PASSAGES

Memphis attorney Rehimhan “Rehim/Ray” Babaoglu died Aug. 24 at age 77. Born in Italy in 1946, Babaoglu and his family immigrated to the United States in 1951. He earned a degree in Russian language and literature from Rutgers University in 1969, served in the U.S. Army Reserve and then relocated to Memphis where he attended Memphis State University College of Law, earning his law degree in 1974. He spent 45-plus years focusing on immigration law. Babaoglu served as a board member of the Memphis Bar Association, Mid-South Immigration Advocates and Memphis Area Legal Services. He served on the MALS board for nearly 22 years, including two years as chair. A celebration of life will be scheduled for a later date. Memorial donations may be made to the Memphis Zoo, 2000 Prentiss Pl., Memphis, TN 38112; New Ballet Ensemble and School, 2157 York Ave., Memphis, TN 38104; or Captain Paul Watson Foundation at www.paulwatsonfoundation.org.

Longtime Chattanooga lawyer and former TBA President Thomas Maxfield “Max” Bahner died this Oct. 13 at the age of 89. Bahner earned his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1960 and practiced for decades at Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, focusing his practice primarily in the area of complex litigation. He also was an American Arbitration Association (AAA) arbitrator and a Rule 31 certified mediator. Bahner served as TBA president from 1980-1981. He also served as president of the Chattanooga Bar Association, and for nearly 17 years as a member of the American Bar Association (ABA) House of Delegates, leading the Tennessee delegation for nine years. Service to the Tennessee judiciary included chairing the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Advisory Commission on the Rules of Civil Procedure for seven years, during which time the commission wrote the Tennessee Rules of Evidence, and chairing the task force that reviewed and recommended changes to the Tennessee Rules of Judicial Conduct. Memorial gifts may be made to Orange Grove Center, 615 Derby St., Chattanooga, TN 37404, or the University of Virginia Law School Foundation, 580 Massie Rd., Charlottesville, VA 22903. Please note the gift is for the “T. Maxfield Bahner ‘60 Unrestricted Endowment.”

Saul Belz, a lawyer in Memphis for more than 40 years, died Aug. 16. He was 81. Belz earned his law degree in 1967 from Vanderbilt University Law School. Since 2000, he practiced business litigation, complex litigation (including class actions) and employment law at Glankler Brown. He also was a certified Tennessee Rule 31 mediator. Belz was a member of the Tennessee Supreme Court Advisory Commission on the Rules of Practice and Procedure, American College of Trial Lawyers and American Bar Association. He served on the boards of the Memphis Bar Association, Memphis Area Legal Services Fundraising Campaign and Tennessee Justice Center. He was recognized by the University of Memphis Law Alumni Association with a Pillars of Excellence Award in 2016. Memorial donations may be sent to the Boys and Girls Club of Memphis, 44 S. Rembert, Memphis, TN 38104, or to HIAS, P.O. Box 97077, Washington, D.C., 20090.

Nashville lawyer Walter Henry Crouch died Sept. 14 at the age of 79. Crouch served in the U.S. Air Force and then entered the University of Tennessee College of Law. He served as an attorney with the Nashville law firm of Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis for more than 48 years. In addition to his legal career, Crouch enjoyed spending time fishing and traveling and was an avid researcher of family ancestry. Memorial donations may be made to The Charles Robb & Mary Jane Sweeney Endowed Scholarship Fund, c/o Belmont University Office of Advancement, 1900 Belmont Blvd., Nashville, TN 37212.

Charles Fentress, a Nashville native and one of the city’s longest-serving Metro Council members, died Sept. 18 at 93. Fentress was first elected to the council in 1975 and served as the District 34 council member until 1999. After graduating from Vanderbilt University in 1952, Fentress worked as an educator, as vice president of personnel at Cain-Sloan Company and president of the Argus Foundation, a Nashville political consulting firm. While at Cain-Sloan, he attended the Nashville School of Law and was admitted to the bar in 1969. Fentress was active in the community, serving on the boards of the Nashville Chamber of Commerce, Junior Achievement and The Children’s Museum, and as president of the Nashville Boosters and Nashville Exchange Club. In addition, he served as Nashville director of the National Federation of Independent Business from 1991 to 1998.

Retired Memphis lawyer Carroll Cullen Johnson Jr. died in Virginia on Aug. 18. He was 97. Born in Memphis, Johnson earned his law degree in 1952 from the University of Virginia School of Law. He began his law practice in Memphis and continued to practice there for 58 years. Johnson was a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a member of the Tennessee Bar Foundation and Memphis Lawyers Journal Club. Johnson moved to Green Level Farm in Orange County, Virginia, after retiring. A memorial service was held in Orange.

Memphis lawyer Roy Keathley died Sept. 16. He was 90. From an early age, Keathley worked for his family’s pie company, helping grow the business from door-to-door sales into a multi-factory enterprise with national distribution. He graduated from Vanderbilt University and served in both the U.S. Army and Army Reserve. He attended Vanderbilt University Law School and graduated in 1957. In 1961, Keathley joined Donelson & Adams (now Baker Donelson), where he handled complex corporate transactions. He was active in the community, serving as president of the Memphis University Club and as a member of the Rotary Club. Memorial donations may be made to Grace St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 1720 Peabody Ave., Memphis, TN 38104 or Church Health, 1350 Concourse Ave., Ste. 142, Memphis, TN 38104.

Retired Davidson County Judge Seth Walker Norman died Sept. 25 at age 89. Norman served as a criminal court judge from 1990 until his retirement in 2018. He was widely recognized for establishing the Davidson County Drug Court in 1996, one of the first recovery courts in the country. In 1998, the program started the first court-operated residential drug court in the United States. Norman also founded the 13th Judicial District Recovery Court in 2011 and the Morgan County Residential Recovery Court in 2013. Norman was a native of Nashville. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1953-1957 and in the Tennessee Air National Guard until 1965. Norman graduated from the Nashville School of Law in 1962. Memorial donations may be made to the Nashville Recovery Court Support Foundation, 1300 Division St., Ste 209, Nashville, TN 37203.

Former TBA board member and Nashville attorney Nathan Evan Shelby died on Sept. 6. He was 43. A Memphis native, Shelby received his undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee and his law degree from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphrey School of Law. While in law school, Shelby interned for Magistrate Judge Diane K. Vescovo in the Western District of Tennessee and Tennessee Court of Appeals Judge W. Frank Crawford. Shelby was a member of Rainey, Kizer, Reviere & Bell for 16 years, first in Jackson and then as the firm’s lead attorney in Nashville. He focused his practice primarily in the areas of general insurance defense, business litigation, nursing home defense litigation and construction litigation. Shelby was active in the Tennessee Bar Association, beginning with service in the Young Lawyers Division and later representing West Tennessee and the 10th District on the TBA Board of Governors.

Chattanooga attorney John McConnell Wolfe Jr., a frequent candidate for political office, died Sept. 4 at age 69. Wolfe earned his law degree from the University of Memphis School of Law. After graduating, he established a private practice as a trial attorney. A reflection on his life notes that Wolfe “was notorious for representing those with cases no one else wanted to take. He did his best to give a voice and justice to those who otherwise would not have access to it, focusing his practice on civil rights and many pro bono cases in his later practice years.” Among his many campaigns, Wolfe ran unsuccessfully in 2012 and 2016 for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination; in 2007 for the state Senate; in 1998, 2002 and 2004 for the U.S. Congress; and in 2001 for Chattanooga mayor. Memorial donations may be made to the Notre Dame High School Tuition Assistance Program, 2701 Vermont Ave., Chattanooga, TN 37404 or to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, 501 South Moore Road, Chattanooga, TN 37412. |||