VOL. 118 | NO. 116 | Wednesday, June 30, 2004
The National Association of Women in Construction announced the election
of its 2004-2005 Officers and Directors: Marie Kohn,
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.