Memorials, 0714 ALBJ, 75 The Alabama Lawyer 196 (2014)
| Author | Thomas Eugene Buntin, Jr., Walter Ryland Byars, Michael D. Freeman, Thomas Eugene Buntin, Jr., J. |
\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0
\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0Thomas Eugene Buntin, Jr., age 84, died March 10, 2014. He is survived by his beloved wife of 38 years, Sandra Tanner Pruitt Buntin; children Julia Elizabeth Buntin; Thomas Eugene Buntin, III (Kathy); Ellen Buntin Davidson (Toby); Catherine Buntin Johnson (Robert); Rosemary Buntin Gillespy (Gerald); Charles Douglas Buntin (Amy); Bradley Hugh Pruitt (Jennifer); and Christopher Mark Pruitt; sister Eloise Buntin Hovater; 19 grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0Tommy will be remembered for his warmth, humility and decency. He was born in Dothan on April 29, 1929, the son of Thomas Eugene Buntin and Eleanor Neely Buntin. He graduated high school from Marion Military Institute. He served his country in the United States Army, 31st Dixie Division, from 1950 through 1952. He graduated from the University of Alabama where he was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity He received his law degree from the University of Alabama in 1955. He was a member of the Phi Alpha Delta legal fraternity and received several awards for scholastic achievement. He began his legal career in Dothan with his father in the firm of Buntin & Buntin, though his father died shortly thereafter.
\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0For five decades, Tommy went about the practice of law with the care, intelligence and meticulousness it deserves. He tried cases, searched titles, closed real estate loans, settled disputes and gave wise counsel, all while adhering to the highest ethical standards. Over the years, he was a patient mentor to scores of young Dothan lawyers.
\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0He was a member of the American Bar Association, the Alabama State Bar, for which he served on several statewide committees, the Houston County Bar Association, for which he served as president, the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association and the Defense Research Institute. He was a fellow of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys, a charter member of the Farrah Law Society and the Alabama Bar Institute and a member of the Council of Alabama Law Institute. He also served on the advisory committee for the United States District Court, Middle District.
\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0Tommy was active in community affairs serving as chair of the March of Dimes, president of the Dothan Jaycees and as a member of the Industrial Development Board of Dothan, the Board of Directors of the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce and the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks. He was an avid, and somewhat accomplished, golfer and provided tireless, committed leadership on behalf of the Dothan Country Club serving as president for three terms.
\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0Tommy was ordained a deacon in the Presbyterian Church in 1957 and served his church as a Sunday school teacher, as well as church treasurer. He was a devoted member of Evergreen Presbyterian Church the last 14 years of his life.
\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0One of the most important soul-healing pastimes of Tommy's life was...
To continue reading
Request your trial