[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 90 (Wednesday, July 13, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 13, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
             TRIBUTE TO THE HONORABLE JAMES RUSSELL McELROY

  Mr. HEFLIN. Mr. President, Judge James Russell McElroy of Birmingham, 
AL, died on June 28 after 50 years of service on the bench and a 
lifetime of commitment to civic affairs.
  Judge McElroy was born October 1, 1901, in Sumpter County and grew up 
in the small communities of York and Cuba. After finishing high school, 
he worked at various railroad jobs until he enrolled in law school. He 
was admitted to the Alabama Bar in 1924 and was in private practice and 
a part-time assistant city attorney of Birmingham until appointed a 
circuit court judge by Governor Bibb Graves in 1927, when he was only 
25. He served continuously as an active circuit court judge until his 
retirement in 1977 at 75. His long tenure as a judge was recognized in 
the ``Guiness Book of World Records'' 1979 edition as ``Most Durable 
Judge'' for serving almost half a century on the bench.
  Judge McElroy was the author of ``The Law of Evidence in Alabama,'' 
now known as ``McElroy's Alabama Evidence,'' which is among the most 
widely used legal treatises in the State. He was also coauthor of 
``Alabama Annotations to Restatement of Contracts'' and associate 
editor of the Alabama Lawyer for 18 years.
  Judge McElroy was a part-time faculty member of the Birmingham School 
of Law, the University of Alabama School of Law, and the Cumberland 
School of Law, and was a lecturer on medical jurisprudence at the 
Medical College of Alabama. Endowed professorships were established in 
his honor at Cumberland and the University of Alabama, where a 
scholarship was also established in his honor.
  Judge McElroy was a past member and served on the board of directors 
of several organizations, including the Y.M.C.A., the Junior Chamber of 
Commerce, the Birmingham Area Educational Television Association, and 
the Jefferson County Sportsmen Association. He was chairman of the 
Jefferson County council of United Service Organization [USO] and a 
charter member, coorganizer, and past president of the Alabama Circuit 
Judges Association. He received the University of Alabama Law School 
Dean's Notable Service Award and the Birmingham Bar Association's Law 
and Justice Award in 1972. He was a member of Kappa Alpha, Phi Alpha 
Delta, Omicron Delta Kappa, Farrah Order of Jurisprudence, and 
Cumberland Order of Jurisprudence. He was a Mason, Shriner, and member 
of the York Rite.
  Judge McElroy will be sorely missed by the many, many people who were 
fortunate enough to have known him over the many years of his life. His 
long legacy of devoted service to the State of Alabama, and the legal 
community in particular, will be remembered with respect for years to 
come, and he will long be admired for his dedication and leadership. I 
extend my sincerest condolences to his family.

                          ____________________