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We welcome submissions for inclusion in Class Notes. Submit online, mail to UVA Lawyer, University of Virginia School of Law, 580 Massie Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903; or fax to 434-296-4838. Please send your submissions by April 15 for inclusion in the next issue.

1936

Warren M. Ballard passed away on July 18 at the age of 102. He was a triple ’Hoo, earning a B.S. in political scienceand a M.S. in political science, before his L.L.B. in ’36. While at UVA he was president of the student government, earned a varsity letter in track, and had rooms on the Lawn and both the East and West Ranges. He met his first wife, Katie, at UVA, where she was getting her master’s in history.

Following Law School Ballard joined Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft in New York City, which led to the opportunity to work in public financing with the Reconstruction Finance Corporation in Washington, D.C. When he set his sights on teaching law, he attended Yale for post-graduate coursework for aspiring law professors. In 1940 he joined the faculty of Temple University in Philadelphia, where he taught full-time for 38 years (leaving during that time to serve in the U.S. Navy in World War II) and then 15 years part-time. He taught a variety of subjects to both full-time students and those who came for evening courses.

He was an inveterate learner and traveller, and with his second wife, Anne, he took advantage of having more freedom to do so following retirement from Temple. On one trip to Peru’s Machu Picchu in 2001, the guide double-checked his passport to verify that 91 was his correct age.

In May 2010 he attended an off-year Law School reunion, having met Dean Mahoney at a reception in Baltimore earlier. The following year he enjoyed a happy hour in Baltimore with other UVA Law alumni and quizzed them about equities; he’d been re-reading about the early 1600s challenge by Sir Edward Coke to the Lord Chancellor and the further development of English Common Law. He maintained his annual legal certification of Continuing Legal Education credits until he was nearly 98.

1939

Charles Waller Tucker, a World War II Naval aviator whose plane was last seen plummeting from a height of 23,000 feet during the battle at Guadalcanal, was listed as lost at sea for 71 years. His remains may have been found at last—his nephew and niece have been contacted by the Navy and asked for DNA samples for verification, according to a recent article by Alabama Media.

Tucker was mentioned in Ken Burns’ 2007 documentary, The War, and his nephew and niece were interviewed for the film regarding the family’s service in wartime. Tucker had just started practicing law in Mobile, Ala., when the war began. He enlisted with the Naval Air Corps in Pensacola, Fla., graduated with the cadet class of 1940, and became a fighter pilot. He was part of the Cactus Air Force, an Allied air group assigned to provide cover for a U.S. Marine Corps unit as it fought.

1940

When Mortimer M. Caplin stepped down after 23 years of service on the board of directors of Danaher Corporation, the CEO of Danaher wrote a letter of tribute detailing Caplin’s impressive accomplishments and commitments in academics, public service, legal practice, and business. He credited Caplin’s crucial role in leading Danaher through decades of impressive growth and change.

“Mort has been an inspiration to all who have had the privilege of working with him,” he wrote, and then quoted words of advice from Mort Caplin’s 2005 commencement address at the Law School: “First, avoid fixed and rigid plans. Instead, allow for flexibility, innovation and possible change, but always hold true to your personal values. Second, be willing to accept risk when necessary as you move forward toward your goals.” These lessons, wrote Danaher’s CEO, will continue to motivate the company long after Caplin’s retirement.

1948

Top row, left to right:  Toy Savage, Harry McCoy, Charlie Russell, Don Wells, Bob Nusbaum

Bottom row, left to right: John Huffaker, Howard DeMuth, Jack Jones

Not pictured: Atwel Somerville; Mrs. Carol White, widow of Richard White

The Class of 1948 was the first class ever to celebrate its 65th reunion as a group during Law Alumni Weekend. The May reunion was the result of the efforts of classmates John Huffaker and Robert Nusbaum. Nine members of the class, along with Carol White, widow of Richard, returned to Charlottesville with spouses, children, and grandchildren in tow from as far away as Louisiana.

On the first day of the reunion classmates, guests, and the Class of 1948 Professor of Scholarly Research in Law, Greg Mitchell, gathered at The Boar’s Head for a lovely dinner. The following evening the Class of 1948 joined members of the Classes of 1953, 1958, and the Lile Law Society for dinner at the Law School, where Professor Mitchell discussed the differences between law education during the blue book era and now.

The Class of 1948 65th Reunion was a milestone for its members and for the Law School Alumni Association alike.

1949

Thomas Wyche ’49 and His Love for Greenville

Few people have a stronger sense of place or commitment to Greenville, South Carolina than C. Thomas Wyche. Following graduation from the Law School, he moved home to Greenville to work in his father’s practice. In the subsequent six decades he has been one of the most influential leaders in the city. He had the vision, decades ago, to lead the way in preserving thousands of acres along the Blue Ridge Escarpment.

Wyche, 86, has been honored many times over the years for his civic contributions, most recently by the Greenville Drive, the local minor league team affiliated with the Red Sox. Their video tribute showcases the remarkable array of projects he has championed over the years.

He has always seen a bright future for Greenville, even when others could not. From the 1950s on, he never wavered from his determination to improve the quality of life in the city, even through the 1970s, when the downtown was in dismal shape by any standards.

He imagined RiverPlace, a lively gathering place and cultural center that includes, by his design, studio space for artists with rents at below-market rates and a cascading water feature for the public to enjoy. It took 25 years to acquire the real estate on which the mixed-use development now stands. He also led the development of Heritage Green, a campus of museums, galleries, theaters, and a library.

Greenville Commons on Main Street, anchored by a new Hyatt hotel, offers a mix of convention and office space. Collaboration through civic and private funding created a major performing arts center downtown as well. As his plans for all of these projects took shape, Wyche went to work on the challenging task of securing the resources, the real estate, and the people to make it all possible.

Wyche’s determination to improve Greenville is at least matched by his determination to help preserve the natural beauty of this part of South Carolina called Upstate. He founded Naturaland Trust, one of the South’s first conservation land trusts after returning from a trip to Los Angeles and seeing how development had devastated the foothills and mountainsides of that region. An accomplished photographer, he has published six books on the natural beauty of Georgia and the Carolinas.

“My tenacity has been a key to my success,” said Wyche in an interview for Greenville Business Magazine. He stays with a project for a long time—even decades—if he really believes in it. He’s never shied away from the hard work it can take to make things happen.