“Institutions are the embodiment of civilization and the collective spirit and will of men and women, passing on from generation to generation the heritage of a people; insuring the continuity of education, religion and commerce; preserving the mores, culture and laws of a nation; and giving viability and substance to the continuum of life. Whether institutions are for good or evil is determined largely by the intrinsic fairness and justice of their purpose and motivation, but ultimately by their operation and interpretation as composites of action.”
- Dr. J. Clay Smith, Jr.

The Hall of Fame was inaugurated in 1986 by then President Fred D. Gray, Sr., to honor those lawyers who have been licensed to practice for forty years or more and who have made significant contributions to the cause of justice. As we meet on this 79th Anniversary of the National Bar Association, it is appropriate to pause and recognize those among us who have by, through and within institutions in their communities, states and this nation, extracted and demanded the greater good for all. The men and women inducted into the Hall of Fame today join their col-leagues whose courage, intellectual accomplishments, profession-al achievements and community contributions deserve the high-est recognition.

National Bar Association Hall of Fame 2004 Inductees

Sylvia Ximines Allen, Esquire

Sylvia X. Allen Esquire was born in Havana, Cuba on July 18, 1923. Mrs. Allen graduated from Chestnut Hill College in Pennsylvania with a double major in music and psychology. Her marriage to Dr. G. Wesley Allen for 45 years pro-duced eight children. After the birth of her sixth child, Mrs. Allen attended the University of North Carolina Law School, where she commuted five hours daily from Fayetteville to Chapel Hill. In 1962, she became the first African American female law graduate from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It would be twelve years before another African American woman would graduate from UNC's law school. Mrs. Allen then interned for three months before passing the North Carolina bar exam (which 52% of her graduating class failed), making her along with her classmate Julius Chambers the only two African Americans that passed the bar exam that year.

In 1969, Charlie Rose hired Mrs. Allen in the Solicitor's office making her the first woman and African American Assistant District Attorney. She held this position until 1974 when Charlie Rose won the seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Following this appointment she returned to her private prac-tice. Thereafter, from 1977 to the early 1980s, she was an Assistant Attorney General during the Hunt Administration.

Mrs. Allen was instrumental in the successful development and acceptance of the Fair Housing Ordinance of the City of Fayetteville. She also spearheaded "Arms Around Fayetteville" which sought to increase awareness and raise funds for the homeless in Fayetteville in 1986. Mrs. Allen also chaired the Ebony Fashion Fair event sponsored by Chums, Inc., where the proceeds have supported the work of the United Negro College Fund, the American Cancer Society and Sickle Cell organizations.

Presently, Mrs. Allen is chair of the Tri-County Advisory Commission on Aging. Her daughter, Katherine, is presently practicing law in Alexandria,Virginia.

The Honorable Taylor Livingston Baker Jr.

The Honorable Taylor L. Baker Jr. was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas on October 30, 1935. Mr. Baker is a retired judge of the Superior Court of Marion County. He served as a Marion County judge for 24 years in the Criminal Division, Civil Division, Environmental Court, and as Presiding Judge. Judge Baker received his B.A. from Morehouse College, and his J.D. from the Indiana University School of Law in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was admitted to practice in 1963 and served as the first African American city prosecutor of Indianapolis.

Judge Baker is the past president of the Marion County Bar Association, past secretary of the Indiana State Bar Association and the American Bar Association National Conference of Special Court Judges, past member of the board of directors.

Judge Baker is a member of the Indiana State Board of Law Examiners Committee on Character and Fitness. He is also a member of the American Bar Association Judicial Administration Division Jury Standards Committee; a member of the Indiana Judicial Center Committee on Criminal Jury Instructions; and serves on the National Center for State Courts Minority Recruiting Advisory Committee.

Judge Baker is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and has contributed to the community by serving in civic organizations and by regularly volunteer-ing his time to low-income, at risk children during the Indianapolis Children's Museum weekly Thursday evening program.

His wife Kay, a teacher in Indianapolis Public Schools, are the parents of a daughter, Karen, who is a Wellesley College and Harvard University School of Divinity graduate having received her Ph. D. in Theology at Harvard in June 1991.

Calvin Lee Brown, Esquire

Calvin L. Brown Esquire was born July 31, 1935 in Roanoke Rapids, Halifax County, North Carolina, where he received his early educational training. He graduated as Valedictorian from John Armstrong Chaloner High School in 1954. His college education began at North Carolina College in the fall of 1954, and he complet-ed a successful undergraduate program in 1958, graduating with a Bachelors Degree with the honor of Magna Cum Laude. During his four years at North Carolina College, he received numerous awards and honors for academic achievements.

Mr. Brown enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the fall of 1958 in the School of Law, making him one of the first black stu-dents to attend and complete the three year requirements. He then went on to graduate in 1961 earning his LLB degree.

Attorney Brown began the private practice of law in 1961, which consisted of a general venture into a number of areas, including both criminal and civil cases. He served as a cooperating attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and practiced in a number of civil courts, including the United States Supreme Court, where he successfully defended a death row inmate. In more than 42 years of practice, he has assisted many young attorneys in their quest for success as lawyers.

Mr. Brown has been affiliated with the First Baptist Church-West in Charlotte, North Carolina for more than 35 years as a member of the Board of Directors. He has been rewarded on numerous occasions for his contri-butions to the church, including Man of the Year in 1996, and the Faithful Service Award from the Laymens League on December 1, 2001.

Julius L. Chambers, Esquire

Julius L. Chambers Esquire was born in Mt. Gilead, Maryland County, North Carolina, in 1936. His search for justice began early when one of his father's white customers refused to pay their bill. Chambers' father could not find a lawyer to represent him, and the loss of income pre-vented Julius Chambers from going to his school of choice. This experience left Chambers determined to become a lawyer. He went on to receive his under-graduate degree at NC College (now NC Central University) and a master degree in history from the University of Michigan. In 1962, he graduated first in his class from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law and later received his LL.M from Columbia School of Law.

In 1963, Thurgood Marshall and Jack Greenberg invited Chambers to intern with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF). The LDF helped Chambers set up a practice in Charlotte in 1964, which later became North Carolina's first integrated law firm. Chambers was also instrumental in several successful cases that influenced employment discrimination awareness and addressed school desegregation.

Chambers' convictions truly gave him courage. In 1965, his house, car, and office were set afire. In 1971, his office was firebombed. Yet Chambers remained optimistic in dealing with these trying circumstances believing that his work was more important than the impediments placed before him.

Chambers served as President of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund from 1975 -1984. In 1984, he became the third Director-Counsel of the NAACP-LDF where he championed the cause of civil rights until he retired in 1992.

In 1993 Chambers became chancellor of North Carolina Central University and served until 2001. Since then he has returned to his practice in Charlotte to continue the fight for civil rights.

The Honorable Sammie Chess, Jr.

The Honorable Sammie Chess, Jr. received his undergraduate and legal education from North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC receiving a BA in History and LLB with honors. He was licensed to practice in North Carolina in 1958. After completion of law school, he served a tour of duty in the US Army. He began a general practice of law in High Point in 1960. The modern civil rights movement was beginning and a significant part of his practice was devoted to this cause. He repre-sented individuals and civil rights organizations such as the NAACP, The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and the Black Panther Party. He brought suits to desegregate theaters, hospitals, schools and the work place. He was a coop-erating attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in the early stages of the landmark case of Griggs v. Duke Power Co., a Title VII employment dis-crimination case requiring employment tests to be job related.

In 1971, Governor Bob Scott appointed Chess as the first African American Superior Court Judge. After his service on the court, he returned to the pri-vate practice of law in the areas of constitutional, criminal and various civil areas of the law. In 1991, he accepted appointment as an Administrative Law Judge with the State Office of Administrative Hearings.

Judge Chess has been active in numerous legal and civic organizations. His memberships include the NC State Bar, NC Academy of Trial Lawyers, North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers and High Point Bar Association where he served as President. He has served as a trustee of Winston-Salem State University and member of the North Carolina Board of Higher Education.

Since becoming an Administrative Law Judge, Judge Chess has been very involved in the National Association of Administrative Law Judges (NAALJ) serving as presenter and panelist at numerous conferences sponsored by NAALJ. He has served on the NAALJ Board of Directors and in 2002 was the recipient of NAALJ's highest award for Excellence in Professionalism & Ethics.

The Honorable Henry Ell Frye

The Honorable Henry E. Frye was born in Ellerbe, Richmond County, North Carolina in 1932. After graduating Summa Cum Laude from North Carolina A&T State University with a bache-lor's degree in biological sciences, Frye went on to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law where he graduated in 1959. Frye practiced law in Greensboro, NC and became an assistant U.S. Attorney in 1963, then a professor at NC Central in 1965. During this time, Frye became committed to improving the economic, as well as the legal status of African Americans. He worked with others to organize the Greensboro National Bank and served as its first president for nine years.

Judge Frye's crowning achievement was his service as the first African American on the North Carolina Supreme Court, first as an Associate (83'-99'), then as Chief Justice (99'-01'), making him the first African American to serve as Chief Justice in the state's history. Frye served a record eight terms as a North Carolina Supreme Court jurist.

Though he could certainly rest on his laurels, Judge Frye continues in private practice and concerns himself with the next generation of leaders. Among his many honors, Frye has received the Distinguished Alumnus- Alumna Award from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP's Kelly M. Alexander Sr. Humanitarian Award. North Carolina A&T honored him with the Alumni Excellence Award, an honorary doctor of law degree and established the Henry E. Frye Honors Program Endowment and the Henry E. Frye Pre-Law Society in his name. He has received the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers' Appellate Judges Award and was named Lawyer of the Year by the North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers. He recently received the University of North Carolina Board of Governors' University Award.

The Hall of Fame Committee 2003-2004

• The Honorable Sharon E. Strickland Chair Chicago, Illinois
• The Honorable Alice A. Bonner Houston, Texas
• Precious J. Green, Esquire Atlanta, Georgia
• Tony Booker, Esquire Kansas City, Missouri
• The Honorable Harriet M. Murphy Austin, Texas

  NBA Officers 2003 - 2004

• Clyde E. Bailey Sr. President Rochester, New York
• Kim Keenan President - Elect Washington, District of Columbia
• Reginald M. Turner, Jr. Vice President Detroit, Michigan
• Linnes Finney, Jr. Vice President Fort Pierce, Florida
• Rodney G. Moore Vice President Atlanta, Georgia
• Sonya D. Hoskins, Esquire Secretary Dallas, Texas
• The Honorable John L. Braxton Treasurer Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Cheryl Gray Vice President New Orleans, Louisiana
• John Crump Executive Director Washington, District of Columbia.

Nattional Bar Association Hall of Fame Past Inductees Inaugural 1986

John Adams, Jr., Esquire
The Honorable Elreta Alexander-Ralston
Dr. Sadie T. M. Alexander, Esquire
Joseph J. Attwell, Esquire
Lawrence B. Bailey, Sr., Esquire
The Honorable Richard L. Baltimore, Jr.
Thomas L. Berkeley, Esquire
Louis Berry, Esquire
Theodore M. Berry, Esquire
The Honorable Jane Bolin, Esquire
The Honorable Amos Bowman, Esquire
Harry O. Bright, Esquire
Oscar C. Brown, Esquire
Wyatt C. Brownlee, Esquire
Edward M. Byrd, Esquire
Fred J. Carnage, Esquire
Charles V. Carr, Esquire
The Honorable Robert L. Carter
The Honorable George W. Crockett, Jr.
Jesse O. Dedmon, Jr., Esquire
Earl B. Dickerson, Esquire
The Honorable Edward R. Dudley
The Honorable Joseph E. Dyer
The Honorable Dennis Edward, Jr.
Fred H. Elliot, Esquire
The Honorable W. Harold Flowers, Sr.
The Honorable Walter H. Gladwin
Harry H.C. Gibson, Esquire
Truman K. Gibson, Esquire
Everett I. Hall, Esquire
Houston H. Hall, Esquire
The Honorable Oliver Hill
The Honorable Elmer C. Jackson, Jr.
The Honorable Bernard Jefferson
The Honorable Billy Jones
John T. Jones, Esquire
The Honorable Sidney A. Jones
The Honorable Robert Lillard
The Honorable Mercer M. Mance
The Honorable Thurgood Marshall
The Honorable William A. McClain
William T. McKnight, Esquire
James A. McLendon, Esquire
Louis Rothschild Mehlinger, Esquire
Archie Mills, Esquire
Coleman C. Moore, Esquire
Alvin H. Moss, Esquire
George B. Nesbitt, Esquire
W. Lawrence Oliver, Esquire
The Honorable Hubert B. Pair Aaron H. Payne, Esquire
The Honorable William E. Peterson
The Honorable Cecil F. Poole
Henry E. Quales, Sr., Esquire
Willard B. Ransom, Esquire
The Honorable R. J. Reynolds
The Honorable Spottswood W. Robinson, III
The Honorable Jawn A. Sandifer
Arthur D. Shores, Esquire
Charles C. Spaulding, Esquire
The Honorable Harold A. Stevens
Herman L. Taylor, Esquire L. E. Thomas, Esquire
The Honorable Lucia T. Thomas
The Honorable William S. Thompson
The Honorable Edward B. Toles
Vince M. Townsend, Jr., Esquire
Samuel W. Tucker, Esquire
The Honorable Andrew R. Tyler
The Honorable Theodore M. Williams
Charles W. Williamson, Esquire
Margaret Bush Wilson, Esquire

1987
No Awardees

1988
Herbert L. Dudley, Esquire
Vanue B. Lacour, Esquire
John W. Langford, Esquire
James J. Sansom, Jr., Esquire
Cora T. Walker, Esquire

1989
John Adams, Jr., Esquire
William S. Mayfield, Esquire
R. J. Reynolds, Esquire
The Honorable Clinton W. White

1990
Frankie Muse Freeman, Esquire
Melton M. Lewis, Esquire
The Honorable H. T. Lockard
John Hamlin Rennick, Esquire
The Honorable Nathan B. Young

1991
Irving P. Andrews, Esquire
Louis A. Bedford, Jr. , Esquire
Lawrence W. Carroll, Esquire
The Honorable Harry A. Cole
Nathaniel S. Colley, Esquire
John T. Dixon, Esquire
The Honorable Richard C. Erwin
The Honorable Marion W. Garnett
Harry E. Groves, Esquire
Mabel D. Haden, Esquire
Ruth E. Hankins-Nesbitt, Esquire
The Honorable James L. Harris
The Honorable Evelyn F. Johnson
The Honorable Glenn T. Johnson
The Honorable George N. Leighton
John Morton-Finney, Esquire
The Honorable James B. Parsons
The Honorable William E. Peterson
Robert C. Power, Esquire
The Honorable D. Adolphus Rivers
The Honorable Juanita Kidd Stout
The Honorable William S. Thompson
Francis Williams, Esquire
Robert L. Witherspoon *

1992
Harvey E. Beech, Esquire
The Honorable Clyde S. Cahill
Curtis C. Crawford, Esquire
Stuart J. Dunnings, Jr., Esquire
Wilson Gray, Esquire
The Honorable Billy Jones *
Annie Brown Kennedy, Esquire
Harold L. Kennedy, Jr., Esquire
J. Kenneth Lee, Esquire
The Honorable Theodore McMillan
Charles R. Oldham, Esquire
Daniel G. Sampson, Esquire

1993
Oscar W. Adams, Esquire
Phillip L. Burton, Esquire
Carl A. Earles, Esquire
Wendell G. Freeland, Esquire
The Honorable Sara J. Harper
The Honorable Arthur L. Lane
Charles D. Langford, Esquire
William A. Marsh, Jr., Esquire
The Honorable Ernest N. Morial *
The Honorable Shelton C. Penn
Matthew W. Plummer, Esquire
The Honorable Paul A. Simmons
The Honorable Henry R. Smith, Jr.
Eric Springer, Esquire
James E. Terry, Esquire
The Honorable George W. Trumbo

1994
The Honorable Solomon Baylor
Louis Berry, Esquire
Hilbert L. Bradley, Esquire
The Honorable Carl J. Character
Eddie M. Cole, Esquire
James Romeo Corley, Esquire
The Honorable William Cousins, Jr.
The Honorable Calvin H. Hall
W. Theophilus Jones, Esquire
Thornton J. Meacham, Jr., Esquire
Willard B. Ransome, Esquire
Charles M. Stokes, Esquire
J. Warren Watson, Esquire
Avon N. Williams, Esquire

1995
Frederick M. Douglass, Esquire
Robert V. Franklin, Esquire
Willie S. Glanton, Esquire
The Honorable Albert J. Grant
Fred D. Gray, Esquire
The Honorable John R. Hargrove, Sr.
Oscar E. Jones, Esquire
Lena K. Lee, Esquire
William H. Murphy, Sr., Esquire
The Honorable Odas Nicholson
Lawrence Olivier, III, Esquire
The Honorable Matthew J. Perry
L. Steven Robinson, Esquire
George L. Russell, Esquire
The Honorable Louis Stokes
The Honorable Jack E. Tanner
Jay B. White, Esquire
Charles E. Williams, Esquire
Robert A. Wright, Esquire

1996
The Honorable Lewis W. Clymer
The Honorable George D. Covington
Alfonso C. Fuller, Esquire
Lawrence E. Kennon, Esquire
Caesar Cooleridge Latimer, Esquire
The Honorable John T. Letts
Alphonse Lewis, Esquire
James D. Montgomery, Esquire
Earl L. Neal, Esquire
The Honorable James Lopez Watson

1997
The Honorable Weldon H. Berry, Sr.
Hurbert H. Bryant, Esquire
The Honorable L. Clifford
Davis A. Glenn Epps, Esquire
The Honorable Addeliar D. Guy *
Douglas Hall, Esquire
Roberson L. King, Esquire *
Frank E. Phillips, Esquire
The Honorable R. Eugene
Pincham C. Frederick Robinson, Esquire
The Honorable Earl E. Strayhorn
Robert L. Tucker, Esquire
Aloysius M. Wickliff, Sr., Esquire

1998
The Honorable Richard Bancroft
The Honorable Paul L. Brady
Earl Carl, Esquire *
The Honorable Earl B. Gilliam
Herbert H. Henderson, Esquire
The Reverend Benjamin L. Hooks, Esquire
The Honorable Charles V. Johnson
The Honorable Robert N. C. Nix
The Honorable Revius Ortique, Jr.
The Honorable Paul Webber, III

1999
The Honorable Howard E. Bell
The Honorable Clarence D. Bolden
Charles W. Bowser, Esquire
William H. Brown, III, Esquire
The Honorable Arthur L. Burnett, Sr.
The Honorable Jesse H. Butler
Mahala Ashley Dickerson, Esquire
The Honorable Clifford S. Green
Jeff L. Greenup, Esquire
The Honorable A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr.*
James E. Jones, Esquire
Allie B. Latimer, Esquire
The Honorable Theodore R. Newman, Jr.
Raleigh R. Rawls, Esquire
The Honorable Handy Williams

2000
Simon L. Cain, Esquire
Clinton W. Chapman, Esquire
James Cobb, Sr., Esquire
Harvey McCormick, Esquire
John McDaniel, Esquire
P. Tureaud, Esquire
The Honorable William Wallace
O. T. Wells, Esquire

2001
The Honorable Charles H. Anderson
Thomas James "CJ" Cunningham, Esquire
Charlye O. Farris, Esquire
Joseph H. Hairston, Esquire
Ollen B. Hinnant, II, Esquire
The Honorable Horace T. Ward

2002
The Honorable Willie L. Brown, Jr.
The Honorable George D. Carroll
Leroy W. Daggs, Esquire
The Honorable John Dearman
Donald L. Hollowell, Esquire
The Honorable Nathaniel R. Jones
Carl B. Metoyer, Esquire
Hiawatha T. Roberts, Esquire
The Honorable Roosevelt Robinson
The Honorable Benjamin Travis
The Honorable Marcus O. Tucker

2003
W. George Allen, Esquire
The Honorable Nils Raymond Douglas
The Honorable Elrich Allen Eastman
The Honorable Loils Edward Elie
John O' Connor Moss, Jr., Esquire
Mark T. McDonald, Esquire
The Honorable James Nathaniel Reese

*Posthumously