Walters Sunday School Class.


He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Joy Holt Walker, and their children, Dr. R. Kirk Walker and his wife Patsi, Marilyn Walker Fisher and her husband Gary, and James Holt Walker as well as grandchildren Rob, Witt and Caroline Walker and Sarah Fisher.  He is also survived by his sister, Leona Roberts of Huntington Beach, California.


In 1997 Robert Kirk Walker was hit by the double whammy of a heart attack followed by a stroke that rendered him partially paralyzed.  This only slowed him down a little.  After undergoing physical therapy at Siskin Hospital, it was not long before he was back fully engaged in his many community activities. 


THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED in a special Memorial Session on this 4th day of March 2008, that Robert Kirk Walker’s good deeds and kindness be memorialized through this resolution and be adopted by this association as words of respect, praise and memory.


BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be filed in the archives of the Chattanooga Bar Association and be enrolled in the Memorial Resolution Book of the Circuit and Chancery Courts of Chattanooga, Tennessee; and that a copy be presented to his family as a token of the esteem and honor in which he has been held, and as an expression of our very deep sympathy in our mutual loss.


Chattanooga Bar Association

Cynthia D. Hall, President

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