MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2017 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Simmons (12th), Horhn, Barnett, Blount, Burton, Clarke, Frazier, Hopson, Jackson (11th), Jackson (32nd), Norwood
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION PAYING TRIBUTE AND RECOGNITION TO THE MEMORY OF NOTED MISSISSIPPI ATTORNEY AND CIVIC LEADER HONORABLE JEROME "JERRY" HAFTER OF GREENVILLE, MISSISSIPPI, AND EXTEND THE CONDOLENCES OF THE MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE TO HIS BEREAVED FAMILY.
WHEREAS, it is with a profound sense of regret that we note the passing of Attorney and Civic Leader Honorable Jerome C. "Jerry" Hafter on September 23, 2016; and
WHEREAS, Jerome Hafter was a lifetime resident of Greenville, Mississippi. He was the son of Jerome S. Hafter and Mary Margaret Fugler. His late father served as President of the Mississippi Bar Association in 1953-1954. Jerry attended public schools in Greenville, Mississippi, and graduated as Valedictorian of his class in 1963. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree, Summa Cum Laude, from Rice University in 1967 with a dual major in history and political science. At Rice, he was elected Student Association President and was selected for Phi Beta Kappa and received the Hugh Scott Cameron Award as the Outstanding Rice Graduate of the Class of 1967. Jerry attended Oxford University in England from 1967-1968 as a Marshall Scholar where he received his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees with First-Class Honours in the School of Modern History. His thesis on the Legislative History of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 won the Sara Norton Prize as the best thesis on a topic in American History or political science. Mr. Hafter received his Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School in 1972. While at Yale, he was the Associate Editor of the Yale Law Journal, a Director of Yale Moot Court, and Student Commander of the Yale University Army ROTC; and
WHEREAS, after serving as Student Commander of the Yale Army ROTC, Jerry was commissioned as an officer in the United States Army Corps of Engineers. He served 16 years on active duty and in the Army Reserve. In 1982, he mobilized with the 467th Engineer Battalion for active duty exercises on the East and West German borders. As a result of the hard work of the soldiers under his command, Company D of the 467th won the 1982 Itschner Award as the Most Outstanding Engineer Company in the Army Reserve. Jerry was an Honor Graduate of the Engineer Officer Basic Course School, and the United States Army Command and General Staff School. He was also awarded the Army Commendation Medal and Meritorious Service Medal; and
WHEREAS, in 1972-1973, Jerry Hafter served as Law Clerk to the Honorable Charles C. Clark of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. In 1974, he joined the Law Firm of Lake Tindall, LLP, which was founded by his late father. Jerry practiced at Lake Tindall from 1974 to 2001. Mr. Hafter joined Phelps Dunbar in 2001 as a Senior Partner in its Business Practice Group in Jackson, Mississippi. He practiced in the areas of corporate law and litigation, contracts, real property, economic development, agribusiness, state and local taxation, intellectual property, bankruptcy, and constitutional law. He was a frequent lecturer at CLE programs on topics in commercial and corporate law and bankruptcy; and
WHEREAS, Jerry was one of the limited number of Mississippi lawyers with an extensive international practice. Much of this experience was a result of his work as outside General Counsel to the Delta and Pine Land Company, one of Mississippi's oldest and largest publically traded companies; and
WHEREAS, Jerry Hafter frequently served on a number of legal and government reform groups, including the American Law Institute and Common Cause Mississippi. Jerry also served his community as a member of the Greenville Public School District Board of Trustees from 1988 to 2013, including five terms as President and one term as Director of the Mississippi School Board Association. He was also President of the Greenville Area Chamber of Commerce, President of the Downtown Improvement Association, and a representative on the Executive Committee of I-69 Mid-Continent Highway Coalition. Mr. Hafter served in a number of bar-related leadership positions, including President of the Washington County Bar Association, Chairman of the Section on Business Law, Director of the Young Lawyers Division, President of the Fellows of the Young Lawyers Division, and Chairman of the Rules Committee of the Mississippi Bankruptcy Conference of the Mississippi Bar Association. He was a Fellow of the Mississippi Bar Foundation and the American Bar Foundation. In 2015, he received The Mississippi Bar's Lifetime Achievement Award, a highlight in his career; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Hafter is survived by his wife, Jocille Hafter, and son, Bryan Hafter. Jerry Hafter dedicated his life to the legal profession. He was an outstanding example to lawyers in all stages of their careers. Beyond his profession, Jerry proved that he was an outstanding citizen and community leader. His career in public service shows that making Mississippi a better place to live for all its citizens was a priority in his life. Jerry's life honored both The Mississippi Bar and the great state of Mississippi that he loved and served:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby pay tribute and recognition to the memory of noted Mississippi Attorney and Civic Leader Honorable Jerome "Jerry" Hafter of Greenville, Mississippi, and extend the condolences of the Mississippi Legislature to his bereaved family.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to the surviving family of Honorable Jerry Hafter, forwarded to the Mississippi Bar Association and the Washington County Bar Association, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.