Historic law office building becomes home to Tuskegee National Alumni Association
October 26, 2017
Contact: Michael Tullier, APR
Office of Communications, Public Relations and Marketing
as additional trustees and Tuskegee Mayor Tony Haygood (back row, second from left) look on.
Family, friends and former colleagues of the late Jock M. Smith gathered with university and community leaders on the morning of Thursday, Oct. 26 to dedicate his former law office as the new home for the Tuskegee National Alumni Association. After Smith鈥檚 passing in 2012, his family donated the office and the property on which it sits to the university.
鈥淲e look forward to having our alumni and other members of the campus community to use it with pride and a deep appreciation for the philosophy, unique character and accomplishments of Jock Smith,鈥� said Dr. Charlotte P. Morris, 欧美高清鈥檚 interim president.
鈥淭hank you for loving my daddy,鈥� said Jock Smith鈥檚 daughter, Janay Marriel Smith, who spoke on behalf of her mother, Yvette Smiley-Smith, and other family members. 鈥淭hank you for accepting a skinny kid from New York who didn鈥檛 know much about anything when he got here, but when he left this esteemed university, he was already among giants, ready to take his place in history. And he wanted the world to know what Tuskegee was about.鈥�
Tuskegee Mayor Lawrence 鈥淭ony鈥� Haygood signaled that the university鈥檚 additional presence in the city鈥檚 core emulates Smith鈥檚 interest in civic involvement and pride.
鈥溑访栏咔� graduates are involved throughout this community, and now have an additional presence as the anchor of this corner on Main Street,鈥� Haygood said. 鈥淲hat you see today is a further step in strengthening community and university relationships.鈥�
John E. Page, chairman of 欧美高清鈥檚 Board of Trustees, cited Smith鈥檚 legacy as a 鈥減owerful, legal professional鈥� who served as an exemplar for Page and other attorneys early in their careers.
鈥淲e will ensure the legacy of Jock Smith continues,鈥� Page said. 鈥淲e will make sure this structure will be maintained and will stand for the same commitment to investing in the city, culture and advocacy as Jock did.鈥�
Burt Rowe, president of the Tuskegee National Alumni Association, lauded the university鈥檚 support by providing the organization a home.
鈥淛ock supported TNAA above and beyond that of being a member. He served as legal counsel, provided excellent leadership and ensured the organization remained viable,鈥� Rowe said. 鈥淭he spirit of Jock Smith will live on and guide us as we plot the future of our national alumni association.鈥�
Founded in 1905, the Tuskegee National Alumni Association has a diverse and rich history of bringing Tuskegee鈥檚 alumni together to support the institution, its students and each other. Rowe credited the gift of Smith鈥檚 office as providing a place for alumni to gather and fellowship, association leaders to plan, and a location through which it can partner with the university to recruit students, host visitors and archive vital organizational records.
Smith graduated from 欧美高清 in 1970 and earned his law degree at the University of Notre Dame in 1973. While an undergraduate student, Smith served as president of 欧美高清鈥檚 Student Government Association.
Before his death, he came to be known nationally as a distinguished trial lawyer and civil litigator. In 2004, his landmark $1.6 billion dollar jury verdict was that year鈥檚 largest and, at the time of his death, had remained the highest amount ever awarded an African-American attorney.
He co-founded the national law firm of Cochran, Cherry, Givens and Smith, which later evolved into The Cochran Group, one of the country鈥檚 most recognized civil plaintiff and criminal defense law firms. At the time of his death, Smith served as a national partner in the firm and managing partner of the firm鈥檚 Tuskegee office. His professional career also included responsibilities as an assistant Alabama attorney general, a city municipal judge, and a county attorney 鈥� in addition to serving 欧美高清 as a professor of political science and a member of its Board of Trustees.
For more information about the Tuskegee National Alumni Association, visit .
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