William “Bill” Ray Martin, age 83, died April 20. A graduate of Memphis State University, Martin became an attorney in 1966 and moved to Lexington to practice law with his wife Pennie. He worked in private practice for many years and later joined the 26th Judicial District as an assistant district attorney in Henderson County until his retirement. In that role, he worked closely with the Carl Perkins Center and supported efforts to help local children and families. He also served as chair of the Henderson County Election Commission. Funeral services were held in April with burial at Mt. Moriah Cemetery in Reagan. Memorial donations may be made to Grace Methodist Church, 89 Natchez Trace Drive, Lexington, TN 38351; St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place Memphis, TN 38105; or the Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse, P.O. Box 447, Jackson, TN 38302.

Joseph Griffin Cook of Knoxville died at age 85 on Jan. 21. He received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Alabama. Cook had planned to enter law practice, but an interview with the University of Tennessee College of Law (now Winston College of Law) marked a change of direction. He was the youngest member of the law faculty when he accepted the position of assistant professor in 1965, which he held for 51 years. In 1972, he was promoted to professor of law and in 1979, he was named the Williford Gragg Distinguished Professor of Law. He held that position until his retirement in 2016 as professor emeritus. The highest honor the university can give to a member of the faculty is the University of Tennessee Macebearer. Cook received that honor for the 2004-2005 academic year. A celebration of life will be held Aug. 16 at 1 p.m. EDT at the Winston College of Law. To attend, please RSVP by Aug. 8.

Knoxville attorney John Thomas Greene died Jan. 30 at age 83. Greene earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law and began his legal career with Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co., working at its headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, and later as a company lawyer in New York City. He eventually returned to Knoxville, where he represented plaintiffs in personal injury cases with the Law Offices of J.D. Lee. Funeral services were held Feb. 22 in Knoxville. Memorial donations may be made to the American Parkinson Disease Association, P.O. Box 61420, Staten Island, NY 10306.

Clifford Dwight Hawks of Humboldt died May 5. Hawks earned his law degree in 1966 from the University of Memphis (then Memphis State) Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. He was a member of the Gibson County and Tennessee Bar Associations, a Master of the Bench member of the Lowell Edmunds Jackson American Inn of Court and a fellow of the Tennessee Bar Foundation. He served on the staff of the Memphis State Law Review from 1965 to 1966. He served as city judge for Humboldt and later as city attorney until 2014. Funeral services were held May 10 at The Church at Sugar Creek. Memorials may be made to The Church at Sugar Creek, 3400 E. Mitchell St., Humboldt, TN 38343.

Former Shelbyville Judge Alfred Burton "Burt" English, also known as "Poppy," died July 10 at the age of 82. English earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law (now the Winston College of Law) in 1976. That same year, he returned to Shelbyville and joined his father, Alfred L. English, in founding English and English Attorneys. English also served as judge for the city of Shelbyville for 10 years. Family visitation and a memorial service were held July 13. Memorial donations may be made to Ducks Unlimited, One Waterfowl Way, Memphis, TN 38120 or to a charity of the donor's choice.

Maxine Strickler, who worked for the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) for 25 years, died June 21 at age 97. Former Tennessee Bar Journal Editor Suzanne Craig Robertson remembers that when she started working at TBA in 1987, "Maxine was in the membership department. Nothing was computerized then and each member record was on a card in a big metal file called the Cardex." Services were held June 27 in Goodlettsville.

Former American Bar Association (ABA) President William H. “Bill” Neukom, who led the organization from 2007 to 2008, has died. During his tenure, Neukom established the Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, chaired the Fund for Justice and Education, and led an ABA task force focused on advancing the rule of law globally, according to a release. Neukom also was a co-founder and CEO of the World Justice Project, an organization dedicated to promoting the rule of law, and a retired partner in the Seattle office of the international law firm K&L Gates. He taught a seminar on the rule of law at Stanford Law School, where he earned his law degree.

Nashville lawyer Hugh C. Gracey Jr. died July 8 at the age of 79. Originally from Pennsylvania, he graduated from Auburn University in 1967 and earned his law degree from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Birmingham in 1971. He returned to Nashville following law school graduation and practiced with his father for 12 years at Gracey, Madden Cowan & Bird before starting his own law firm of Gracey, Howard, and Sowell in 1987. That firm later became Gracey, Ruth, Howard, Tate and Sowell. Gracey was a member of the American Bar Association, Tennessee Bar Association, Nashville Bar Association, Tennessee Defense Lawyers Association, Federation of Insurance and Corporate Counsel and the Defense Research Institute. He retired from the practice of law in 1999. A celebration of life will be held in the near future. Memorial donations may be made to “The BGA Fund” at Battle Ground Academy in Franklin.

Memphis lawyer Harry Eugene Sayle III died July 11 at the age of 82. A graduate of Memphis State University, he went on to earn his law degree in 1985. He spent much of his career as a civil servant and was working in the Shelby County Public Defender’s Office up until his passing. Visitation will be held on July 25, at noon CDT with a memorial service to follow at 1 p.m. at Memorial Park Funeral Home, 5668 Poplar Ave., Memphis 38119. Memorial donations may be made to the ACLU or Real Good Dog Rescue.

R. William “Bill” Ide III, former president of the American Bar Association (ABA), died July 8. Ide served as ABA president from 1993 to 1994, was a member of the ABA Board of Governors from 1987 to 1990, and spent 12 years in the ABA House of Delegates as an assembly delegate. Most recently, he served as vice chair of the ABA Task Force for American Democracy. As president, Ide focused on strengthening judicial integrity, expanding access to legal services and reforming legal ethics. Under his leadership, the ABA launched initiatives to protect judges from political pressure and interference and promoted transparent, fair legal processes to maintain public trust in the judiciary. Ide earned his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.