Memphis lawyer James Torreyson Allison died April 19 at the age of 92. Allison was originally from Arkansas. He served in combat in the Korean War with the First Marine Division, and later graduated from the University of Arkansas and Vanderbilt University Law School. He began practicing law in Memphis in 1963 with the firm of Clifton and Mack and then established his own practice. He was well read and fond of jazz, movies and the outdoors.

Longtime Nashville injury lawyer Bartlett “Bart” Chesterfield Durham died April 9 at the age of 89. Originally from Ripley, Durham served in the U.S. Army for two years. He attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville but finished his degree at Southern Law University in Memphis. He first practiced with his father and then joined the Memphis office of the U.S. Department of Justice. He moved to Nashville in 1969 to serve as a prosecuting attorney in the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office, handling civil rights cases throughout the state. He then launched the personal injury law firm, Bart Durham Injury Law, in 1975. Throughout his career, Durham handled thousands of personal injury cases. Memorial donations may be made to Heart’n Soul Hospice, 51 Century Blvd., Ste. 100, Nashville, TN 37214.

Knoxville lawyer Jack Humphreys “Nick” McCall Jr. died April 13 at the age of 63. A celebration of life will be held July 14, from 1-4 p.m. EDT,  at the Knoxville Botanical Gardens and Arboretum, 2743 Wimpole Ave., Knoxville 37914. Memorial donations may be made to Legal Aid of East Tennessee or East Tennessee Veterans Memorial Association. (See the May/June 2024 Tennessee Bar Journal issue for a full obituary.)

Cleveland attorney J. Allen Murphy Jr. died on March 8 at the age of 54. He graduated from Emory University in 1991, where he earned degrees in English and philosophy and served as a governor’s intern with the Georgia Indigent Defense Council. After college, Murphy enlisted and served honorably in the U.S. Army. He later went on to obtain a teaching fellowship and pursue a master’s degree in philosophy and religion at the University of Mississippi. While at Ole Miss, he was accepted to the University of Mississippi School of Law. After obtaining his law degree, he opened a solo practice in Cleveland. Memorial donations may be made to The McCallie School, 500 Dodds Ave, Chattanooga, TN 37404; Friends of the Greenway Fund, P.O. Box 4474, Cleveland, TN 37320-4474; or a charity of the donor’s choice.

Nashville attorney Robert “Bob” Edmond Parker died April 2 at the age of 80. A native of Shelbyville, he attended Vanderbilt University for both undergraduate and law school, going on to the serve in the Marines as a judge advocate. He was a founder of the law firm of Parker, Lawrence, Cantrell & Smith, and served in leadership and board positions with Family and Children’s Service, Westminster School (now Curry Ingram Academy) and Pastoral Counseling Centers (now Insight), among others. Memorial contributions may be made to Westminster Presbyterian Church, 3900 West End Ave., Nashville, TN 37205 or Alive Hospice, 1718 Patterson St., Nashville, TN 37203.

Hawkins County lawyer James Nelson Point died March 26 at the age of 79. A graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, Point also held a master’s degree in city planning. He served in the U.S. Navy as intelligence officer, stationed in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He later joined the Tennessee Valley Authority and then opened a law practice in Hawkins County in 1982. Among his clients, he represented the Holston Electric Cooperative, Rogersville Water Commission, Chip Hale Center and McKinney Cemetery. He also was delinquent tax attorney for 42 years. Memorial contributions may be made to the United Way of Hawkins County, P.O. Box 277, Rogersville, TN 37857.

Retired Knox County Circuit Court Judge Wheeler A. Rosenbalm died on April 21 at the age of 86. Rosenbalm served as a judge for 22 years, from September 1990 until his retirement in January 2013. Prior to joining the court, Rosenbalm was a partner with the Knoxville law firm of Frantz, McConnell & Seymour LLP. He earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law, where he also was an instructor and associate professor of law. Rosenbalm was a member of the Knoxville Bar Association, and a fellow in the Tennessee Bar Foundation and American College of Trial Lawyers.

Richard Randolph Ruth Jr. of Walden died May 25 at the age of 86. Originally from Pennsylvania, Ruth earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1965. He practiced in Chattanooga from 1965 until 2002, including time with the Hamilton County District Attorney’s Office; Luther, Anderson, Ruth & Cleary; Ruth & Foster; and Ruth & McCarthy. After retiring, Ruth volunteered with the Legal Aid of East Tennessee and was instrumental in advocating for the Tennessee Supreme Court’s adoption of the “Pro Bono Emeritus Rule” in 2010, which provides special status to retired attorneys who volunteer to assist indigent clients. Ruth also was honored with the Jac Chambliss Lifetime Achievement Award from the Chattanooga Bar Association in 2010. A private memorial service will be held for the family. Memorial contributions may be made to Legal Aid of East Tennessee, National Kidney Foundation or Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum.

Kingsport attorney Julia C. West died May 16 at age 85. She graduated from East Tennessee State University (ETSU) with a degree in English and master’s degree in English Literature. She went on to pursue a law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law and began practicing law in 1992. Her legal career spanned more than two decades, focusing on government tort liability. West was a member of the Tennessee Bar Association and the Kingsport Bar Association, serving as its president in 2000. Memorial donations may be made to the Julia C. West Foundation — established to continue West’s legacy of supporting education, the arts and animal welfare — at 537 E. Center St., Kingsport, TN 37660.

Rene Arthur Wolf died on March 24 at his home in Ajijic, Mexico, just a few months shy of his 100th birthday on July 30. Raised in Needles, California, Wolf entered the Army in 1944, and was sent to Stanford to study engineering. He prepped at Amherst and won a competitive appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1946. Upon graduation in 1950, as a civil engineer, Wolf was assigned to the 1st ECBn in Germany. After two tours in South Korea, a tour in Japan and another tour in Turkey, he retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1971 to become the head of facilities planning and engineering at Martin Marietta Aerospace in Denver, Colorado. Wolf became an attorney after passing the Tennessee Bar in 1984. |||