McRea Remembered for Good Spirit, Tough Resolve

The Memphis legal community honors the life of an honorable man this week. Judge Robert McRae, who served as chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee from 1979 to 1986, died Friday at age 82.

McRae played a role in many important cases, including a hiring discrimination case within the Memphis Fire Department and a series of pornography cases. McRae received a bachelors degree from Vanderbilt University and a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Perhaps McRae will best be remembered for the role he played in integrating Memphis City Schools in 1972. Or for being the first judge to hire female and black law clerks. Even more may remember him for his sometimes quick temper.

But Memphis attorney C. Bradford Foster III remembers McRae as a man who was personable, gregarious and outgoing. Foster, who clerked with McRae from 1972 to 1973, helped write the plan for the school desegregation case for which McRae arguably is best known.

The school desegregation case turned a lot of people against him, Foster said. And that hurt him.

Foster believes it was the alienation and abandonment of his friends after the school desegregation case that changed one of the most personable judges you could ever imagine into the man he later became. A judge who took no nonsense.

He would yell at lawyers and was very snappish and short-tempered, but that was not his nature when he first went on the bench, Foster said.

Foster remembers McRae as a man who always had a good spirit about him.

He said to me once, Brad, if the sixth circuit affirms my decision, I wrote it. If the sixth circuit reverses the decision, you wrote it, Foster laughed.

The National Association of Women in Construction announced the election of its 2004-2005 officers and directors: Marie Kohn, president; Teresa Kohn, vice-president; Delcie Duncan, secretary; Debbie Smith, treasurer; Barbara Putt, corresponding secretary; and Karen Dexter, Brandy Faust, Joanne Foren, Anita Haines, Kathy Haynes and Theresa Phillips, directors.

Michael P. Wess joined Johnson Bailey Henderson & McNeel Architects. Wess previously was employed by TRO. He received a bachelors degree in architecture from the University of Tennessee.

Misty Scott completed the Certified Professional Secretary Certification. Scott is a commercial loan assistant at the Bank of Bartlett.

Carol Greenwald was elected vice president of the Arc of Tennessee, a nonprofit advocacy organization dealing with mental retardation and related developmental disabilities.

Michael W. Clark joined the staff of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis as director of family services. Clark will oversee Habitats Family Support Program, including selection of partner families, financial and homeowner counseling and follow-up with families after they move into Habitat homes.

Richard Evans was appointed by Gov. Phil Bredesen to the Tennessee Real Estate Appraiser Commission.

Myron Harris was named branch director at the Cordova Kroger branch of Memphis Area Teachers Credit Union. Harris received a bachelors degree from Northwestern State University. He previously worked at BancorpSouth.

Leigh M. Chiles joined Husch & Eppenberger LLC as an associate attorney. Chiles received a bachelors degree in history from Centre College and a law degree from the University of Arkansas.

Just Ducky Originals announced that the sales team of Melissa Reddoch and Meg Gearhardt was the companys No. 4 team for sales in spring 2004. The teams sales surpassed those of 290 U.S. sales associates. Reddoch and Gearhardt have worked for Lucky Duck for six years.

Eileen Cherny earned the Certificate Relocation Professional designation after successfully completing the CRP exam in May. Cherny is director of the relocation division at Marx & Bensdorf.

Brandon Tidwell joined the Leadership Academy as vice president of the fellows program. Tidwell previously worked as metrics analyst at Exult Inc. and as coordinator of grants and special events for Church Health Center. He is a graduate of the University of Mary Hardin and Baylor University.