Knoxville businessman and University of Tennessee College of Law (UT Law) graduate James Nicholas "Nic" Arning died June 13 at age 79. Arning earned his law degree from UT Law in 1974. After passing the bar, he assisted friends and clients with wills and other legal matters and occasionally served as appointed pro bono counsel for those in need. Rather than practicing law full time, Arning used his legal training to help grow his family's business, Arning Insurance Agency. The family will receive friends on June 23 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT at Rose Mortuary-Mann Heritage Chapel, 6200 Kingston Pike in Knoxville, followed by a graveside service at 2 p.m. at Edgewood Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to Challenger Sports, c/o Knox Youth Sports, Lakeshore Park, 5908 Lyons View Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919.

Newport attorney Clyde Augustus “Scutter” Dunn died June 4 at age 88. Dunn earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee (now Winston) College of Law and spent nearly six decades serving clients in Newport. During his legal career, he also served as county attorney and president of the local bar association. Family and friends gathered June 7 at First United Methodist Church in Newport, where funeral services were held. Burial took place June 8 at Union Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to First United Methodist Church or the Newport Theatre Guild.

Retired U.S. District Judge Jon McCalla died May 15 at age 79. A visitation will be held on June 13 from 10 to 10:45 a.m. CDT at Grace-St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 1720 Peabody Ave., Memphis 38104 in Trezevant Hall. At 11 a.m., a funeral service will celebrate the lives of McCalla and his wife, Mary, who died in April. A reception will follow at the University Club of Memphis, 1346 Central Ave., Memphis 38104. Memorial gifts may be made to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center Otolaryngology Advancement Fund; Historic Archives of Rosemark and Environs Inc. by mail to 8671 Rosemark Rd., Millington, TN 38053; or Grace-St. Luke's Episcopal Church online or by mail at the address above.

Frank Gibson, founder and former executive director of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government (TCOG), died earlier this month. Gibson, a longtime Tennessee journalist and advocate for government transparency, founded the coalition in 2003 and served as its executive director until 2011, later remaining active on its board. During his career, he worked for more than four decades as a journalist at The Tennessean, serving as a reporter, city editor and political editor, and later became public policy director for the Tennessee Press Association. Gibson was widely recognized for his work advancing Tennessee’s public records and open meetings laws, including helping draft reforms to the Tennessee Public Records Act and co-authoring “Keys to Open Government,” a guide to the state’s sunshine laws.

Knoxville lawyer William Pennebaker “Boone” Dougherty died May 24 in Iowa. He attended Vanderbilt University and earned his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1961. Following law school, Dougherty moved to Knoxville and practiced law with several firms, including Ambrose, Wilson and Saulpaw; Poore, Cox, Baker & McAuley; Bernstein, Dougherty & Susano; and Dougherty and Alliman. For more than 30 years he handled criminal defense, labor, environmental and coal mining matters. In 1965, Dougherty was appointed deputy law director for the city of Knoxville and served as city trial counsel and counsel for the city council until 1972. After retiring from private practice in 1991, he moved to Atlanta where he worked as an investigative reporter for a local newspaper. In 1993, he began a second career with the State of Georgia, trying cases for the Department of Human Resources. He retired for good in 2004, and in 2006, he moved to Iowa to be closer to his daughter.

Memphis lawyer Ronald D. “Ronnie” Krelstein died Feb. 10 at the age of 83. Krelstein earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School and returned to Memphis where he established a 58-year legal career, first as the city's police legal adviser and then at his own law firm as a criminal defense attorney. Long-time legal friend and colleague, Richard Glassman, recalled that Krelstein loved trying lawsuits and loved the company of other lawyers. "Ronnie was an addict of the law. He was the No. 1 authority on contempt of court and always impressed judges with his legal knowledge." Krelstein was a member of Temple Israel and the Lawyers Journal Club of Memphis. He also was a frequent contributor to TBA Talk, the TBA’s group mailing list software that allows members to share knowledge and experiences with each other. The family asks that memorial donations be made to The Savior Foundation — a charitable agency for animals — or a charity of the donor's choice.

Lance B. Bracy, a longtime leader in Tennessee legal ethics and a former chief disciplinary counsel for the Tennessee Supreme Court Board of Professional Responsibility, died May 20 at age 90. Bracy joined the board as disciplinary counsel in 1976 and was appointed chief disciplinary counsel in 1979, serving in that role until his retirement in 2007. During his tenure, Bracy helped draft and publish more than 140 formal ethics opinions, issued approximately 600 advisory ethics opinions and responded to more than 12,000 informal ethics inquiries from Tennessee attorneys. Bracy earned his law degree from the Nashville School of Law. Before joining the board, he practiced law in Springfield for 11 years and served as assistant district attorney general for Robertson and Sumner counties. Bracy also taught as an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University Law School and lectured at continuing legal education programs on professional responsibility. Visitation (10 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT) and a memorial service (1 p.m.) will be held June 6 at Anderson and Garrett Funeral Home, 3501 Old Clarksville Pike, Joelton 37080. Burial will follow at Oakwood United Methodist Church Cemetery, 1001 Old Pinnacle Rd., Joelton 37080. The funeral home has details.

Clinton H. Swafford, age 89, died on May 22 in Winchester. He earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee (now Winston) College of Law and began practicing law in 1959. He was a longtime member of the Tennessee Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association (TTLA). He served as TTLA president from 1982-1983, and was honored with the TTLA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018. At the age of 24, Swafford became the youngest mayor of Winchester, serving from 1961-1967. He also served for 20 years on the advisory board for the University of Tennessee Space Institute. In those roles he was invited to witness the Apollo 9 launch. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Winchester First Baptist Church or The Gideons International. Visitation will be held at First Baptist Church, 108 S High St., Winchester 37398 on May 30 from 9-11 a.m. CDT with funeral services immediately following. Interment will follow in Franklin Memorial Gardens.

Knoxville lawyer Joe Mont McAfee died May 17 at age 89. He completed his law degree at the University of Tennessee (now Winston) College of Law. In 1961, he was commissioned as first lieutenant in the Army JAG Corp completing his military justice training at the University of Virginia School of Law. McAfee practiced business law at Egerton, McAfee, Armistead & Davis Law Firm, founded by his father in 1932, representing several Knoxville institutions including White Stores, Weigels and Cherokee Distributing Company. He was a member of the Knoxville Bar Association and a fellow of the Tennessee Bar Association. A reception to celebrate his life will be held at Cherokee Country Club, 5138 Lyons View Pike, Knoxville 37919 on June 21 from 4-6 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in McAfee’s name to West Hills Presbyterian Church, 7600 Bennington Dr. NW, Knoxville 37909 or the University of Tennessee College of Nursing, 1200 Volunteer Blvd., Knoxville 37916.

Circuit Court Judge Franklin Murchison Sr. died at age 94. Murchison earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University and served in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps until 1960, attaining the rank of captain. During his military service, he held positions including defense counsel, prosecuting counsel, chief of appellate review and chief of military justice. After his military service, Murchison returned to Jackson and practiced with the firm Murchison & Murchison alongside his father, Carmack Murchison, focusing on civil and criminal litigation. He later practiced with Spragins & Murchison. In 1985, Murchison was elected judge of the 26th Judicial District Circuit Court, Division III, serving Madison, Henderson and Chester counties. He was admitted to practice before all courts of Tennessee, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, the U.S. Court of Military Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. A memorial service will be held at a later date.