text:
National Bar Association
The Honorable Jon R. Gray
Judge Jon R. Gray was born on November 16, 1951 in Little Rock, Arkansas to Mai H. Gray and Reverend C. Jarrett Gray, Sr. After graduating from Paseo High School in Kansas City, Missouri in 1969, Gray received his B.A. degree in American Studies from Grinnell College in 1973. He went on to receive his J.D. degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law in 1976.
After graduating from law school, Gray was appointed assistant Jackson County Counselor and established a solo law practice, before joining the firm of Gray Payne & Roque as a principal and partner. He served as a Democratic Attorney for the Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners from 1981 to 1986 and as a chair of the Liquor Control Board of Review of Kansas City, Missouri. In 1986, Governor John Ashcroft appointed him circuit judge in the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit of Missouri. He served a term as the Administrative Judge of the Family Court of Jackson County and as a special judge of the Missouri Supreme Court. He also taught at the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, Emory University School of Law, and the Missouri Judicial College. In 2007, Gray retired from the circuit court and joined Shook, Hardy & Bacon, LLP as a partner in its Kansas City office, where he served as chair of the firm's Professional Development Committee.
Gray served on the board of trustees of Southern Methodist University from 1988 until 2000. In 2007, he served a one year term as chair of the Judicial Council of the National Bar Association; and, in 2008, he joined the American Arbitration Association as a member of its panel of commercial arbitrators. Governor Jay Nixon appointed Gray to serve as a member of the Jackson County Sports Complex Authority in 2009, and as a member of the Missouri Citizens' Commission on Compensation for Elected Officials in 2014. An active member of The United Methodist Church, Gray was elected to serve an eight year term as a member of its Judicial Council, and as a delegate to its General Conferences in 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004. Judge Gray holds membership in The Missouri Bar, the National Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Jackson County Bar Association, the Association of Missouri Mediators, and the FINRA panel of arbitrators. He is admitted to practice before the Missouri Supreme Court, the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
Gray received the Difference Maker Award from the Urban League of Greater Kansas City in 2002, the Lewis W. Clymer Award from the Jackson County Bar in 2007, and the Spurgeon Smithson Award from the Missouri Bar Association in 2014. In 2018, he was honored with the Missouri Legal Icon Award from Missouri Lawyers Publications and the Raymond Pace Alexander Award from the National Bar Judicial Council.
The Honorable Jon R. Gray was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on November 6, 2019.
Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity
Missouri Bar Association
Jackson County Bar Association
Wendell Phillips Elem. Magnet
Park Elementary School
Northeast Junior High School
Paseo High School
Wendell Phillips Elementary Magnet
GRA19
Do All The Good You Can, In All The Ways That You Can, For All The People That You Can, In All The Places That You Can, As Long As Ever You Can - John Wesley
Desserts, Barbecue, and Vegetables
Judge Jon R. Gray (1951- ) served as circuit judge in the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit of Missouri from 1986 to 2007.
Shook, Hardy & Bacon, LLP
Sixteenth Judicial Circuit of Missouri
Gray Payne & Roque
Read more about The Honorable Jon R. Gray
Trudy DunCombe Archer
Judge Trudy DunCombe Archer was born on August 29, 1943 in Detroit, Michigan to Eleanor and James DunCombe, Jr. She attended George A. Custer Elementary School, Roosevelt Elementary School, Durfee Junior High School, and Central High School. In 1964, Archer received her B.S. degree in education from Eastern Michigan University. She went on to receive her M.A. degree in education from Wayne State University in 1971 and her J.D. degree from Detroit College of Law in 1981.
Archer served as an elementary school teacher at Ralph Bunche Elementary School from 1964 to 1969, and at Bellevue Elementary School from 1970 to 1973. In 1983, Archer was appointed assistant corporation counsel for the City of Detroit. Four years later, she joined Detroit College of Law as assistant dean. In 1989, Governor James Blanchard appointed Archer judge of Michigan's 36th District Court. From 1993 to 2001, Archer served as First Lady while her husband, Dennis W. Archer, served as mayor of Detroit. As First Lady, Archer focused on Detroit's youth, mentoring and encouraging children and their parents at school sponsored programs and forums. In 2006, she retired from her position as judge on the 36th District Court.
Archer has been a member of the American Bar Association, the National Bar Association, Detroit Metropolitan Bar, the Wolverine Bar, and the Association of Black Judges of Michigan. She belongs to the Fellows of the Michigan State Bar Foundation. She has served on the boards of the Children's Center, the Community Foundation of Southeastern Michigan, the Children's Hospital of Michigan/Pediatric Clinical Services, the Junior League of Detroit, the Greening of Detroit, and the African American Parent Magazine. A life member of the NAACP, Archer was also a member of the Millionaires Club of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, the Detroit chapters of Girl Friends, Links, and the International Women's Forum, Michigan chapter. Archer served as director emeritus for the Detroit Institute of Arts, advisor to the Community Foundation of Southeastern Michigan for the Dennis W. Archer Foundation, and on the advisory committee of the Detroit Auto Dealers Association's Charitable Foundation Fund.
In 1995, Archer received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from the University Detroit Mercy. In 2011, she received the Women of Excellence Award from the Michigan Chronicle. Archer also received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Wolverine Student Bar Association and the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanities Award. For her work on projects aimed toward children and bettering the community, she has received the Goodfellows Tribute Award, the Distinguished Citizen Award presented by the Detroit Area Council Boy Scouts of America, and the American Heart Association's Cor Vitae Award for Community Service.
Archer and her husband have two children: Dennis W. Archer, Jr. and Vincent DunCombe Archer, and two grandsons: Dennis W. Archer, III and Chase Alexander Archer.
Trudy DunCombe Archer was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on August 19, 2019.
DunCombe Archer
DunCombe
Boys and Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan
Providence Hospital
Detroit Institute of Arts, \"Under The Stars\"
International Women\'s Forum
Wolverine Bar Association
Association of Black Judges of Michigan
Women Lawyers Association of Michigan
Detroit Bar Association
Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society
Detroit Symphony Orchestra Hall
The Greening of Detroit
Riegle for Senate \'88 Committee
Governor James J. Blanchard\'s Celebration III and IV \"Shish-Ke-Bash\"
Executive Committee to Retain Michigan Supreme Court
Palmer Woods Association
Museum of African-American History
The Children\'s Center
Girl Friends, Inc., Detroit Chapter
Links, Inc., Detroit Chapter
Jack and Jill of America, Inc., Detroit Chapter
Community Foundation of Southeastern Michigan
Junior League of Detroit
African American Parent Magazine
Michigan International Year of the Family
Detroit Auto Dealers Association\'s Charitable Foundation Fund
Thurgood Marshall Elementary School
Durfee Elementary School
Michigan State College of Law
Fall, Spring...really the four seasons
Martha's Vineyard, Paris, and Italy
Lobster and Lamb chops
Judge Trudy DunCombe Archer (1943 - ) served as a judge on Michigan's 36th District Court from 1989 to 2006, and as First Lady to Detroit during the administration of her husband, Detroit Mayor Dennis W. Archer.
State of Michigan
Bellevue Elementary School
Ralph Bunche Elementary School
Michigan 36th District Court
Orange, red, and all warm colors
Read more about Trudy DunCombe Archer
The Honorable Peter C. Harvey
Lawyer Peter C. Harvey was born in the Bronx, New York on February 2, 1958 to Lillian Holland Harvey and Reverend Raymond Harvey. In 1948, Harvey's mother established at the Tuskegee Institute the first baccalaureate degree program in nursing in the State of Alabama.. His father also worked on campus, serving as chaplain of the Tuskegee Institute Chapel. Harvey went on to earn his B.A. degree in political science from Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland in 1979, and his J.D. degree from Columbia Law School in New York City in 1982.
After graduation, Harvey was hired as an associate at the New York law firm of Kaye, Scholer, Fierman, Hays and Handler, where he worked on intellectual property litigation cases. In 1986, Harvey joined the United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey as an assistant United States attorney. From 1986 to 1989, he worked on organized crime and drug trafficking. In 1989, Harvey joined the State of New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. As special assistant to Attorney General Robert Del Tufo, Harvey helped draft a landmark assault weapons regulation bill, which was passed by the New Jersey Legislature and signed into law by Governor Jim Florio in May, 1990. That same year, Harvey returned to private practice as an associate at the law firm of Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland and Perretti LLP. In 2002, he was appointed first assistant attorney general of New Jersey where he directed the Division of Criminal Justice. On July 10, 2003, Harvey was sworn in as the fifty-fourth New Jersey attorney general, becoming the first African American to hold this office. During his three year term, Harvey focused on police reform as well as anti-gang and anti-fraud initiatives. Harvey resigned in 2006 and returned to private practice as a partner at the law firm of Patterson Belknap Webb and Tyler LLP.
Harvey served as an active member of the Morgan State University Alumni Association. In 2012, the university named him alumnus of the year. Harvey has retained memberships in the National Bar Association, American Bar Association and National Association of Attorneys General.
Harvey and his wife, Tammy Ayers Harvey, have three children, Ayana Harvey, David Harvey and Aja Harvey.
Peter C. Harvey was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on June 26, 2018 and March 25, 2019.
6/26/2018 |and| 3/25/2019
National Association of Attorney General
Morgan State Alumni Association
Chambliss Children's House at Tuskegee Institute
Tuskegee Institute High School
Boggs Academy
Morgan State University
HAR55
Foreign Cities with Museums, Restaurants, and Wineries
Imagination Is Sometimes Superior To Knowledge
Italian, Chinese, and Barbecue
Lawyer Peter C. Harvey (1958- ) was sworn in on July 10, 2003 as the fifty-fourth New Jersey attorney general, the first African American to hold the office. Prior to that, he worked in the New Jersey Office of Attorney General and the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Kaye, Scholer, Fierman, Hays & Handler
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey
Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & Perretti LLP
Belknap Webb & Taylor LLP
Read more about The Honorable Peter C. Harvey
The Honorable H. Ron White
Judge and lawyer H. Ron White was born on February 10, 1941 in Richmond, Virginia to Ernest White and Mattie White. He graduated from Maggie L. Walter High School in 1958. White received his B.S. degree in biology and chemistry from Hampton University in 1962, and his J.D. degree from Howard University in 1971.
After graduation from Hampton University, White joined the U.S. Army in 1962. He was stationed in Kaiserslautern and Mannheim, Germany, and at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. From 1967 until 1968, White served a tour of duty in Vietnam, and was stationed in Quin Yan. By the end of his military service, he had reached the rank of captain. White began his professional career in 1971 at the Atlantic Richfield Oil Company as an environmental and labor attorney. He was promoted to the position of federal regulatory compliance counsel in 1974. Two years later, White joined Irvin & White, P.C., which became White, Mahomes, and Briscoe, P.C. the following year. In 1979, White established the Law Offices of H. Ron White & Associates. He then served as a district court judge in the State of Texas after being appointed to the position in 1983. White returned to his private law practice in 1985, and served as a partner at White & Wiggins.
In addition to his law practice, White has been active in a number of organizations. Specifically, he has been a board member of The General Counsel Forum for the Dallas and Fort Worth Chapter, and the Urban League of Greater Dallas and North Texas. White has also been a member of the Texas Bar College and the National Bar Association, as well as a Life Fellow of Texas Bar Foundation.
White has been recognized and awarded for his contributions to the community. In 2004, White was named as "Trial Lawyer of the Year" by the Dallas Bar. He also received the Dallas Bar Foundation Fellows Award for Outstanding Service to the Bar and Civic Community in 2006. White was named as one of the fifty "Lions of the Texas Bar" by The Texas Lawbook, as well as a Texas Super Lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell in 2005 and from 2010 through 2015.
White and his wife, Rita C. White, have one son, Eric.
H. Ron White was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on March 14, 2017.
National Minority Law Group
Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce
Dallas Bar Association
J.L. Turner Legal Association
George Washington Carver Elementary School
Benjamin Graves Junior High School
Maggie L. Walker High School
Howard University School of Law
Westwood School
WHI24
THM DA Link
http://marc.thehistorymakers.org/thmdigital/A2017.069.htm
Web Clip 1
https://thmdaprodmedia.blob.core.windows.net/media/story/video/661192
Bahamas, St. Martin
Steak, Hamburger, Liver
Judge and lawyer H. Ron White (1941 - ) was appointed State of Texas District Court Judge and was named "Trial Lawyer of the Year" by the Dallas Bar Association in 2004
White & Wiggins, LLP
Law Offices of H. Ron White & Associates, P.C.
Timing Pairs
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DAStories
Tape: 1 Story: 1 - Slating of H. Ron White's interview
Tape: 1 Story: 2 - H. Ron White lists his favorites
Tape: 1 Story: 3 - H. Ron White describes his mother's family background
Tape: 1 Story: 4 - H. Ron White talks about his mother's upbringing
Tape: 1 Story: 5 - H. Ron White describes his father's family background
Tape: 1 Story: 6 - H. Ron White talks about his father's education
Tape: 1 Story: 7 - H. Ron White describes his father's community involvement
Tape: 1 Story: 8 - H. Ron White recalls how his parents met
Tape: 1 Story: 9 - H. Ron White describes his parents' personalities and who he takes after
Tape: 1 Story: 10 - H. Ron White describes his father's military service
Tape: 1 Story: 11 - H. Ron White lists his siblings
Tape: 1 Story: 12 - H. Ron White talks about his son's occupation
Tape: 1 Story: 13 - H. Ron White remembers enrolling at Westwood School in Richmond, Virginia
Tape: 2 Story: 1 - H. Ron White talks about the desegregation of Virginia schools
Tape: 2 Story: 2 - H. Ron White describes Westwood School in Richmond, Virginia
Tape: 2 Story: 3 - H. Ron White describes his childhood home
Tape: 2 Story: 4 - H. Ron White remembers the Westwood community
Tape: 2 Story: 5 - H. Ron White recalls the business district of Richmond's Westwood community
Tape: 2 Story: 6 - H. Ron White talks about the African American businesses in Richmond, Virginia
Tape: 2 Story: 7 - H. Ron White recalls the schools he attended in Richmond, Virginia
Tape: 2 Story: 8 - H. Ron White describes his involvement in the school band
Tape: 2 Story: 9 - H. Ron White recalls his early interest in science
Tape: 2 Story: 10 - H. Ron White remembers influential high school teachers
Tape: 2 Story: 11 - H. Ron White recalls his decision to attend Hampton Institute in Hampton, Virginia
Tape: 2 Story: 12 - H. Ron White remembers his early work shining shoes
Tape: 2 Story: 13 - H. Ron White describes his father's interest in golf
Tape: 3 Story: 1 - H. Ron White talks about his paternal family's tailoring experience
Tape: 3 Story: 2 - H. Ron White recalls his jobs in high school
Tape: 3 Story: 3 - H. Ron White remembers attending the Hampton Institute in Hampton, Virginia
Tape: 3 Story: 4 - H. Ron White recalls his early experiences of religion
Tape: 3 Story: 5 - H. Ron White talks about his musical interests
Tape: 3 Story: 6 - H. Ron White remembers performing in the Hampton Institute Band and Orchestra
Tape: 3 Story: 7 - H. Ron White describes his academic interests at the Hampton Institute
Tape: 3 Story: 8 - H. Ron White talks about the impact of the film 'Hidden Figures'
Tape: 3 Story: 9 - H. Ron White talks about his scientific interests at the Hampton Institute
Tape: 3 Story: 10 - H. Ron White remembers his extracurricular activities in college
Tape: 3 Story: 11 - H. Ron White recalls joining the U.S. Army
Tape: 3 Story: 12 - H. Ron White remembers meeting his wife
Tape: 4 Story: 1 - H. Ron White talks about the civil rights activities at the Hampton Institute in Hampton, Virginia
Tape: 4 Story: 2 - H. Ron White remembers the assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Tape: 4 Story: 3 - H. Ron White describes his experiences in Germany
Tape: 4 Story: 4 - H. Ron White recalls being deployed to Vietnam
Tape: 4 Story: 5 - H. Ron White describes Qui Nhon, Vietnam
Tape: 4 Story: 6 - H. Ron White talks about starting a jazz band in Vietnam
Tape: 4 Story: 7 - H. Ron White remembers considering his career options after his release from the U.S. Army
Tape: 4 Story: 8 - H. Ron White recalls his decision to pursue a career in law
Tape: 4 Story: 9 - H. Ron White remembers the assassination of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Tape: 4 Story: 10 - H. Ron White recalls entering Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C.
Tape: 4 Story: 11 - H. Ron White remembers his favorite law school instructors
Tape: 4 Story: 12 - H. Ron White describes the most difficult aspects of law school
Tape: 4 Story: 13 - H. Ron White remembers being recruited by Atlantic Richfield Company in Dallas, Texas
Tape: 5 Story: 1 - H. Ron White describes his experiences at Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C.
Tape: 5 Story: 2 - H. Ron White remembers being interviewed by Atlantic Richfield Company in Dallas, Texas
Tape: 5 Story: 3 - H. Ron White recalls his decision to move to Dallas, Texas
Tape: 5 Story: 4 - H. Ron White describes the creation of J.L. Turner Legal Association
Tape: 5 Story: 5 - H. Ron White remembers his supportive coworkers at Atlantic Richfield Company
Tape: 5 Story: 6 - H. Ron White recalls joining the Dallas Bar Association
Tape: 5 Story: 7 - H. Ron White remembers his organizational involvement while at Atlantic Richfield Company
Tape: 5 Story: 8 - H. Ron White recalls his involvement in the Dallas, Texas community
Tape: 5 Story: 9 - H. Ron White talks about the migration of African Americans to southern cities
Tape: 5 Story: 10 - H. Ron White remembers guest speakers for the Committee of 100
Tape: 6 Story: 1 - H. Ron White recalls the formation of the Committee of 100
Tape: 6 Story: 2 - H. Ron White talks about the spread of information in the Dallas African American community
Tape: 6 Story: 3 - H. Ron White talks about the gendered division of social organizations, pt. 1
Tape: 6 Story: 5 - H. Ron White recalls the changes in African American business markets
Tape: 6 Story: 6 - H. Ron White remembers working to educate Dallas' African American business community
Tape: 6 Story: 7 - H. Ron White recalls Dallas' challenges with desegregation
Tape: 6 Story: 8 - H. Ron White describes the importance of city support for new residents
Tape: 6 Story: 9 - H. Ron White remembers African American elected officials in Dallas, Texas
Tape: 6 Story: 10 - H. Ron White talks about organizations promoting African American politicians
DASession
1$1
DATape
DAStory
DATitle
H. Ron White describes his experiences at Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C.
H. Ron White recalls his decision to move to Dallas, Texas
(Simultaneous) You were just talking off camera about you being the oldest student and having--giving, giving you a little advantage on (unclear) in law school [Howard University School of Law, Washington, D.C.] (simultaneous).$$(Simultaneous) Right, 'cause I was, you know, I was at least five or six years older than the average student that would have been admitted at that time and then I had that real life experience being married [to Rita White] and having a child [Eric White] and having been in the [U.S.] military so you see things a little bit different than the student that's, who's just coming out of college who is going to law school with a few life experiences, okay. So that enabled me to, I think, develop a relationship with some of the faculty to the extent that I was selected, I guess, that last year to be the student faculty representative for the, for the law school and that was a time when Pat [ph.] and some of the others, Harrison [ph.], and some of the others were there and they were having issues trying to, you know, students began to not only boycott but raise issues at the school. Back during that time, they, they weren't that bashful about, about trying to improve the climate and ensure that we were getting the kind of resources that we felt we needed that we were investing in for our career. So, I did get a chance to participate in that capacity on behalf of the student body, the law school student body, my last year.$I came down, got a couple of people that were trying to be courteous and cordial and show me around a little bit. I realized when I got back, I didn't have a lot of information that I could share with my wife [Rita White] and they wanted to know, they said, "Well we're really interested, we'd like to make you an offer," you know, and I said, "Well, I'm--I'd be happy to consider that offer but I'm not sure I'm able to make any decisions regarding that offer without first having my wife to come down and take a look and so we can better determine what the alternatives are for my family," okay, 'cause at that time I had a wife and a son [Eric White]. And so they said, "Oh yeah, we'd be, we'd be happy to do that." So they, they did in fact arrange for me, I think a couple of weeks or so later. They said, "You let me know what time you can come and arranged for me to come back down to spend another weekend and, and to look around, to try to make that decision." We did, they got a slightly different crew. I told them, I don't want them to take me just to the white areas, I need to see where the black communities are, I need to talk with someone else who'll give me a better perspective of what, what's here really for African Americans. And so they arranged that also. Was there something you need to get?$$No, no, no. I keep hearing something but it's all right.$$Yeah, but anyways, so, so we did that and I, when I came down this time, I had to, I wanted to visit with the African American lawyers that were in town and I, my contact at that time was, was C.B. Bunkley [C.B. Bunkley, Jr.] who had been here for a while. L.A. Bedford [Louis A. Bedford, Jr.] was another prominent lawyer who had been involved, who was here. My classmate, Walter Irvin [ Walter L. Irvin] had been here a year before and Walter had graduated from Howard [Howard University School of Law, Washington, D.C.] also that year before and had been here and so those were the, the four, three or four persons that I spoke with on that second trip and I think but for the encouragement of, of C.B. Bunkley, whose son-in-law became the city attorney for Dallas [Texas] in subsequent years but he was well respected because he had been here practicing. He had primarily a civil practice, sole, sole practitioner, just like everyone in the city, primarily the sole practitioners except for a couple of them that had partnered together or working together, not so much partnered but that was the, that was the legal climate at that point. So, Bunkley said that, you know, he said, "Ron [HistoryMaker H. Ron White], I know you, you know, you'll be the first African American to be extended an offer or at least potentially accept an offer, we need you to accept this offer because that hopefully will begin to open some doors in terms of getting some more lawyers hired by some of these corporations and businesses and that, you know, that included the, the governmental entities too." So I said, said, "Well, I had told them I had to get with my wife, I need to see, see the various areas that, where we could probably live and see what we could, we could arrange." I said, "Well if I can't make it work, I'm going to get an agreement so they'll send me back to D.C. [Washington, D.C.] in two years." So, I got that agreement in place as a part of the condition of accepting the offer. There are several other things I think I discussed or was considered in making that decision. So my wife and I said, well, we'll give it a shot and see what we can do. So we established those conditions with the encouragement of the African American lawyers that were well respected at that time in the market, saying, "We'll help wherever we can, if you don't like it and you still want to practice, you've got an office here in my, in my building to work, to do some work," so that gave me another alternative that if it doesn't work I can still go out and practice with the, one or the other established lawyers and make a go of it. That was in part the dynamics of what, what evolved in terms of my decision to come down and give it a shot.
Read more about The Honorable H. Ron White
The Honorable Andre M. Davis
Judge Andre M. Davis was born on February 11, 1949 in Baltimore, Maryland. He received his B.A. degree in American history from the University of Pennsylvania, and went on to receive his J.D. degree from the University of Maryland School of Law, where he graduated cum laude in 1978.
In 1978, Davis worked as a law clerk to Judge Frank A. Kaufman, who served in the U.S. District Court in the District of Maryland. In 1979, Davis clerked for Judge Francis D. Murnaghan, Jr., before working as an appellate attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division in 1980. From 1981 to 1983, Davis served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland. He then entered private practice for one year, before joining the faculty of his alma mater, the University of Maryland School of Law. In 1987, Davis was appointed to his first judgeship, serving the District Court of Maryland for Baltimore City. He was then appointed as an associate judge for the Circuit Court for Baltimore City in 1990, before being elected to a full term on the state circuit court in 1992. In 1995, President Bill Clinton appointed Davis to the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland; and in October of 2000, President Clinton nominated Davis to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. However, the U.S. Senate refused to schedule his confirmation hearings, leaving the seat empty until Davis was nominated again, by President Barack Obama, in April 2009. He was confirmed by the Senate with a 72-16 vote in November of that year, receiving his commission the following day. Davis sat on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals bench for several landmark cases in U.S. law. In 2011, he served on the panel that heard Liberty University et al v. Geithner, which challenged the Affordable Care Act of 2010. In 2014, Davis assumed senior status as a judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Davis was the recipient of the American Jurisprudence Award, the Myerowitz Moot Court Award and the Benjamin L. Cardin Public Service Award, among numerous other honors.
Judge Andre M. Davis was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on December 8, 2016.
Appellate Court Judge
Judicial Institute of Maryland
Judge Andre M. Davis (1949 - ) was appointed to the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland in 1995 by President Bill Clinton. In 2009, he was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit by President Barack Obama.
United States, Court of Appeals 4th Circuit
University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law
United States Court of Appeals for The Fourth Circuit
United States District Court of Maryland
Maryland Circuit Court
State of Maryland District Court
United States Attorney's Office for The District of Maryland
United States District Court
Read more about The Honorable Andre M. Davis
James E. Payne
Lawyer James E. Payne was born on March 3, 1968 in Port Arthur, Texas to James C. Payne and Jessie Payne. He attended Port Arthur Lincoln High School in Port Arthur, where he played on the basketball team, winning the 1986 UIL Championship game. He then earned his B.S. degree in political science with honors from the University of Houston in 1989. He earned his J.D. degree from the University of Houston Law Center in 1993.
Payne interned for Florida Congressman William Lehman in 1989. In 1993, Payne was hired as an associate lawyer at Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. Wanting to gain more trial experience, he left the firm to join the Provost Umphrey Law Firm, L.L.P. There, Payne practiced products liability, industrial work site accidents, automobile accident, and premises liability law. He was certified in personal injury trial law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and as a civil trial advocate and a pretrial practice advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. In one of his more high profile cases, Matthews Smith et al. v. Star Enterprise et al., Payne argued on behalf of 250 plaintiffs against Texaco's discriminatory employee practices. The plaintiffs received a $9 million settlement. This case, along with a number of others, allowed Payne to become a certified member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum. In addition to his legal work, he served as a youth minister at Cathedral of Faith Baptist Church in Beaumont, Texas, where he organized the Sunday school program R.E.A.L. School for Young Adults.
Payne was featured on the "Texas Super Lawyers" list by Thomson Reuters in 2003, continuing to make appearances on the list for many years. He was also named one of their "Top 100: Houston Super Lawyers" in 2013. Payne was featured on the US News and World Report "Best Lawyer" list from 2006 to 2017. He also organized "The Buy 90 Campaign for BOBs (Black Operated Businesses)" in Southeast Texas. A life member of the NAACP and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Payne served as Grand Sire/national President of the Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity.
Payne and his wife, Tracie Yvonne Wilson, have three children: Taryn, Joshua and Caleb.
James E. Payne was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on December 3, 2016.
Cathedral of Faith Baptist Church
Memorial High School
Woodrow Wilson Early College High School
PAY08
Anywhere He Can Golf
I Play To Win.
Steak, Rice
Lawyer James E. Payne (1968 - ) worked as a personal injury lawyer for Provost Umphrey Law Firm, L.L.P. since 1995, and successfully argued a $9 million settlement in the case of Matthews Smith et al. v. Star Enterprise et al.
Congressman William Lehmont
Provost Umphrey Law Firm LLP
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Tape: 1 Story: 1 - Slating of James E. Payne's interview
Tape: 1 Story: 2 - James E. Payne lists his favorites
Tape: 1 Story: 3 - James E. Payne describes his mother's family background
Tape: 1 Story: 4 - James E. Payne talks about his mother's upbringing
Tape: 1 Story: 5 - James E. Payne describes his father's family background
Tape: 1 Story: 6 - James E. Payne describes his father's occupation
Tape: 1 Story: 7 - James E. Payne recalls how his parents met
Tape: 1 Story: 8 - James E. Payne describes his parents' personalities and who he takes after
Tape: 1 Story: 9 - James E. Payne lists his siblings
Tape: 1 Story: 10 - James E. Payne describes his early community in Port Arthur, Texas
Tape: 1 Story: 11 - James E. Payne describes his earliest childhood memory
Tape: 1 Story: 12 - James E. Payne talks about the racial demographics of Port Arthur, Texas
Tape: 1 Story: 13 - James E. Payne describes his early education
Tape: 2 Story: 1 - James E. Payne remembers being injured by a television explosion
Tape: 2 Story: 2 - James E. Payne recalls his family's lawsuit against Magnavox
Tape: 2 Story: 3 - James E. Payne describes the result of the lawsuit
Tape: 2 Story: 4 - James E. Payne talks about lawyer Thomas A. Peterson's influence on his decision to practice law
Tape: 2 Story: 5 - James E. Payne remembers playing basketball at Abraham Lincoln High School in Port Arthur, Texas
Tape: 2 Story: 6 - James E. Payne describes his basketball team's training regime
Tape: 2 Story: 7 - James E. Payne recalls the racial discrimination faced by the basketball team
Tape: 2 Story: 8 - James E. Payne describes his extracurricular activities
Tape: 2 Story: 9 - James E. Payne recalls his favorite teachers at Abraham Lincoln High School
Tape: 3 Story: 1 - James E. Payne recalls his early interest in pursuing law
Tape: 3 Story: 2 - James E. Payne remembers playing basketball at the University of Houston in Houston, Texas
Tape: 3 Story: 3 - James E. Payne recalls being chosen for a congressional internship
Tape: 3 Story: 4 - James E. Payne remembers the death of his father
Tape: 3 Story: 5 - James E. Payne describes his internship with Congressman William Lehman
Tape: 3 Story: 6 - James E. Payne recalls his decision to attended University of Houston Law Center in Houston, Texas
Tape: 3 Story: 7 - James E. Payne describes his organizational involvement in college
Tape: 3 Story: 8 - James E. Payne talks about his experience with police brutality
Tape: 3 Story: 9 - James E. Payne recalls the results of the Rodney King trial
Tape: 3 Story: 10 - James E. Payne describes the racial demographics of his law class
Tape: 3 Story: 11 - James E. Payne remembers racial discrimination from his law school professors
Tape: 4 Story: 1 - James E. Payne describes his involvement in moot court competitions
Tape: 4 Story: 2 - James E. Payne recalls his first impressions of Vinson and Elkins LLP
Tape: 4 Story: 3 - James E. Payne remembers leaving Vinson and Elkins LLP for Provost Umphrey LLP in Beaumont, Texas
Tape: 4 Story: 4 - James E. Payne recalls being underestimated in court because of his race situations
Tape: 4 Story: 5 - James E. Payne remembers the Matthews Smith, et al. v. Texaco, Inc., et al. discrimination case
Tape: 4 Story: 6 - James E. Payne recalls results of the Matthews Smith, et al. v. Texaco, Inc., et al. trial
Tape: 4 Story: 7 - James E. Payne talks about his board certifications
Tape: 4 Story: 8 - James E. Payne describes the role of race in his representation of clients
Tape: 4 Story: 9 - James E. Payne talks about discriminatory practices in jury removal challenges
Tape: 4 Story: 10 - James E. Payne describes his bar association memberships
Tape: 5 Story: 1 - James E. Payne describes the Buy 90 Campaign
Tape: 5 Story: 2 - James E. Payne recalls the public response to the Buy 90 Program
Tape: 5 Story: 3 - James E. Payne talks about the impact of integration on black businesses, pt. 1
Tape: 5 Story: 5 - James E. Payne recalls meeting and marrying his wife
Tape: 5 Story: 6 - James E. Payne remembers the formation of CUSH Magazine
Tape: 5 Story: 7 - James E. Payne shares his thoughts on prejudice and racial bias
Tape: 5 Story: 8 - James E. Payne talks about his reasons for ending the distribution of CUSH Magazine
Tape: 5 Story: 9 - James E. Payne describes Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity
Tape: 5 Story: 10 - James E. Payne talks about influential members of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity
Tape: 6 Story: 1 - James E. Payne describes the differences between Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity and other organizations
Tape: 6 Story: 2 - James E. Payne talks about Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity's philanthropic approach
Tape: 6 Story: 3 - James E. Payne remembers being elected as grand sire of the Boule
Tape: 6 Story: 4 - James E. Payne recalls his accomplishments as grand sire of the Boule, pt. 1
Tape: 6 Story: 6 - James E. Payne shares his plans for the future
Tape: 6 Story: 7 - James E. Payne talks about his youth ministry
Tape: 6 Story: 8 - James E. Payne describes his hopes and concerns for the African American community
Tape: 6 Story: 9 - James E. Payne reflects upon his life
Tape: 7 Story: 1 - James E. Payne describes his family
Tape: 7 Story: 2 - James E. Payne talks about his personal philosophy for success
Tape: 7 Story: 3 - James E. Payne reflects upon his legacy and how he would like to be remembered
Tape: 7 Story: 4 - James E. Payne narrates his photographs
James E. Payne describes his internship with Congressman William Lehman
James E. Payne talks about his board certifications
Okay, so tell us about that. Now you, did you like, spend like a semester there or a quarter or what was it?$$I spent the semester there, I was there in the spring of nineteen eighty- spring of 1989, I worked for Congressman Bill Lehman [William Lehman] of Dade County, Florida [Miami-Dade County, Florida]. Mickey--Congressman Lehman was, was very good at making sure that we worked for a variety of people. And, and got the real experience of, of, of congressional interns, he didn't want us to come up there and be pages. Which is you know just going around taking petitions to get signatures; he wanted us to get into the congressional mindset. And, and basically work like a legislative assistant would of worked. And so and they, he did that, I mean Congressman Bill Lehman, when I got there, I immediately did work like the legislative assistants would do. I was meeting with the constituents, I was writing letters back to his, his people within his community. I became the liaison for the Haitian African American, at that time black versus Haitian disputes with the, the Coast Guards [U.S. Coast Guard]. Back in 1989 they were deporting Haitians who were coming close to the sou- to the United States. They would, they intercept them, the congressional--the Coast Guards would intercept them and send them back to Haiti. Well of course when they intercept them, sent them back to Haiti, they would die on their way back and so there was a fight between the United States and the Haitian group as to what you should do with those Haitians that were coming over. They didn't really have anyone in my congressman's area in Dade County, Florida who speak, who could speak on that issue. And I became the person to deal with that issue with the Coast Guard and Haitians. Now I'm twenty years old, twenty-one years old I'm having to go to Edison High School [Miami Edison Senior High School, Miami, Florida] which is the high school where the Haitians and the, and the blacks were having interactions. I'm dealing with a lot of the Haitians elected officials and both I, at that time it was Ba- Baby Doc [Jean-Claude Duvalier] in, in, in authority. My congressman worked for the, he was the federa- chairman of the Federal Aviation Committee [Federal Aviation Administration] which was during the Eastern [Eastern Air Lines] strike. So we were having the Eastern strike at that time, I'm having to fly back and forth to Miami [Florida], I'm twenty years old, I understand Haitian government. I understand you know cons, the, the Coast Guard's interactions and I'm the go to person in [U.S.] Congress for Dade County, Florida. You can't ask for a better (simultaneous)--$$(Simultaneous) Probably the whole Haitian situation, you're probably the go- yeah.$$It was a great experience for me, I mean I'm, I remember flying to Marco Polo Hotel [Ramada Plaza Marco Polo Beach Resort, Miami, Florida] and I would fly back and forth you know almost every month. To meet with the Haitian officials, meet with the Coast Guards, come back and report to my congressman, here's where we are. And then when the congress of constituents would come up to meet with Congressman Lehman, I would be in the room. Because I'm the guy so although I'm twenty, I'm from Port Arthur, Texas, I, I never studied Haitian government, I'm now the go between. And it was an awesome, awesome experience for me, you know because when we, we had various bills that were put forth because I knew the bill, I would actually go to the various congress people. I remember talking with Tip O'Neill, Speaker Tip O'Neill, he called and you know I'm sitting on the phone talking to him like, "Oh my god I'm talking to Tip O'Neill" (laughter). But you know I knew the information, it was my bill, you know I wouldn't say it was my bill, but I drafted the thing. So (laughter) it was a great, great experience and, and I was coming from an area where Congressman Jack Brooks was very high in the judiciary on the, he was chairman of the judiciary committee [U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary]. And so my congressman, Congressman Bill Lehman and Congressman Jack Brooks had a good relationship. And, and because I was from Jefferson County [Texas], I could always go see Congressman Brooks. So he could always get me bypa- could bypass me to the people that I really need to talk to, so I start learning to play the Washington politics at twenty. Okay, I got this congressman, I got this chairman, this chairman can get me to this guy, then I can get somebody to review my bill or, or my congressman's bill. And then I figured out who the players are in Dade County, Florida that need to come up to help me sit through the congressional insight when they do the, the bill, bill review. So that I got the right players sitting at the table asking- answering the right questions, you just start playing politics. And that's the kind of experience I received at twenty years old.$$Yeah that's incredible (laughter) you think you know, it's scary too although, a twenty year old is given that kind of you know. But that's you know (simultaneous)--$$(Simultaneous) That's Washington [D.C.].$$Yeah but, yeah we have--we often interview people that find themselves in a situation that they couldn't've imagined like just a year before. And here you are at a Dairy Queen--$$Yes.$$--flipping burgers and now you're like the Haitian go to person in Congress.$$Yes.$Tell us about--now, I have a note here that you received a NBTA certification, National Board of Trial Ad- Advocacy [National Board of Trial Advocacy], as a certified civil trial advocate. Now what does that mean and--?$$That's similar to the board certification by the Texas State board of certification [Texas Board of Legal Specialization] that means you have reached a level of excellence. You've tried a certain amount of cases and many times with Texas board of specialization you actually have to go to Austin [Texas] take another test. You'll see many times in whatever state you practice, they'll say you, you see a lawyers advertising saying, "Hey I can help you, I can help you." And then at the very bottom in real, real smart print it'll say, "Not board certified by the board of specialization." That's a requirement that says you have not reached that level of sus- specification. And I look at it like this, if you, you have a heart problem, you can go see an internal medicine or you can go see a cardiologist. You have a heart problem you go see a cardiologist 'cause they're specialized in cardiology. The same thing I see when it comes to personal injury, you can go see a lawyer, you have a personal injury. Or you can go see someone who specializes in personal injury. To me I'd go to someone who specializes. So I want to make sure I got certification and board certified because again I understand 90 percent of the lawyers are not board certified. But I need to be in that exclusive, exclusive group because if I'm gonna be competitive, I gotta se- I gotta be better. And so I made sure I was board certified not only personal injury, the national trial advocacy. I have board certification in civil trial, and then also have national board certification by civil trial of national board certification in pretrial litigation.$$Okay.$$So--$$Now all of this, in 2003 you're identified as a Texas Super Lawyer now what does this mean?$$That is a very, that was probably one of the biggest honors I've received since I've been practicing in that you are nominated by your peers. The lawyers in Texas decide who they recognize as the top 5 percent lawyers in the State of Texas. That is not something that you can buy into, they nominate and I have been recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer since nine- 2003, which is when they started Texas Super Lawyer. And I've been recognized every since, and in 2003 I'm not sure but I think I was probably the only African American in the State of Texas that received that designation in 2003. And I've had that designation ever since.
Read more about James E. Payne
The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr.
Judge John W. Peavy, Jr. was born on April 28, 1942 in Houston, Texas to Malinda Terrell Peavy and John W. Peavy, Sr. Peavy graduated from Phyllis Wheatley High School in 1960, where he began his lifelong engagement in local politics as a member of the Young Democrats of Harris County. He then enrolled at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where he earned his B.A. degree in business administration with an emphasis in accountancy in 1964. Peavy worked for Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson's office as an undergraduate student, and later as a White House staffer during Johnson's presidency. In 1967, Peavy received his J.D. degree from the Howard University School of Law.
Upon graduating from law school, Peavy returned to Houston, and opened a private law practice focused on criminal and civil cases. In 1967, he joined the Harris County Community Action Association as an associate senior coordinator; and, in 1969, he became an executive assistant to Harris County Judge William Elliot. He then worked as an expert for the American Bar Association's Project Home, where he handled real estate cases for the NAACP. Funded by the Ford Foundation, the program provided legal and technical assistance to federal housing programs. Peavy also served on the Houston City Council. In 1973, Judge William Elliott appointed Peavy as justice of the peace for a newly formed, majority-black district in Harris County. He was later elected for a full term in 1974, serving until 1977 when he was appointed by Governor Dolph Briscoe as judge of the 246th District Court. There, he presided over family law cases, and helped reform the family court system through his endorsement of mediation programs within the court system in 1985. In 1990, Peavy was placed in charge of family law courts for all of Harris County. Peavy retired from his district court judgeship in 1994.
Peavy was a member of the Houston Area Urban League, the NAACP, and the U.S.-China Friendship Association. He also served as the director of the Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston, Texas. In 2018, Peavy was honored with a historic portrait at the Harris County District Civil Courthouse.
Peavy and his wife, Diane Massey, have four children.
Judge John W. Peavy, Jr. was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on December 2, 2016.
State Court Judge
Political Action Committee of Houston Lawyers\' Association
Houston Bar Association
Advanced Family Planning Committee
State of Texas Board of Legal Specialization
Blanche Kelso Bruce Elementary School
E.O. Smith Middle School
Phillis Wheatley High School
PEA02
If You Can't Make It In Houston You Can't Make It Anywhere.
Collard Greens, Fish
Judge John W. Peavy, Jr. (1942 - ) served as justice of the peace from 1974 to 1977, and as district judge from 1977 to 1994 in Houston, Texas, in addition to directing Houston's Contemporary Arts Museum.
Harris County, Texas
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Tape: 1 Story: 1 - Slating of The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr.'s interview
Tape: 1 Story: 2 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. lists his favorites
Tape: 1 Story: 3 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. describes his mother's family background
Tape: 1 Story: 4 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. talks about his mother's upbringing
Tape: 1 Story: 5 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. describes his father's family background
Tape: 1 Story: 6 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. describes the U.S. Supreme Court decision that banned all-white primary elections
Tape: 1 Story: 7 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. talks about his likeness to his parents
Tape: 1 Story: 8 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. recalls the discrimination against black attorneys
Tape: 1 Story: 9 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. lists his siblings
Tape: 1 Story: 10 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. describes his earliest childhood memory
Tape: 1 Story: 11 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. remembers the Fifth Ward of Houston, Texas
Tape: 2 Story: 1 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. recalls the rivalry between the black high schools in Houston, Texas
Tape: 2 Story: 2 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. talks about his interest in business
Tape: 2 Story: 3 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. remembers his early awareness of the Civil Rights Movement
Tape: 2 Story: 4 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. describes his influences at Phillis Wheatley High School in Houston, Texas
Tape: 2 Story: 5 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. remembers his political activities during high school
Tape: 2 Story: 6 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. remembers working as an aide at the White House
Tape: 2 Story: 7 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. remembers Louis E. Martin
Tape: 2 Story: 8 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. recalls his experiences in the White House
Tape: 2 Story: 9 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. remembers Stokely Carmichael and Henry "Hank" Thomas, pt. 1
Tape: 3 Story: 2 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. describes his experiences at Howard University
Tape: 3 Story: 3 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. recalls his influences at the Howard University School of Law
Tape: 3 Story: 4 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. reflects upon his time at the Howard University School of Law
Tape: 3 Story: 5 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. remembers joining the Harris County Community Action Association
Tape: 3 Story: 6 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. describes his role in the Harris County Community Action Association
Tape: 3 Story: 7 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. remembers the issues addressed by the Harris County Community Action Association
Tape: 4 Story: 1 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. describes the accomplishments of the Harris County Community Action Association
Tape: 4 Story: 2 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. remembers the local leaders involved with the Harris County Community Action Association
Tape: 4 Story: 3 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. describes his role as the executive assistant to Judge William Elliot
Tape: 4 Story: 4 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. recalls his appointment as a justice of the peace
Tape: 4 Story: 5 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. describes his role as a justice of the peace
Tape: 4 Story: 6 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. talks about his challenges as a justice of the peace
Tape: 5 Story: 1 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. describes his first election as justice of the peace
Tape: 5 Story: 2 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. describes his experiences as a family law judge
Tape: 5 Story: 3 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. remembers his retirement from the judicial profession
Tape: 5 Story: 4 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. remembers being acquitted of bribery charges
Tape: 5 Story: 5 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. reflects upon his experiences as a family law judge
Tape: 5 Story: 6 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. talks about the death of Sandra Bland
Tape: 5 Story: 7 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. describes his recent business venture
Tape: 6 Story: 1 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. recalls incidents of racism from his judicial career
Tape: 6 Story: 2 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. describes his judicial philosophy
Tape: 6 Story: 3 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. describes his hopes and concerns for the African American community
Tape: 6 Story: 4 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. reflects upon his life
Tape: 6 Story: 5 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. talks about his family
Tape: 6 Story: 6 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. describes how he would like to be remembered
Tape: 6 Story: 7 - The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. narrates his photographs
The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. talks about his mother's upbringing
The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. recalls incidents of racism from his judicial career
Okay so she went to Prairie View [Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College; Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, Texas] too and?$$Right, she went to Prairie View also.$$Now did she always want to be a teacher or were there limited opportunities or what?$$I think that there were limited opportunities at that time but clearly having just gotten from--freed from slavery and experiencing all that they felt that the way for black people to progress is to have an education. And--and at that time, you know, teaching was one of the avenues that you could do something, you know, unless you went into a trade. But they went into teaching.$$So it was a good position to have in those days.$$Yeah.$$As it is now.$$Yeah$$But, okay. So did your mother [Malinda Terrell Peavy] grow up in Anderson--in Grimes County [Texas]?$$Yeah she grew up in Anderson but she eventually moved to Houston [Texas] with my father [John W. Peavy, Sr.] when they got married. He was from Grimes County also, Anderson. They moved to Houston and she got a job teaching Houston Independent School District and she taught the fourth grade up until her retirement.$$Okay. Now did she--do you have any stories your mother told about growing up in Anderson or the early days of Houston?$$Well one thing, my grandfather [Alexander Terrell] in addition to being in charge of the Negro school system in Grimes County, he also owned land, and what was unique in Anderson, Texas, their home--and they had a big two story home on the main street of Anderson and they were the only black family that stayed, you know, in town. And the town is sort of like on a hill like and you've got the courthouse--the Grimes County Courthouse [Anderson, Texas] to the right, you've got an inn to the left and right there is the Terrell--where the Terrells had their home. It was like four or five lots, as I was saying it was a two story house. He also founded the black church in Anderson, Texas and he was very business minded because of the fact that when people lost their property for taxes, he would buy property at the courthouse and get a tax sale and buy property. So she talked about Anderson and growing up. She didn't talk too much about the Depression [Great Depression] but one of my mother's sisters who was older than my mother, experienced the Depression and she talked about the Depression. I can remember as a little boy going to their house where in their pantry they had a lot of flour, you know, they had a lot of staple products because of the fact that they had experienced the Depression and they didn't want to experience it again. You know, so they made sure that staples--that they had plenty of it in their pantry at home.$You had another bench story you wanted to tell us before we talked about your (simultaneous)--$$(Simultaneous) Well I was about to mention--tell you that, you know, experiences--and, and I've got two experiences I want to tell you. One when I first ran for district court judge you had to run countywide and so I went all over the county trying to get votes but there's a conservative portion of Harris County [Texas] called Pasadena, Texas. I don't know if you've heard of that or not but it's conservative. So I went there and it's somewhat--it's a blue collar area and it was at a labor hall, chemical workers and people like that and I went there and my wife [Diane Massey Peavy] was with me. She was standing on the side and I was standing on the front and my wife told me that she heard one of the people say that, "I can't believe that Negro came out here." So my wife was nervous and she was getting concerned and so anyway she said that I finally talked to the people and when I get through talking the people were clapping and the guy who had made that statement said, "You know, he sounds all right and I'm going to vote for him." So, but she always tell the kids about that. One other thing when I was, too, running, the Ku Klux Klan [KKK] had my signs out in Pasadena and the Chronicle [Houston Chronicle] called me and they asked me about it and I said, "Well I don't know anything about it but obviously they feel that I must be a fair judge." Anyway that was the end of that story. But, you know, and then I had another incident that happened where my court coordinator was on the elevator and I was on the top floor in the courthouse and she rode up the elevator with this white attorney with his white client and he was talking to his client trying to comfort his client trying to explain the procedure and keep him relaxed and everything. My court coordinator who was black--who is black, said that just as the elevator opened the attorney told his client, he said, "You know the judge is a nigger, don't you."$$This is an uncloseted speech, I mean--$$Yeah.$$--I mean closeted speech that you don't really hear, but here it is. So what are you--are you surprised by that kind of thing?$$Well I was, but I didn't let it impact my ruling.
Read more about The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr.
Paulette Brown
Lawyer Paulette Brown was born on April 28, 1951 in Baltimore, Maryland to Wilbur Brown, a truck driver, and Thelma Brown, a homemaker. She attended Baltimore's P.S. 145 and Calverton Junior High School, graduating from Northwestern High School in 1969. Brown studied sociology at Howard University before changing her major to political science. In 1973, she received her B.S. degree in political science from Howard University, and went on to receive her J.D. degree from Seton Hall University School of Law in 1976.
Brown spent nine years working as in-house counsel at several Fortune 500 companies, including National Steel Corporation, Prudential Insurance Company of America, Inc., and Buck Consultants Inc. Brown was the founding partner of Brown & Childress, and worked as a solo practitioner for sixteen years. In 1983, she was elected president of the Association of Black Women Lawyers of New Jersey. In 1993, Brown & Childress merged with another firm to become Brown, Lofton, Childress & Wolfe, New Jersey's largest minority firm at the time. That same year, she was elected president of the National Bar Association, and later served as a municipal court judge in Plainfield, New Jersey. As president of the NBA, Brown led a delegation to monitor the first free and democratic elections in South Africa in 1994, and became a member of the American Bar Association in 1997. Brown joined Duane, Morris & Heckscher LLP as a partner in January 2000, and then she moved to the New Jersey office of Edwards & Angell LLP in 2005. In 2007, she was elected as a member of the American Bar Association's board of governors. She co-chaired the Commission on Civic Education in the Nation's Schools in 2010, and in 2015, became the first woman of color to be elected as president of the American Bar Association.
Brown received numerous awards, including the National Bar Association's highest award, the C. Francis Stradford Award. She also received the Gertrude Rush and Cora T. Walker Legacy Awards from the National Bar Association, the Medal of Honor Award from the New Jersey Bar Foundation, the Spirit of Excellence and Margaret Brent Awards from the American Bar Association, the Award of Excellence from the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, and the Robert L. Carter Legacy Award from the New Jersey chapter of the N.A.A.C.P. She also received the Professional Lawyer of the Year Award from the New Jersey Commission on Professionalism. Brown was repeatedly selected by U.S. News as one of the "Best Lawyers in America" in the area of commercial litigation. She was named to the Ebony Power 100 List in 2014, and was selected as one of the 50 "Most Influential Minority Lawyers in the U.S." by the National Law Journal and one of the country's "Most Influential Black Lawyers" by Savoy Magazine.
Brown has one son, Dijaun Brown.
Paulette Brown was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on July 28, 2015.
YWCA of Central New Jersey
Locke Lord Diversity Committee
Association of Black Women Lawyers of New Jersey
Alexander Hamilton Elementary School
Calverton Elementary/Middle School
Seton Hall University School of Law
BRO61
To whom much is given much is required
Seafood or roasted root vegetables
Lawyer Paulette Brown (1951 - ) was a partner at Locke Lord LLP, and the first woman of color elected President of the American Bar Association.
Edward Wildman Palmer
Municipal Court of Plainfield
Tape: 1 Story: 1 - Slating of Paulette Brown's interview
Tape: 1 Story: 2 - Paulette Brown lists her favorites
Tape: 1 Story: 3 - Paulette Brown describes her mother's family background
Tape: 1 Story: 4 - Paulette Brown talks about her mother's early years in Baltimore, Maryland
Tape: 1 Story: 5 - Paulette Brown describes her father's family background
Tape: 1 Story: 6 - Paulette Brown recalls her earliest childhood memory
Tape: 1 Story: 7 - Paulette Brown lists her siblings and grandparents
Tape: 1 Story: 8 - Paulette Brown recalls her early childhood in Baltimore, Maryland
Tape: 1 Story: 9 - Paulette Brown remembers attending her junior prom
Tape: 1 Story: 10 - Paulette Brown describes the sights of her childhood
Tape: 1 Story: 11 - Paulette Brown describes the smells and sounds of her childhood
Tape: 1 Story: 12 - Paulette Brown talks about her early education
Tape: 2 Story: 1 - Paulette Brown recalls the teachers who influenced her in elementary school
Tape: 2 Story: 2 - Paulette Brown reflects upon her experience at Calverton Junior High School in Baltimore, Maryland
Tape: 2 Story: 3 - Paulette Brown remembers attending Wayland Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland
Tape: 2 Story: 4 - Paulette Brown describes Northwestern High School in Baltimore, Maryland
Tape: 2 Story: 5 - Paulette Brown talks about the civil rights activities during her teenage years
Tape: 2 Story: 6 - Paulette Brown recalls her introduction to Howard University in Washington, D.C.
Tape: 2 Story: 7 - Paulette Brown talks about her college friends
Tape: 2 Story: 8 - Paulette Brown describes her summer employment
Tape: 2 Story: 9 - Paulette Brown remembers applying to law school
Tape: 3 Story: 1 - Paulette Brown recalls her student government participation at Howard University
Tape: 3 Story: 2 - Paulette Brown talks about the changes to Howard University
Tape: 3 Story: 3 - Paulette Brown remembers Seton Hall University School of Law in Newark, New Jersey, pt. 1
Tape: 3 Story: 5 - Paulette Brown talks about the Black American Law Students Association
Tape: 3 Story: 6 - Paulette Brown recalls her internship in the Newark Mayor's Policy and Development Office
Tape: 3 Story: 7 - Paulette Brown recalls becoming the employee benefits lawyer at the National Steel Corporation
Tape: 3 Story: 8 - Paulette Brown describes her career at the National Steel Corporation
Tape: 4 Story: 1 - Paulette Brown talks about her work at Buck Consultants
Tape: 4 Story: 2 - Paulette Brown remembers her early networking opportunities
Tape: 4 Story: 3 - Paulette Brown recalls the start of the Association of Black Women Lawyers of New Jersey
Tape: 4 Story: 4 - Paulette Brown describes the challenges faced by African American women attorneys
Tape: 4 Story: 5 - Paulette Brown describes her presidency of the Association of Black Women Lawyers of New Jersey
Tape: 4 Story: 6 - Paulette Brown recalls becoming a National Bar Association deputy regional director
Tape: 4 Story: 7 - Paulette Brown recalls her election as vice president of the National Bar Association
Tape: 4 Story: 8 - Paulette Brown describes the history of the National Bar Association
Tape: 4 Story: 9 - Paulette Brown talks about the National Bar Association
Tape: 5 Story: 1 - Paulette Brown talks about her presidency of the National Bar Association
Tape: 5 Story: 2 - Paulette Brown remembers the first democratic elections in South Africa
Tape: 5 Story: 3 - Paulette Brown talks about her house in South Africa
Tape: 5 Story: 4 - Paulette Brown talks about her work with African bar associations
Tape: 5 Story: 5 - Paulette Brown describes the challenges faced by the National Bar Association
Tape: 5 Story: 6 - Paulette Brown talks about the Young Lawyers Division of the American Bar Association
Tape: 5 Story: 7 - Paulette Brown describes her early work in the American Bar Association
Tape: 5 Story: 8 - Paulette Brown talks about the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession, pt. 1
Tape: 5 Story: 10 - Paulette Brown describes trajectory of her private practice
Tape: 6 Story: 1 - Paulette Brown recalls the clients she acquired in her private practice
Tape: 6 Story: 2 - Paulette Brown talks about minority-led law firms, pt. 1
Tape: 6 Story: 4 - Paulette Brown recalls her decision to leave the firm of Duane Morris LLP
Tape: 6 Story: 5 - Paulette Brown remembers joining the law firm of Edwards and Angell
Tape: 6 Story: 6 - Paulette Brown talks about her experiences at the firm of Edwards and Angell
Tape: 6 Story: 7 - Paulette Brown recalls her election as president of the American Bar Association
Tape: 6 Story: 8 - Paulette Brown talks about the support of Dennis Archer
Tape: 6 Story: 9 - Paulette Brown talks about her goals for the American Bar Association, pt. 1
Tape: 6 Story: 10 - Paulette Brown talks about her goals for the American Bar Association, pt. 2
Tape: 7 Story: 1 - Paulette Brown shares her plans for the future
Tape: 7 Story: 2 - Paulette Brown shares her advice for aspiring African American law professionals
Tape: 7 Story: 3 - Paulette Brown reflects upon the future of the law profession
Tape: 7 Story: 4 - Paulette Brown recalls adopting her son
Tape: 7 Story: 5 - Paulette Brown talks about her son's education
Tape: 7 Story: 6 - Paulette Brown recalls the support of her family during her son's adoption
Tape: 7 Story: 7 - Paulette Brown reflects upon her experiences of parenting
Tape: 7 Story: 8 - Paulette Brown talks about her son's career
Tape: 7 Story: 9 - Paulette Brown describes the challenges faced by the African American community
Tape: 7 Story: 10 - Paulette Brown reflects upon her legacy and the legacy of the African American community
Tape: 7 Story: 11 - Paulette Brown reflects upon the challenges faced by African American women
Read more about Paulette Brown
The Honorable A C Wharton, Jr.
Mayor A C Wharton, Jr. was born on August 17, 1944 in Lebanon, Tennessee. In 1966, he graduated from Tennessee State University with his B.A. degree in political science. Wharton then received his J.D. degree in 1971 from the University of Mississippi School of Law, where he graduated with honors and was one of the first African American students to serve on the Moot Court Board and the first to serve on the Judicial Council.
Wharton first worked in Washington, D.C., at the Office of General Council of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for two years, and then for a year at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, where he headed the Public Employment Project. In 1973, Wharton moved to Memphis, Tennessee and was hired as executive director of Memphis Area Legal Services, a nonprofit organization providing civil legal assistance to low-income citizens. Then, in 1974, he became the University of Mississippi's first African American professor of law, a position that he would hold for twenty-five years.
In 1980, then-Shelby County, Tennessee mayor, Bill Morris, appointed Wharton as Shelby County's Chief Public Defender. Wharton chaired the county's Jail Overcrowding Committee; and, in 1982, wrote and saw passed one of the first state laws in the United States to combat domestic violence. In addition to his role as a public defender, Wharton and his wife established the law firm of Wharton and Wharton in 1980.
In 2002, Wharton was elected as the first African American Mayor of Shelby County, and was re-elected in 2006. As Shelby County Mayor, he established Operation Safe Community, the area's first comprehensive crime-fighting plan, developed the community's first smart growth and sustainability plan, and tackled education and early childhood development issues with programs like "Books from Birth" and "Ready, Set, Grow." Wharton also improved the management and accountability of the County's Head Start program. His reforms attracted the attention of the United States Congress, where he was called to testify before the House Committee on Education.
In October of 2009, Wharton was elected as the Mayor of the City of Memphis, and was re-elected in 2011. He is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition, and has addressed major policy institutions and conferences of the Brookings Institute, CEOs for Cities, and the National Association for Counties.
Wharton lives in Memphis with his wife, Ruby. They have raised six sons.
A C Wharton was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on April 26, 2014.
Alpha Phi Fraternal
Tennessee Bar Association
Sigma Pi Phi
Market Street Elementary PS
Wilson County Training School
Tennessee State University
Fall, Winter
Mayor The Honorable A C Wharton, Jr. (1944 - ) was elected Mayor of the City of Memphis, Tennessee in 2009. He was also the first black mayor of Shelby County, Tennessee and the first African American law professor at the University of Mississippi.
Shelby County Government
Wharton Law Firm
Memphis Area Legal Services
Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Office of General Counsel
0,0:1010,15:5353,100:48870,446:80765,719:112680,1111:139610,1411:175655,2028:180911,2088:190060,2189$0,0:9047,177:32400,594:33040,607:49278,1004:55494,1076:55998,1083:64096,1176:65734,1193:80936,1423:119198,1670:172848,2282:173870,2301:206820,2654
Tape: 1 Story: 1 - The Honorable A C Wharton, Jr. talks about the origin of his name
Tape: 1 Story: 2 - The Honorable A C Wharton, Jr. recalls a lesson from his father, pt. 1
Tape: 1 Story: 4 - Slating of The Honorable A C Wharton, Jr.'s interview
Tape: 1 Story: 5 - The Honorable A C Wharton, Jr. lists his favorites
Tape: 1 Story: 6 - The Honorable A C Wharton, Jr. describes his mother's family background
Tape: 1 Story: 7 - The Honorable A C Wharton, Jr. remembers his maternal grandmother
Tape: 1 Story: 8 - The Honorable A C Wharton, Jr. describes his maternal grandfather
Tape: 1 Story: 9 - The Honorable A C Wharton, Jr. talks about his mother's aspirations
Tape: 2 Story: 1 - The Honorable A C Wharton, Jr. talks about his mother's career as a barber
Tape: 2 Story: 2 - The Honorable A C Wharton, Jr. describes his father's family background
Tape: 2 Story: 3 - The Honorable A C Wharton, Jr. recalls his father's first grocery business
Tape: 2 Story: 4 - The Honorable A C Wharton, Sr. talks about his early understanding of reproduction
Tape: 2 Story: 5 - The Honorable A C Wharton, Jr. recalls his parents' religious affiliations
Tape: 2 Story: 6 - The Honorable A C Wharton, Jr. lists his siblings
Tape: 2 Story: 7 - The Honorable A C Wharton, Jr. recalls his father's work schedule
Tape: 2 Story: 8 - The Honorable A C Wharton, Jr. describes his earliest childhood memory
Tape: 3 Story: 1 - The Honorable A C Wharton, Jr. describes his family's home in Lebanon, Tennessee
Tape: 3 Story: 2 - The Honorable A C Wharton, Jr. talks about the farming economy in Lebanon, Tennessee
Tape: 3 Story: 3 - The Honorable A C Wharton, Jr. recalls the history of Tater Peeler Road
Tape: 3 Story: 4 - The Honorable A C Wharton, Jr. describes the sights and smells of his childhood
Tape: 3 Story: 5 - The Honorable A C Wharton, Jr. remembers his work ethic as a child
Tape: 3 Story: 6 - The Honorable A C Wharton, Jr. describes his family's reading habits
Tape: 3 Story: 7 - The Honorable A C Wharton, Jr. recalls selling Baltimore Afro-American newspapers
Tape: 3 Story: 8 - The Honorable A C Wharton, Jr. remembers the influence of his teachers
Tape: 3 Story: 9 - The Honorable A C Wharton, Jr. remembers Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka
Tape: 3 Story: 10 - The Honorable A C Wharton, Jr. remembers the murder of Emmett Till
Tape: 3 Story: 11 - The Honorable A C Wharton, Jr. describes the telephone system in the 1950s
The Honorable A C Wharton, Jr. recalls a lesson from his father, pt. 2
The Honorable A C Wharton, Jr. describes his family's reading habits
But I'll, I'll never forget. I can see my daddy [A.C. Wharton, Sr.] right now sitting right by the kitchen door, taking his shoes off. And I finally got the nerve up, 'cause I was--I had to make a decision: was I gonna go to school, or was I gonna do what Mr. Tatum [ph.] told me to do? So finally I just said, "Daddy, Mr. Tatum said I don't have to go to school tomorrow. We got to finish those rocks--finish that fence." And he said, "You just go with me tomorrow morning." I didn't know what that meant. So as opposed to walking to school with the other boys, I got in the car with daddy. And we drove over to my daddy's place of work. He also worked for this--for Mr. Tatum. My daddy was a very mild man, never raised his voice. But he went to Mr. Tatum. I'll never forget that. Mr. Tatum was sitting at his desk. And my daddy said, "I understand you told Brother [HistoryMaker A C Wharton, Jr.] he didn't have to go to school tomorrow." And he said, "Mr. Tatum," he said, "I work for you, and I'll do what you tell me to here on the job." He said, "But when it comes to my house, I tell my children what to do. He's going to school." "Ah," he said, "I didn't mean no harm. I didn't mean--I, I didn't mean any harm." My daddy was a short man, but my daddy stood about ten feet tall. It was just a load was lifted off of me because I was so afraid that that man was gonna fire my daddy, which would jeopardize my sisters, my little brother [Kenneth Wharton] all because of me running my big mouth. But my daddy stood like a giant once he said that, didn't raise his voice, didn't curse, didn't make any threats, but he just stood up. And it just seared indelibly in my mind the importance of education. I just don't see how young folks can squander all these opportunities. When my daddy just went way out there on a limb I mean, see, and if he had lost that job, see, he could have gotten blackballed because that man was well respected in the community. And if the word got out, "That Wharton guy there has got a lot of mouth, uppity," or whatever. I mean think of the pain and suffering that could have caused my family.$$Yeah. Yeah, that's quite a story.$Did your parents teach you to read at home? I mean, did, did your mother [Mary Seay Wharton] or, or, or father [A.C. Wharton, Sr.] or--$$Oh, my mom will tell--yeah, I wish she were here to tell. But once I got into it, I, I got frustrated. I would hear my mother read magazines and newspapers and things at night, and she would read them aloud quite often. And I didn't know how a newspaper worked, but I remember she had read me a story out of the paper one day about something. And I don't know why I thought the newspaper would be the same every day. But shortly after, once I got the swing of the first grade [Market Street Elementary School, Lebanon, Tennessee] I grabbed the newspaper and started looking for the same story she had read me. But I didn't know it didn't show up every day like a book that was there (laughter). Yes, she did read to us. Then we had Sunday school, where the Sunday school teacher [at Market Street Church of Christ, Lebanon, Tennessee] would teach us to read from a little card, Bible verses and things like that even before, even before school. They would just give you the word, and you'd repeat it, whatever. And there as a, there was a real respect for the printed page in my family. Let me tell you one thing, my [maternal] grandmother [Dessie Manning Seay] and others would go off to do housework, domestic work. And it's kind of funny. It's sick, but in a way it's kind of funny how they would maybe pay them a dollar but then give them a bunch of junk to make them feel good, old magazines, stuff that was so old, dog-eared, just anything to make, make--give them--feel I'm giving them something. But we had a rule in my house, no matter how old Life magazine was or Reader's Digest, if it came in the front door, it did not go out the back door until you read it. I remember trying to read the Reader's Digest, every once in a while an old National Geographic, a Sears [Sears, Roebuck and Co.] catalog. If you came in it, in that front door, you tried to read it. And my mom knew this, and this is why she bought our set of encyclopedia, Funk and Wagnalls [Funk and Wagnalls Standard Encyclopedia], which we still have, still on the bookshelf to this day, one book at a time. Can you imagine that? It took maybe two years, maybe three years, 'cause you'd get one volume. You'd mail in fifty cent, and you'd get another one. And it took forever for us to get that one set of Funk and Wagnalls encyclopedia that, as I say, the books are still there. My mother really sacrificed to make sure that this was one family that had some books in the house, made all the difference in the world.
Read more about The Honorable A C Wharton, Jr.
David Chaumette
Lawyer David A. Chaumette was born in London, England in 1968, and grew up in Sugar Land, Texas. He received his B.S.E. degree, cum laude, from Princeton University, his M.S. degree in aeronautics/astronautics from Stanford University, and his J.D. degree from the University of Chicago Law School.
In 1994, Chaumette was hired as an associate at the law firm of Mayor, Day, Caldwell & Keeton. From 1998 to 2002, he worked for the Houston, Texas law firm of Porter & Hedges LLP. From 2002 until 2011, Chaumette served as a partner at the law firms of Shook Hardy & Bacon, Baker & McKenzie, and De la Rosa & Chaumette. In December of 2011, he founded the Sugar Land based law firm, Chaumette PLLC, which specializes in business litigation. In 2013, Chaumette was named the first African American president of the Houston Bar Association (HBA).
Chaumette was president of the Houston Young Lawyers Association from 2003 to 2004, and has served on the boards of directors and executive committees for the Houston Bar Association and Neighborhood Centers, Inc. He has also been the president or chair of several other organizations, including Leadership Houston, the Houston Lawyers Foundation, and First Colony Little League. His professional memberships include the National Bar Association, the Houston Lawyer Association, the College of the State Bar of Texas and the Pro Bono College of the State Bar of Texas. In addition, Chaumette is a fellow of the American Law Institute and the Litigation Counsel of America, and has written numerous articles that have been published in magazines and scholarly journals.
In 2004, Chaumette was named as one of the Five Outstanding Young Houstonians by the Houston Junior Chamber of Commerce and one of the Five Outstanding Young Texans by the Texas Junior Chamber of Commerce. He was named to the Visitors Committee of the South Texas College of Law in Houston in 2005, and was named one of the 500 New Stars by Lawdragon.com in 2006. In 2009, Chaumette was recognized as an Extraordinary Minority in Texas Law by Texas Lawyer Magazine. In 2011, he received the Standing Ovation award from the Texas Bar for his service to TexasBarCLE. Chaumette has also been named "Texas Rising Star" and a "Super Lawyer" by Law & Politics Magazine for several consecutive years.
Chaumette lives in Sugar Land, and has two sons, Raphael and Alexandre.
David Chaumette was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on March 3, 2014.
Chaumette
Litigator
Houston Young Lawyer\'s Association
Neighborhood Centers, Inc.
Leadership Houston
the Houston Lawyers Foundation
First Colony Little League
Houston Lawyer Association
College of the State Bar of Texas
the Pro Bono College of the State Bar of Texas
American Law Institute
Litigation Counsel of America
Clements High School
Torrance High School
CHA12
Litigator David Chaumette (1968 - ) , founder and partner of the law firm Chaumette PLLC, was named the first African American president of the Houston Bar Association in 2013.
Mayor, Day, Caldwell & Keeton
Porter & Hedges LLP
Shook Hardy & Bacon
Baker & McKenzie
De la Rosa & Chaumette
Chaumette PLLC
Read more about David Chaumette
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text:
Crossroads Correctional Center (CRCC) is a Missouri Department of Corrections state prison for men located in Cameron, DeKalb County, Missouri, United States. (The town of Cameron straddles DeKalb and Clinton Counties.)  According to the official Official Manual State of Missouri the facility has a capacity of 1,440 maximum security prisoners.

The facility opened in 1997 and is immediately adjacent to the Western Missouri Correctional Center, which opened in 1988. Crossroads was the first Missouri prison to install a perimeter electric fence with a lethal charge.

Among the inmates of Crossroads are the kidnapper Michael J. Devlin from Kirkwood, Missouri, serving 74 life sentences, and the serial killer Lorenzo Gilyard.

In January 2019, Missouri Governor Mike Parsons announced that Crossroads Correctional Center would be closing. In July 2019 many of the offenders were transferred to one side of  Western Missouri Correctional Center which is adjacent to CRCC, and others where transferred to prisons throughout the state.

References

Prisons in Missouri
Buildings and structures in DeKalb County, Missouri
1997 establishments in Missouri

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Other Distinguishing Features: Grey skin and exposed teeth.
Ugly Johnny was a member of the Vicious Circle who was in prison while Dragon was imprisoned. He threatens Dragon, only to have his life threatened right back by Dragon. He is one of the many super-freaks who brutally beat Dragon while in prison. However, Dragon is able to bite off Ugly Johnny's ear during the struggle.


"Today unity is more necessary than ever when imperialism continues stalking like the relentless giant it is," Bruno Rodriguez said.
The XVI Political Council of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America - Peoples' Trade Treaty, referred to as ALBA-TCP, started today in Havana, Cuba with the goal of strengthening Latin American and Caribbean ties and integration.
Representatives from Nicaragua, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Bolivia and Haiti, along with several other countries in the region, are participating in the meeting and will make presentations on various topics.
"Today unity is more necessary than ever when imperialism continues stalking like the relentless giant it is. In the XVI Political Council of ALBA-TCP, this Thursday (...) we will reaffirm the commitment to unity, cooperation and solidarity between our nations," said Cuba's Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla.
Some of the topics on the agenda include the Political Council reaffirming their support for Venezuela's sovereignty and self-determination in the face of the political, financial and media siege to which it has been subjected.
Likewise, the XVIII Intergovernmental Commission between Cuba and Venezuela, in which guidelines for bilateral relations will be established.
According to Hassan Pérez, professor at the Center for Hemispheric Studies on Cuba and the U.S., this regional platform is the "source of a perspective where agreement and complementarity are the cornerstones of exchange, as opposed to the traditional capitalist profit."
Furthermore, he added that among the pillars for the consecration of unity is "the triumph of the Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro and the rise to power of Comandante Hugo Chávez in Venezuela."