Former state representative Arnold A. Stulce died last Thursday in Soddy-Daisy. Stulce served as a bomber pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. After the war he attended North Carolina State University and began a 40-year career at DuPont in Chattanooga. He served on the Soddy-Daisy City Commission as well as the Hamilton County School Board. Stulce also served four terms in the Tennessee General Assembly as representative for District 31. No funeral or memorial services will be held at this time. Private interment will be at the Chattanooga National Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Billy Stulce Memorial Scholarship Fund at Soddy-Daisy High School, 618 Sequoyah Rd., Soddy Daisy, TN 37379, or the Soddy-Daisy First Baptist Church Food Bank, P.O. Box 1357, Soddy Daisy, TN 37384.

Murfreesboro lawyer Frank Morriss Fly died yesterday, following an extended illness. A graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and the University of Tennessee College of Law, Fly practiced law in Murfreesboro for 47 years and was the founding partner of the law firm Bulloch, Fly, Hornsby & Evans. He devoted many hours of his law career to environmental causes, including the fight to save the Duck River from being dammed up. He was named Conservationist of the Year in the United States in 1986. A private burial will be held with a memorial service to be held at a later date. The family requests that donations be made to Mt. Nebo Cemetery, c/o Carol Baker, P.O. Box 324, Williamsport, TN 38487.

Tupelo, Mississippi, lawyer Lamar Bradley “Brad” Dillard died April 16 after battling cancer since September 2019. He was 50 years old. A 1995 graduate of the University of Mississippi Law School, Dillard was a partner at the law firm of Mitchell, McNutt & Sams for 25 years and was serving as president of the firm at the time of his passing. A private graveside service was held Monday. Memorials may be made to Tupelo Lee Humane Society, 2795 Cliff Gookin Blvd., Tupelo, MS 38801 or Belden Baptist Church, 4121 McCullough Blvd., Belden, MS 38826. Expressions of sympathy may be left at www.peguesfuneralhome.com.

Retired Georgia Judge Gary Blaylock Andrews died Saturday at 73. Originally from Chattanooga, he graduated from the University of Georgia Law School in 1971 and joined the Georgia Attorney General’s office as an assistant attorney general. From 1976 to 1980, he served as a special assistant attorney general while also maintaining a private law practice. In 1980 and again in 1984, he was elected superior court judge for the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit of the Seventh Superior Court District. He later served on the Georgia Public Service Commission and the Georgia Court of Appeals. The family will hold a memorial service at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Gordon Lee Alumni Association, 402 Cove Road, Chickamauga, GA 30707.

Dyersburg lawyer John Palmer died March 24 at the West Tennessee Veterans' Home in Humboldt. He was 83 years old. Palmer was a graduate of the University of Tennessee and the University of Tennessee College of Law. He practiced law with the Palmer Law Firm in Dyersburg. He also served as Dyersburg’s city judge and as a member of the Tennessee state legislature. A memorial service will be announced at a later date.

Nashville attorney Kelly Duggan died March 25 at 62. Duggan earned her law degree from Tulane Law School and worked as an operations attorney for HCA in Nashville for more than 20 years. Duggan also regularly donated her time to those in need of legal aid and sat on the board of the Liberty Downs HOA. To celebrate her life, a memorial will be held at a later time to be announced by the family. Due to the current environment and limitations on gatherings, this will be delayed so that all who would like to attend can do so.

Memphis lawyer Morris Jacob Kriger died Feb. 25 at 82. A graduate of Harvard Law School, Kriger was a founding partner of the firm that became Kriger Harkavy Shainberg & Kosten. He later served as in-house counsel for Fogelman Properties and executive vice president of acquisitions at Storage USA. After retiring in 1998, he continued to work in commercial real estate and financing. A memorial service was held Feb. 27. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Morris J. Kriger Memorial Fund of the Kosten Pancreatic Research Foundation, Baron Hirsch Synagogue or charity of the donor’s choice.

Knoxville lawyer Mark Robert Orr died last Saturday at 40. A graduate of the University of Memphis School of Law, he was admitted to practice law in 2004. He served as a U.S. Marine Corps scout sniper in Afghanistan and most recently worked as a firearms instructor. He also had an active civil litigation practice in Knoxville with a focus on family law and wills and estates. A private funeral will be held at Church Street Methodist Church. A celebration of life will be held Saturday from 3-6 p.m. at Sapphire. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to tnAchieves, P.O. Box 2723, Knoxville, TN 37901.

Former Tennessee Court of Appeals Judge Herschel P. Franks, whose 42 year tenure on the bench was one of the longest in state history, died yesterday at 89. Franks received his law degree in 1957 from the University of Tennessee and in 1959 joined the law firm of Harris, Moon, Meacham & Franks in Chattanooga. He became active in the local bar and ultimately served as president of the Chattanooga Bar Association. He was appointed to the 11th Judicial District Chancery Court in 1970. In 1978, he was appointed to the state Court of Appeals. He later was elected chief judge and served in that position until he retired. During his career, Franks earned numerous awards and accolades, including the Chattanooga Bar Association’s Foundations of Freedom Award and the TBA’s Justice Frank F. Drowota III Outstanding Judicial Service Award. A celebration of life and memorial will be arranged at a later date. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Pilgrim Congregational Church or the Chattanooga Food Bank.

Former federal judge and lawmaker Thomas A. Wiseman Jr. died Wednesday at 89. Originally from Tullahoma, Wiseman earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University and a master of law from the University of Virginia. He served two years in the U.S. Army and began his practice of law in Tullahoma in 1956. In 1965, he was elected to represent Coffee, Franklin and Grundy counties in the Tennessee House of Representatives and served there until 1969. In 1971, he was elected as state treasurer and served until 1974 when he stepped down to run in the Democratic primary for governor. After losing that race, he returned to the practice of law, forming the firm of Chambers & Wiseman. In 1978, Wiseman was appointed to U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee and served as chief judge for seven years. He took senior status in 1995. His judicial legacy includes presiding over the desegregation of Nashville schools and the state’s higher education desegregation case, and serving as a founding member of the Federal Judges Association. A celebration of life will be schedule at a later date. Author Keel Hunt offered this personal reflection on Judge Wiseman’s life.