MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2012 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Simmons (12th), Tollison, Hopson, Clarke, Tindell, Jordan, Chassaniol, Frazier, Butler (36th), Butler (38th), Fillingane, Gandy, Hill, Jackson (15th), Jackson (11th), Jackson (32nd), Jolly, Lee, Stone
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION MOURNING THE LOSS AND COMMENDING THE PUBLIC SERVICE OF U.S. DISTRICT JUDGE AND U.S. ARMY OFFICER W. ALLEN PEPPER, JR., OF CLEVELAND, MISSISSIPPI.
WHEREAS, U.S. District Judge W. Allen Pepper, Jr., a Federal Judge since 1999 in the Northern District of Mississippi and a man of impeccable character, passed away on January 24, 2012; and
WHEREAS, W. Allen Pepper, Jr., took the Oath of Office as a United States District Judge for the Northern District of Mississippi on July 21, 1999, having received the nomination from President Bill Clinton on March 8, 1999; and
WHEREAS, before his appointment to the bench, he maintained a solo law practice for 30 years in Cleveland, Mississippi. A native of Belzoni, Mississippi, he graduated from the University of Mississippi with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1963. Following two years' active duty as an Officer with the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army, he returned to Mississippi and received his Juris Doctor Degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1968; and
WHEREAS, Judge Pepper maintained an AV rating in Martindale-Hubbell for 15 years and was listed in Martindale-Hubbell's Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers in the field of Civil Trial Practice. He was a nominee for the Office of President of the Mississippi State Bar Association in 1991, and served two terms as a Director of the Young Lawyers Section, served on the Lawyer Referral Committee, the Admission Study Committee, the Complaints Committee, the Nominations Committee, the Legislative Committee, the Disciplinary Review Committee, the Law Office Management Committee, the Fee Dispute Resolution Committee, the Complaints Tribunal, and had been President of the Mississippi Bar Foundation; and
WHEREAS, Judge Pepper was elected President of the Mississippi Trial Lawyers Association in 1985 following service as Continuing Legal Education Chairman, Secretary, Vice President and member of the Board of Governors and Executive Committee; and
WHEREAS, he had been Chairman of the Lamar Order and a Director of the University of Mississippi Law Alumni. He was a Fellow of the Mississippi Bar Foundation, where he had also been a Trustee and a member of the Grants Committee. He held membership in the American Board of Trial Advocates and American Inns of Court, and was a former member of the American Bar Association, was a State Committeeman for the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, a Fellow of Young Lawyers Association of The Mississippi Bar, and was a frequent speaker at legal education seminars; and
WHEREAS, Judge Pepper was a public defender for 26 years, was a member of the Mississippi Public Defenders Association, Inc., and was a participant in the Mississippi ProBono Project. He held membership in both the National and the Mississippi School Board Attorney's Association and was a former Adjunct Professor at Delta State University; and
WHEREAS, active in civic affairs, Judge Pepper was a Past Chairman and was a twelve-year member of the Bolivar County Elections Commission. Formerly President of the Lions Club, the Crosstie Arts Council and the Bolivar County Ole Miss Alumni Association, he had been Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce and the Industrial Development Foundation and a Director of the Delta State University Booster Club and Sunburst Bank of Cleveland, now Union Planters Bank. He also served as Chairman of the Administrative Board, Finance Committee, and Pastor Parish Relations Committee of the First United Methodist Church, where he was a Sunday School Teacher for 12 years, was a member of the Choir and Board of Trustees, Habitat for Humanity Volunteer, and served as Scoutmaster of the Cub Scout Pack. In 1996, he was recognized for his contributions to the community by being chosen King of the Junior Auxiliary Charity Ball; and
WHEREAS, Judge Pepper was Vice President of the Fifth Circuit District Judges Association, on the Board of Directors of the Federal Judges Association, a former member of the Fifth Circuit Judicial Council, and a member of the American Inns of Court; and
WHEREAS, Northern District Chief Judge Mike Mills called Pepper a Judge of "impeccable character." "He was the most fundamentally decent person I have known," Mills said. "The whole court family is grieving"; and
WHEREAS, he is survived by his wife of 45 years, the former Virginia Brown of Jackson, and one son, William Allen Pepper, III; and
WHEREAS, it is with sadness that we note the passing of this jurist whose good spirit and remarkable intellect enriched the lives of his colleagues and the citizens of Mississippi:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby mourn the loss and commend the legacy of public service of United States District Judge and United States Army Officer W. Allen Pepper, Jr., of Cleveland, Mississippi, and extend the sympathy of the Legislature to his surviving family on his passing.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to the surviving family of Judge Pepper, forwarded to the Fifth Circuit District Judges Association and The Mississippi Bar, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.