Bar Memorial Service honors 121 attorneys

The Mississippi Supreme Court convened on Oct. 14 with officers of the Mississippi Bar to honor the memories of 121 members of the Bar who died during the past year.

Mississippi Bar President J. Rhea Tannehill of Oxford said that the honored dead included men and women who practiced from Seminary, Miss., to San Francisco, in small towns and big cities, and in practice areas across the spectrum.

Tannehill recalled looking at the list for the first time and being shocked at the number of people whom he knew, and equally surprised at how many he didn’t know. So he started reading obituaries. In those he found military heroes and Sunday School teachers, Little League ball coaches and Boy Scout leaders, a member of the Gleaners and delivery person for Meals on Wheels. Their common thread was service.

Tannehill read excerpts from some of the obituaries, starting with the oldest, John H. Price Jr. of Jackson, who was admitted to the Bar in 1948 and died at age 101: “In 1943, he volunteered for active military service in World War II and completed his training at Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, MS. Although he was offered the opportunity to attend Officer Candidate School in 1944, he chose instead to ship out overseas with his original group, the 609th Tank Destroyer battalion. The 609th initially landed in Great Britain, but from there, they traversed the English Channel in September, 1944, and landed on Utah Beach in Normandy, France. Thereafter, he served in that battalion under General Patton’s 3rd Army. In Europe, during 1944-1945, the 609th was involved in a number of battles, including the Battle of the Bulge.”

After asking, “How can we honor them?” he quoted from the Book of Matthew: “Whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Tannehill said. “There is no question that they gave to the least of these brothers and sisters. I believe it is our duty as loved ones and friends to carry their torch. I believe it is our duty to continue to give to the least of these brothers and sisters because that is what they would have wanted. That’s what they cared about and that will be their legacy.”

Justice David Ishee said, “Think about the people that we honor here today who spent their lives searching for justice and equality for their fellow citizens.”

He continued, “The prophet Isaiah told the feuding children of Israel, ‘Come, let us reason together.’ That brought them from violence and chaos to the table of reason, where lawyers and judges seek to bring everyone. That’s what stands between us and the downfall of our republic and the downfall of our civilization, those wise individuals who can bring us to the table of reason.”

Mississippi Bar President-Elect A. Kelly Sessoms III of Pascagoula read each of the 121 names, and a resolution commending their lives and service.

The resolution included this:

“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 other sacrifice, which they exemplified, the liberty and freedoms we enjoy today would be endangered and our individual lives diminished;

“Whereas, in mourning the loss of these members of the bar, we also recognize that their passing will never diminish the pro-found impact each has made in the lives of their families, their colleagues, their communities, and on this profession.”

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By Beverly Kraft, Administrative Office of the Courts