UK Law Announces New Hall of Fame Inductees, Alumni Award Recipients

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 16, 2011) − The University of Kentucky College of Law and the UK College of Law Alumni Association honored its 2011 Hall of Fame inductees and alumni award recipients June 15 at an alumni reception in conjunction with the Kentucky Bar Association Convention in Lexington. The Hall of Fame was established to acknowledge graduates of the college who have achieved extraordinary professional success, have a high degree of character and integrity, and have made a profound positive impact on the College of Law. The three Hall of Fame inductees are Joe B. Campbell, Robert E. Harding Jr. and John T. McGarvey.

Joe Bill Campbell is a 1968 graduate of the College of Law.  He has been honored as a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and has been selected by the American Trial Lawyers Association as one of the top 100 trial lawyers in Kentucky. The Litigation Counsel of America, which limits its membership to the top 1 percent of trial lawyers, selected Campbell as a member. He also has been honored by Kentucky Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America and is an Advocate for the American Board of Trial Attorneys.

Campbell served on the Western Kentucky University Board of Regents from 1980 to 1984 and as chairman from 1982-1984. For nine years, Campbell served on the Kentucky Council on Higher Education, including three years as chairman, and served on the UK College of Law Visiting Committee for more than nine years. 

Campbell was one of the original members of the Kentucky Legal Education Commission. He served as a president of the Kentucky Bar Association and the Kentucky Academy of Hospital Attorneys. Campbell also provided significant leadership for the establishment of Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company of Kentucky (LMICK), including serving as chairman of the board for 17 years. In 1998, the Kentucky Bar Association recognized Campbell as the outstanding lawyer in Kentucky. Campbell lives in Bowling Green where he practices with the firm of Hughes & Coleman.

Robert E. Harding Jr., a native of Danville, was the second African-American graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Law. While holding a full-time job, Harding completed the three-year curriculum in two and a half years, graduating in 1957. 

Harding was a member of the Kentucky and New Mexico bars and was admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court. He began his professional career in 1959 as an attorney with the National Labor Relations Board in New York City. He also worked at the board's Albuquerque, N.M. and El Paso, Texas offices. He received commendations from labor and management for his skill and fairness. After retiring in the late 1980s, Harding was appointed an arbitrator by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. In 1987, he was voted Arbitrator of the Year by the New Mexico Better Business Bureau.

As a civil rights activist, Harding was a life member of the NAACP and dealt with unfair labor practices as a member of the New Mexico NAACP Legal Counsel.

A Henry Stites Barker Fellow, Harding and his wife, Iola, funded several scholarships.  After his death in 2004, his widow established the Robert E. Harding, Jr. Professorship to honor and pass on his ideals of “Liberty and Justice for All” under “Equal Protection of the Laws.”

John T. McGarvey is a 1973 graduate of the College of Law. He is a shareholder and chairperson of the executive committee of Morgan & Pottinger, P.S.C. His practice concentrates in the representation of banks and other lenders in litigation and matters under the Uniform Commercial Code.  

McGarvey is a member of the American Bar Association's Section of Business Law and the committees on the Uniform Commercial Code, Commercial Financial Services and Banking Law. He represents Kentucky as a commissioner to the Uniform Law Commission and is the Southern Region representative on the commission’s Legislative Council. McGarvey served on the commission’s Joint Review Committee for Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code from 2008-2010, and is now the co-chair of the Enactment Committee for the 2010 amendments to Article 9. 

McGarvey is an adjunct professor at the University of Kentucky College of Law, teaching secured transactions. Official and civic positions held by McGarvey include: special justice, Kentucky Supreme Court (1990 and 2008-2010); city attorney, City of Anchorage (1987-present); assistant law director, City of Louisville 1978-1979; member Public Policy Committee (2007-present) and chairperson of the Energy Policy Committee (2008-2009) of Greater Louisville, Inc.; attorney steering committee, Citizens for Better Judges (1992-1993); president, University of Kentucky College of Law Alumni Association (1998-2006); and member, UK College of Law Visiting Committee (Committee chairperson 2010-2011), UK College of Law Dean Search Committee (2008). He is a graduate of the Leadership Kentucky class of 2005, and the FBI’s Citizens Academy class of 2006. The Anchorage Civic Club named him its citizen of the year in 2008.

Alumni awards include:

Distinguished Jurist – Judge Thomas B. Russell, '70

This award is given to an individual who has distinguished himself or herself through a contribution of outstanding service to the legal profession, and demonstrated a high standard of ethical conduct and fairness in all court proceedings.

Professional Achievement – James C. Woolery, '94

This award is primarily designed to recognize a particularly noteworthy accomplishment in a given year, but may also be given to one who has achieved and sustained an extraordinary level of excellence in a particular area of the law or their chosen field.

Community Service – William G. Francis, ‘73

This award is given to a graduate who has provided outstanding leadership in his or her local community, state or nation, to aid and benefit causes not necessarily related to the legal profession.

Young Professional – Jason C. Williams, ‘03

This award is designated for an individual who has graduated within the past 10 years, and who has distinguished herself or himself professionally, in her or his community, or in some other fashion.