Nashville lawyer John Edward Anderson Sr. died Oct. 29, 2024, at age 63. He graduated from the University of Tennessee (UT) and received his law degree from Washington and Lee University School of Law. Anderson later served as a member of the UT Board of Governors and the Davidson County UT Alumni Association Board of Directors. Anderson practiced law with the Nashville firm of Dickinson Wright. Memorial donations may be made to the American Heart Association, P.O. Box 840692, Dallas, TX 75284-0692, or a charity of the donor’s choice.

Sharon J. Bell, retired Knox County chancellor, died Oct. 27, 2024, at the age of 80. Bell earned her law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law. She served in the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1978 to 1982 before becoming a judge on the Knox County General Sessions Court, where she served for four years. In 1986, she was elected as the first woman chancellor in the state of Tennessee. She retired from the bench in 2006. Memorial donations may be made to the Humane Society of Tennessee Valley, P.O. Box 51723, Knoxville, TN 37950.

Winchester lawyer and community advocate Michelle Mitchell Benjamin died Nov. 11, 2024, at age 75. Benjamin earned her law degree at North Carolina Central University and her legal career began as a staff attorney with the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) in Tullahoma. She later established a private practice in Winchester. Benjamin was a board member of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association, a role she held for many years, and also served as a trustee for Lawyers Involved for Tennessee, on the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility for two terms, and on the Judicial Selection Commission for 15 years.

Tennessee attorney Lundy Boyd Carpenter of Piperton died Nov. 17, 2024, at the age of 53. A Memphis native, Carpenter obtained her law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1997 and began her law career by serving as a judicial law clerk for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court and the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. After taking a break from law to raise her son, Carpenter returned to the legal field by serving as an adoption attorney for Weaver & Craig PC. Gifts in her memory can be made to Rossville Church, 340 Main St., Rossville, TN 38066; Voice of the Martyrs, 1815 SE Bison Rd., Bartlesville, OK 74006; or Samaritan’s Purse, P.O. Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607.

Dennis Bruce Francis, a Knoxville attorney and advocate for voting rights, died Oct. 29, 2024, at age 78. Francis received his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1974 and went to work as general counsel at Eastern State Psychiatric Hospital (later Lakeshore Mental Health Institute). He also served as chair of the Knox County Election Commission and was a member of the state Democratic Executive Committee.

Atlanta lawyer Ollie M. Harton died May 5, 2024. A Tennessee-licensed attorney and TBA member, Harton earned his law degree from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law and a Master of Laws from Emory University School of Law. He started his career as a judicial law clerk in the Tennessee Court of Appeals and served as a trial lawyer in the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office. Harton joined Hawkins Parnell & Young in Atlanta in 1988 and served there as a long-time shareholder. At the firm, Harton was key in expanding the footprint beyond Georgia and turning the Toxic Tort Litigation Group into a national presence. He personally tried over 90 toxic tort cases nationwide and was a giant in the defense of asbestos litigation.

Memphis lawyer John Dennis Horne died Oct. 18, 2024, at the age of 77. After growing up in Signal Mountain, Horne attended the University of Tennessee and its College of Law. He later received a Master of Business Administration from the University of Memphis. After three years of service in the U.S. Army JAG Corps, Horne moved back to Memphis and joined the Winchester Law Firm. He was an active member of the community and a fellow of the Tennessee Bar Foundation. Memorial donations may be made to the Church of Holy Communion, 4645 Walnut Grove Rd., Memphis, TN 38117.

Charles Rogers Martin of Kingsport died Nov. 24, 2024, at the age of 84. Martin received his law degree from University of Oklahoma with a focus in intellectual property law and worked as a patent attorney for Eastman Chemical Company for 30 years. Martin served as president of Kingsport Bar Association and was also a member of the Oklahoma, Tennessee and Kingsport Bar associations.

Tennessee attorney Carol Anne Mutter died Nov. 3, 2024, at the age of 78. Mutter, who grew up in Jonesborough, earned her law degree at the Georgetown University Law Center. She practiced law privately and served as a professor at the University of Tennessee Law School for 30 years, specializing in civil procedure, torts, insurance and health law. Later in life, Mutter transitioned to local government, serving as mayor of Lookout Mountain for six years. Donations in her honor may be made to the Children’s Nutrition Program of Haiti, P.O. Box 3720, Chattanooga, TN 37404 or Volunteers in Medicine — Chattanooga, 5705 Marlin Rd., Chattanooga, TN 37411.

Kingsport trial lawyer Jack Muller Vaughn died Nov. 1, 2024, at age 80. Vaughn, a Kingsport native, served in the Army from 1965 to 1971, earning two Purple Hearts. He graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Law and practiced law in Kingsport from 1976 until his retirement in 2024. He was a partner at the firm of Fuller & Vaughn for the majority of his career. He also served as president of Kingsport Bar Association and was appointed by the state Supreme Court to the Lawyers Fund for Client Protection, where he served as chair for four years. Vaughn later moved to Waynesboro, Virginia. Memorial donations may be sent to Trinity Episcopal Church, 1118 Preston Ave., Charlottesville, VA 22903. |||