Class of 1969
(Notes posted in the order they were received, with the newest posts on top.)
Joe P. Binkley Jr. has been appointed to the Davidson County Circuit Court, Division V. Binkley will fill the vacancy created when Judge Walter C. Kurtz retired from the Circuit Court post this month to become a Senior Judge. Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen remarked, "I am confident that Joe Binkley will serve with distinction as he fills this important post. I appreciate the experience and skill that he brings to his appointment, and I am very pleased that he has agreed to serve."
Keith Thomas has returned to the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsiblity in Washington D.C. as Senior Counsel. Keith has also been named to the American Bar Association's Central Europe and Eurasian Law Initiative - Middle East and North Africa (CEELI-MENA) Advisory Board, which provides strategic advice and guidance to the ABA's work in promoting the rule of law worldwide.
John A. Featherman III, chairman and CEO of First National Bank of Chester County, PA, has been named the 2006 Outstanding Citizen of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce of Greater West Chester, PA. Featherman and his wife are co-chairpersons of the Friends of the CardioVascular Center of Chester County Hospital and members of the Chester County Hospital Foundation's Capital Campaign Cabinet. Mr. Featherman became chairman of First Chester County Corp. and CEO of First National Bank in 2003. He served as a director of the bank for 20 years.
Stephen E. Gilhuley has been elected as Executive Vice President, as well as Secretary and General Counsel, of Park Electrochemical Corp. (NYSE:PKE). Mr. Gilhuley has been employed by the Company since 1994 and has served as General Counsel since 1994, Secretary since July 1996 and Senior Vice President since March 2001. Prior to joining the company, Mr. Gilhuley was General Counsel, Secretary and Vice President of Allen Telecom, Inc. (formerly The Allen Group, Inc.), where he was employed for fifteen years, after having been an associate lawyer with the law firm of Shearman & Sterling in New York City.
Brian Shore, Park's President and CEO, said, "Obviously, Steve is one of the company's very key employees. Steve's mental toughness, integrity and unwavering dedication are extremely valuable to the company. Certainly, Steve has earned the distinction of being Park's only Executive Vice President." Park Electrochemical Corp. is a global advanced materials company which develops and manufactures high-technology digital and RF/microwave printed circuit materials (the Nelco(R) product line) and advanced composite materials (the Nelcote(TM) product line) principally for the telecommunications and internet infrastructure, high-end computing and aerospace markets. Park's core capabilities are in the areas of polymer chemistry formulation and coating technology. The Company's manufacturing facilities are located in Singapore, China, France, Connecticut, New York, Arizona and California.
John Acuff has been busy the last couple of years. He spoke at a seminar on faith and practice at Pepperdine Law school, taught a seminar at the Handong Global University school of law in Korea, spoke to a reception of the Christian Law Fellowship of Canada and is listed among America's lawyer poets. A dozen of his stories were included in Tales from Tennessee Lawyers by William Lynwood Montell. John continues to write book reviews in both legal and general publications and enjoys practicing with his son, Howie, as Acuff & Acuff in Cookeville. Youngest son Karl David Acuff is a lawyer in Tallahassee, Florida. Karl was named for Karl Warden and David Leckrone so he had little choice as to profession. John also had an article published in the Law Review of Pepperdine Law School.
Carl E. Lovell, Jr., died Sept. 21, 2006, at the age of 61 from cancer. Born April 12, 1945, in Riverside, Calif., Carl was the son of a U.S. Air Force Colonel, Carl Lovell, Sr., and spent much of his youth traveling around the world. Carl completed his undergraduate studies at Vanderbilt University and graduated from Vanderbilt School of Law. While at Vanderbuilt, Carl played in a rock and roll band: The Chaplains. They played many venues and cut an album in Nashville.
At the age of 28, Carl served as the youngest city attorney for both North Las Vegas and Las Vegas where he first argued before the U.S. Supreme Court. Upon his decision not to run for re-election, he moved to the private sector and became in-house counsel and secretary treasurer for Circus Circus Resorts, Inc. for approximately eight years. Following his departure from Circus Circus he began a successful private practice where he continued to represent the gaming industry as well as private sector clients.
Carl's exit from politics was not the end of his public service, as he served as officer/director for the following organizations: Southern Nevada Better Business Bureau, National Consumer Affairs Committee for the National City Attorneys Association, North Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, Nevada Kidney Foundation, founding member and president of the Nevada Donor Network, Legislative Advisory Group for the Nevada State Legislature, Nevada Crime Commission Financial Allocation Committee and the American Trial Lawyers Association. In one of the highlights of his career, Carl represented the United States in international trade and law talks in Beijing, China in 1987.
In addition, to his successful career, Carl was an active family man, where he could be found at soccer games, baseball games, swim meets, karate tournaments and other events involving his children. Carl lost his father, Carl Sr. the previous month in August 2006. Carl is survived by his mother, Hazel; sons, Tre and Tim; daughter, Tishia; wife, Danna, and their two children, Ashley and Garrett; and son, Christopher and granddaughter, Aiden. His passing will be a true loss, and as was so eloquently coined in that Review-Journal article long ago, Carl will be "sorely missed".
Edward A. Robertson III of Southside, Tenn., passed away at age 63 on July 7, 2006. He was the son of Rose Anthony Robertson and the late Edward Averill Robertson, Jr. of Franklin, TN. He was preceded in death by brother, James A. Robertson. Survivors include his mother his brother, Charles Mac Robertson of Southside aunts and uncles, Elaine and Devon Dooley of Jackson, Tenn., Henry and Jean Williamson of Memphis, Tenn., and many loving cousins. Reared in Nashville and Franklin, Tenn., he graduated cum laude from Yale University in New Haven, Conn., and received his JD from Vanderbilt University Law School. He began his law practice in 1969 with the firm of Goodlett, Peay and Hurt in Clarksville and later established his own practice there. He had served as secretary of the Montgomery County Bar Association, was a member of Rye's Chapel United Methodist Church where he served as legal counsel to the church trustees, the Kiwanis Club, and had been a vice president of the Clarksville Jaycees. Among his interests were hiking, backpacking, bee-keeping, gardening, horse back trail riding, furniture making, and the raising of sheep. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Rye's Chapel United Methodist Church, c/o Dorothy Groves, 224 Gray's Chapel Road, Cunningham, TN 37052.
William P. Johnston of Nashville has joined The Carlyle Group, a major global player in the private equity marketplace that has $39 billion under management, as a senior advisor, charged with finding investment opportunities in the healthcare sector and providing "strategic and management guidance to Carlyle healthcare portfolio companies." Johnston took over as board chairman at Nashville-based Renal Care Group after founder Sam Brooks died in 2003 and negotiated the $4.2 billion acquisition of the company by Bad Homburg, Germany-based Fresenius Medical Care that was completed last March. He now sits on the supervisory board of Fresenius. From 1994 through 1998, he served as chief executive officer of Nashville-based investment banking firm Equitable Securities Corp., and he held various senior positions with its successor organizations from the time SunTrust Banks bought Equitable in 1998 through 2002. Earlier in his career, Johnston spent 17 years as a corporate/securities attorney at Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis. In the press release, Johnston said Carlyle "has committed significant resources to its healthcare activities." The Washington, D.C.-based firm's healthcare portfolio consists of investments in more than 20 companies in the U.S., Japan, India and Russia.
Charlie Williams passed away on April 27, 2006. A prominent Nashville attorney who served on the Metro Sports Authority board, Charlie worked as a Fraternal Order of Police lawyer in the 1970s and '80s to help transform the Metro Police Department into its modern status. He and his wife, Carol, were also pioneers in the revival of Historic Edgefield in East Nashville. He was known as a smart lawyer, a fierce advocate for his clients and a family man devoted to his neighborhood and his city. He had been a member of the Metro Sports Authority board since 1996. But it was his work as chief counsel and lead negotiator for the FOP that is credited with moving the police department away from an agency marked by political patronage into the force it is today. Charlie grew up in Nashville and earned his undergraduate degree from David Lipscomb University.
Do you have news you would like to share or just want to let everyone know what you are up to these days? Submit your class note online, e-mail Grace Renshaw or call 615-322-2606.
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