Professional Notes

1960s

Richard M. Edmonson Jr. (63) and Luther M. Thompson (68) will serve of counsel with the newly formed Jackson law firm of Robinson, Biggs, Ingram, Solop & Farris, PLLC.

Gerald Blessey (66) was inducted into the Roland Weeks Hall of Fame as an outstanding community leader in Harrison County.

1970s

Clarence E. Morgan III (70) was recently elected to serve as vice chairman of the Conference of Circuit Judges. Morgan serves as a circuit judge for the 5th Judicial District.

Leonard D. Van Slyke Jr. (70) was selected for recognition in the 2006 edition of Who’s Who Legal: USA-Corporate Tax 2006. He is one of 215 attorneys listed in this field. He is a shareholder in the Jackson office of Watkins, Ludlam, Winter & Stennis business solutions practice group.

Phillip Scott Weinburg (72) was named chief assistant district attorney for Hinds County. He is a board member and past president of the Mississippi Prosecutors Association.

Steve Edds (73) and Wilton J. Johnson III (75) joined the Jackson office of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC.

Stephen L. Thomas (73) was elected president of the Mississippi chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates and will take office in 2007.

Thomas C. Gerity (74) joined the new Jackson office of Wyatt, Tarrant & Combe, LLP, as a resident partner.

William “Bill” N. LaForge (75) was installed as president of the Federal Bar Association. He is a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Winstead, Sechrest & Minick, PC.

Robert A. Biggs III (76), Ronald D. Farris (87), Stuart Robinson Jr. (87), Christopher Solop (87), Leo J. Carmody Jr. (02), Pamela S. Ratliff (03) and Melissa Selman Martin (02) announced the formation of Robinson, Biggs, Ingram, Solop & Farris, PLLC, in Jackson.

Terry R. Levy (76) was named president of Daniel, Coker, Horton & Bell. Levy has worked in the areas of commercial litigation, construction law, fidelity and surety, and professional liability.

Mark A. Chinn (78) announced the publication of his first book, How to Build and Manage a Family Practice, to be published by the American Bar Association Family Law Section.

John James Frasier III (79) was appointed federal administrative law judge in the Office of Hearings and Appeals for the Social Security Administration.

Betty W. Sanders (79) was re-elected to a second term as secretary-treasurer for the Conference of Circuit Judges. Sanders serves as circuit judge for the 4th District. She and her husband, Alix Sanders (69), live in Greenwood.

1980s

Richard M. Fountain (80) was honored as one of Jackson’s 12 Outstanding Volunteers for 2006.
Judith Mitchell Wiener (80) joined the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson as development coordinator. She previously was a managing partner with Wiener Law Firm, PLLC, in Jackson.

Stephen M. Corban (81) was elected senior executive vice president and general counsel for Renasant Bank in Tupelo. Before joining Renasant in 2003, he was a partner at Mitchell, Voge, Corban & Hendrix, LLP, where he practiced for 22 years.

Ann Hannaford Lamar (82) was elected chairwoman of the Conference of Circuit Judges. Lamar serves as a circuit judge for the 17th Judicial District.

James L. Pettis III (83) joined the new Jackson law office of Wyatt, Tarrant & Combe, LLP, as a resident partner.

George M. Simmerman Jr. (83) was named vice president, assistant general counsel and sector counsel at Northrop Grumman Corporation in Pascagoula.

L. Webb Campbell II (84) was named one of the Best Lawyers in America 2007. He is cited for his work in commercial litigation. Campbell practices with Sherrard & Roe, PLC, in Nashville, Tenn.

Felecia Dunn Burkes (84) was inducted into the Roland Weeks Hall of Fame as an outstanding community leader in Gulfport.

Rusty Fortenberry (84), William S. Mendenhall (84) and Sue Fairbank (85) joined the Jackson office of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC.

Julie Sneed Muller (84) was named a resident partner in the Jackson office of Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs, LLP.

Marjorie T. O’Donnell (85) was elected a fellow of the Mississippi Bar Foundation. She is a partner in the Oxford law firm of Holcomb Dunbar, PA.

M. Carole Brand (86) joined the Jackson office of Phelps Dunbar, LLP, as counsel in the gaming section. Previously, she was vice president and general counsel of Beau Rivage and Goldstrike, MGM Mirage Properties, and was director of the legal division of the Mississippi Gaming Commission.

J. Lawson Hester (86) was named a partner in the Jackson law firm of Page, Kruger & Holland, PA.

Harry M. Paslay (86) accepted an appointment as a senior attorney with the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Disaster Assistance Legal Division headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas.

Andrew K. Howorth (87) was elected to represent circuit court judges on the board of governors of the Mississippi Judicial College. Howorth was appointed to the 3rd Circuit Court in 2002. He and his wife, Susan Barksdale Howorth (95), live in Oxford.

Virginia (Carter) Carlton (89) is a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives for District 100 in Marion, Jefferson Davis and Lamar counties, following 16 years of service as an officer in the U.S. Army JAG Corps.

1990s

Stephen A. Brandon (90) joined the Jackson office of McGlinchey Stafford, concentrating in the areas of business litigation, commercial finance, consumer finance and labor, and employment law.

William Lee Hon (90) published an article, “Claims of Mental Retardation in Capital Litigation,” in the September 2006 edition of the Texas Bar Journal. Lee is chief felony prosecutor and current district attorney-elect for Polk County, Texas. He will take office Jan. 1, 2007.

Kathryn R. Gilchrist (91) was named a partner in the Jackson office of Adams and Reese, LLP, on the health-care team.

Kenneth C. Johnston (91) was named one of the “Best Lawyers in Dallas under 40” in D Magazine. He practices with Kane, Russell, Coleman & Logan, PC.

Stephen M. Wilson (91) was named managing partner of the Jackson office of Phelps Dunbar, LLP. Wilson is a partner and practice coordinator of the Jackson Business Group for the firm.

Carla J. Clark (92) was appointed by the U.S. Department of Justice as assistant U.S. attorney, Southern District of Mississippi in Jackson. Clark formerly served as special counsel to the Independent Inquiry Committee, chaired by Paul A. Volcker, which examined the United Nations’ Oil-for-Food Program.

William “Will” J. Dunaway (92) retired after 20 years with the U.S. Navy JAG Corps. He joined the Pensacola, Fla., law firm of Clark, Partington, Hart, Larry, Bond & Stackhouse.

Vicki Gilliam (92), an attorney at the Cochran Firm in Jackson, recently was added to the “Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America” list.

Kristina M. (Crosswell) Johnson (92) was listed in The Best Lawyers in America—Bankruptcy & Creditor—Debtor Rights Law (2006). Johnson is board-certified in business bankruptcy law by the American Board of Certification.

Vikki J. Taylor (92) was appointed to serve on the magistrate selection committee for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. Taylor is a partner at Watkins, Ludlam, Winter & Stennis in Jackson.

D. Jeffrey Wagner (92) and Ginger Weaver (96) joined the Jackson office of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC.

Randall E. Day III (93) joined Copeland, Cook, Taylor & Bush in Jackson as a shareholder.

David H. Strong Jr. (93) was appointed to fill the circuit court judgeship for the 14th Judicial District in southwest Mississippi by Gov. Haley Barbour.

R. Winston Lee (95) graduated from the University of Alabama’s School of Medicine. After a residency in general medicine, he will serve three years as a resident in anesthesiology at UASM.

Julie P. Ratliff (95) joined the Jackson law firm of Latham & Burwell, PLLC, and will practice in commercial litigation, insurance defense litigation and bankruptcy law.

Stephen B. Jackson (97) joined the Hattiesburg law office of Bryan Nelson, PA, in Jackson. He holds a LL.M. in taxation from Washington University.

C. Lee Lott III (97) is an associate in the Jackson office of Baker Donelson.

Sean C. Kulka (98) joined the litigation practice at Arnall Golden Gregory, LLP, as of counsel in its Atlanta office.

Brian Walker Sanderson (98) was named president of the Gulf Coast Business Council. Sanderson is deputy director of Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour’s Office of Recovery and Renewal.

George McDowell “Dow” Yoder III (99) is a partner in the Jackson office of Holaday, Yoder, Morehead & Eaton.

2000s

Carolyn Ann McAlister (00) is an associate in the Daphne, Ala., law firm of Hudgens & Eiland.

Bernard H. Booth IV (00) joined the Lafayette, La., office of Jones, Walker, Waechter, Poitevent, Carrére & Denégre. Booth previously served as an attorney in the U.S. Navy JAG Corps.

Christina (Ferrell) Daugherty (00) and two other attorneys formed the all-female law firm of Harpeth Law Group. The firm is located in the Grassland community in Williamson County, Tenn.

R. Paul Randall Jr. (00) started the law firm Willoughby, McCraney & Randall, PLLC, in Jackson. The law firm specializes in business formation and transaction, real estate, health care, estate planning and probate.

John Kevin Cavender (01) joined the Southaven office of Spicer, Flynn & Rudstrom. His practice will concentrate on workers’ compensation, premises liability and civil suit defense.

T. Stewart Lee Jr. (01) joined the Jackson law firm of Jones, Funderburg, Sessums, Peterson & Lee, PLLC, as a partner.

Krisi A. Allen (02) is practicing with the Jackson law firm of Carroll, Warren & Parker, PLLC.

Jennifer Hale Brunetti (02) and Ashley Tullos Young (05) joined the Jackson office of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC.

David W. Donnell (02) was named an associate in the Jackson office of Adams and Reese, LLP. He is on the firm’s health-care team in the special practice group.

Dennis P. Hawkins (02) joined the Memphis office of Husch & Eppenberger, LLC, as an associate attorney in the firm’s general business litigation practice group.

Joni Reagan McGehee (02) is an associate in the Memphis office of Spicer, Flynn & Rudstrom.

John Robert McCann (03) is a litigation associate with the Memphis law firm of Burch, Porter & Johnson.

William W. Walker (03) is the director of college placement and counseling at Missouri Military Academy in Mexico, Mo.

R. Cory Anthony (04) is an associate with Underwood Law Firm in Jackson.

Caroline Cahill Ballentine (04) was appointed assistant public defender in Jackson, Tenn.

Sherry Elaine Blount (04) has been clerking at the 9th Judicial District Court for the state of Louisiana for Judge John C. Davidson and began clerking in the summer of 2006 for Judge F. Rae Swent at the same court.

Charles W. “Bo” Summers (04) is an assistant district attorney assigned to General Sessions Criminal Court in Memphis, Tenn.

W. Joseph Wiggins (04) joined the Jackson law firm of Dunbar Monroe, PLLC, as an associate.
Casey Miranda Ambourn (05) is an associate with the Jackson law firm of the Crawley Law Office, PLLC.

Nicholas Scott Brown (05) is an associate with the Oxford office of Hughes & Hitt, PA.

Robin Samson McCoy (05) will clerk for senior federal Judge Tom Staff of the Western District of Louisiana in Shreveport for another year. She then will join the Shreveport, La., law firm of Blanchard, Walker, O’Quin & Roberts.

Gregory Philip Rhodes (05) is an associate with the Jackson law firm of Glover Russell, PA, Attorneys and Counselors at Law.

Marriages

Bryan Gray Bridges (03) and Christine Elizabeth Riddle, March 4, 2006.

Luren Love Burnett (05) and David Sproehnle, May 21, 2006.

Kimberly Ann Courtney (02) and Robert L. King, March 25, 2006.

Emily Elaine Cox (04) and Ross Emerson Webster (05), May 6, 2006.

David Ryan Ford (04) and Heather Amanda Hovanec (04), Oct. 22, 2005.

Wayne Hynum (81) and Julie Doughty, June 17, 2006.

Mary Elizabeth Milek (94) and Roy Madison Sessums (BA 89), July 14, 2006.

John B. Moss (83) and Donna Brinkley, July 9, 2006.

Rebecca K. Thomson (03) and William L. Fava (03), June 1, 2006.

Brandi Ann Tolbert (05) and Ryan Adrien Bukvich, Dec. 31, 2005.

Elizabeth Marie Wright (06) and Neilson Gray Raggio (BS 97), Aug. 12, 2006.

Births

Hylan Gates Allen, son of Krisi Allen (Lee) (02), Feb. 1, 2006.

James Daniel Bailey, son of Rachel Lane LaVigne Bailey (98) and Anthony Bailey, Aug. 8, 2006.

Bates Bland, son of Jennifer Hawks Bland (00) and Trabue Bland (99), Oct. 13, 2005.

Taylor Kate Bradley, daughter of Susan Spears Bradley (96) and Patrick Bradley, June 15, 2006.

Jane Reeves Carmean and Evelyn Rose Carmean, daughters of Wendy Chambers Carmean (BA 97) and Jay P. Carmean (99), May 10, 2006.

Barklee Ann Hargett, daughter of Courtney Hargett and Douglas B. Hargett (05), March 30, 2006.

Natalie Kathleen Kaldahl, daughter of Karen Kaldahl (02) and Chris Kaldahl, Dec. 20, 2005.

Anna Elizabeth Kilgore, daughter of Beth Kilgore and D. Joseph Kilgore (03), July 6, 2006.

Gunner Scott Lewis, son of Claudia McCool Lewis (99) and Scotty Lewis, Feb. 4, 2006.

Bonnylin Elizabeth Lightsey, daughter of Regina A. Lightsey (90), adopted Sept. 27, 2005.

Mae Covington Maxwell, daughter of Mindy Maxwell and James D. Maxwell II (01), March 8, 2006.
Thomas Robert McRae, son of Amy Quaid McRae (BA 94, MEd 95) and William Bowen McRae Jr. (98), June 25, 2006.

Molly Marie Moody, daughter of Sheri Moody and Clinton W. Moody (03), July 23, 2006.

Robert Harrell Norman, son of Brenda Norman and Robert H. Norman (76), April 10, 2006.

Everett Sanders Thornton, son of Deborah Thornton and Emil Eugene Thornton (02), April 27, 2006.

Chelsea Ann Treadwell, daughter of Kathleen M. Fitzgerald Treadwell (02) and John Lee Treadwell (02), Jan. 3, 2006.

Kaitlyn Sanders Urbanek, daughter of Amanda McMillan Urbanek (01) and James E. Urbanek II (BA 02), June 30, 2006.

Stella Kathryn Wilkins, daughter of Lynn Wilkins and William T. Wilkins IV (91), July 31, 2006.

Robert Bradford Wilson, son of Mary K. Wilson and Stephen P. Wilson (03), Oct. 5, 2005.

In Memoriam

Sincerest condolences are extended to the families and friends of alumni who
are no longer with us.

Natie P. Caraway (58) of Jackson, Aug. 6, 2006.

Michael Cruse Corso (86) of Jackson, Aug. 22, 2006.

James Patterson Donald (75) of Madison, July 29, 2006.

L. Alex Gilliam (39) of Clarksdale, June 18, 2006.

Nancy Temple Wood Morse (52) of Pass Christian, Aug. 11, 2006.

Bobby Gene O’Barr Sr. (58) of Biloxi, April 21, 2006.

Robert A. “Bob” Pritchard (56) of Pascagoula, May 21, 2006.

Stokes V. Robertson Jr. (35) of Jackson, July 19, 2006.

Thomas Harris Sullivan Jr. (56) of Mendenhall, July 23, 2006.

James David Williams (50) of Meridian, July 22, 2006.

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