Editorial
Front Page - Friday, January 29, 2010
Community unveils portrait of the Honorable Sam Payne
David Laprad
As future generations of lawyers enter the courtroom of Division II of the 11th Judicial District of Tennessee, they’ll see an artist’s rendition of the Honorable Samuel Payne, who served as judge of the court from 1974-2006. The Chattanooga legal community gathered in large numbers Jan. 11, 2010 to unveil the portrait and honor the man artist Sergei Chermikov of Chicago so eloquently preserved on canvas. Among the speakers was lawyer Maurice Bowen Jr., who asked what people will see as they look upon the man who served as citizen, soldier, lawyer, judge and priest.
They will see a servant, he said.
“I first met Sam when I was a young attorney representing a friend who had been injured in an automobile accident,” Bowen said. “We worked together for the benefit of our clients, and while ably representing his client with warm zeal, never once did this more experienced gentleman lawyer make me feel like the lesser professional because of my inexperience. Indeed, he taught me a lot about how professionals earn the trust and confidence of other professionals to the benefit of all clients.”
Bowen also mentioned Payne’s service in the United States Air Force as a gunner on
a B-29 during the Korean War, saying the sacrifice and bravery
of Payne and others in the
military during that time inspired many people.
Regarding Payne’s time on the bench, Bowen said the judge’s “compassion, wisdom and love for the people of this community” revealed him to be “a true servant.”
The same could be said of Payne’s time as a voluntary priest at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Bowen said. “Those of us who are parishioners of St. Paul’s know Sam has given of his life both to the churched and unchurched of our community, morning, noon and night. Visit a hospital or nursing home, and you’ll likely find Father Payne there ahead of you.”
Bowen said Payne’s special compassion for the “unchurched” was a big part of his ministry. “There will be a long line of the unchurched in Heaven waiting to thank him for his ministry, which guided them in that direction.”
Others joined Bowen in saying kind words about Payne while stirring in a little humor, including the Honorable W. Jeffrey Hollingsworth, who currently presides over the court. “When I first came up to this bench a little over three years ago, I looked under here and noticed there were some very large shoes I was expected to fill,” he said.
The Rev. Donald Allston Fishburne, rector at St Paul’s, said during his opening prayer, “I give thanks that among all the Episcopal clergy, at least one of them is honorable.”
Although Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey was the featured speaker, he kept his remarks short, concentrating on ground the others didn’t cover, such as the advice Payne offered him throughout the years. “I’d ask Sam for advice because I knew he’d do it this way: he’d tell you the truth whether you wanted to hear it or not. And he always advised me to do what’s right, be fair and help people.”
Ramsey also noted how Payne’s compassion for his fellow man was evident in the way he’d become distraught when hearing a divorce case, especially if children were involved. “Sam always weighed heavily what would happen to the children. Was there a way to keep the family together? He gave it much thought.”
Although the more than 150 people packed into the moderately sized courtroom made it through these remarks without many tears, that changed when Payne’s wife, Carolyn, said a few words before pulling the cover off of the portrait. “It’s been 53 years since I stood at the altar with Sam and said ‘I do’ and ‘I will.’ I had no idea what was coming. I was marrying a young man who at that time was in college studying to be an accountant. One day, he said he didn’t want to get a master’s degree, but that he wanted to be a lawyer. I said, ‘Let’s do it while we’re still poor.’ And although the journey has been one of great joy, today has got to be the mountaintop.”
Once Payne’s wife and the Honorable Jacqueline Bolton had pulled the cover off the regal portrait, to tremendous applause, Payne approached the podium and said, “This proves art can clean up anything.”
After the laughter died down, he thanked his friends, family members and colleagues for attending, and called the accolade “undeserved.”
“I didn’t get anywhere by myself. Anything I’ve ever been a success at was due to the number one person in my life, Carolyn. She’s done it all and she’s taken care of me.” Payne then kissed his wife in a heartwarming display of affection.
Payne was born in Chattanooga in 1933. One of seven children, he graduated from the University of Chattanooga in 1958 with a Bachelor of Science degree and received his doctor of jurisprudence from the University of Tennessee College of Law.
The law firm of Kefauver, Diggan & McDonald employed Payne when he returned to Chattanooga. Later, Payne became a partner at Shattuck & Payne in the Pioneer Bank Building. He also served as the assistant attorney of Hamilton County for eight years.
Payne is a member of the Fellows of the Chattanooga Bar Association, an honor given to lawyers who have outstanding records of service to the Bar and the community. In addition, in 2004, the CBA gave him the Ralph Kelley Humanitarian Award, recognizing his work for several organizations, including the YMCA, St. Barnabas Apartments and Nursing Home, Cub Scouts, the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Family & Children’s Services, the Council for Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Orange Grove and more.
Voters elected Payne circuit court judge in 1974 and chose him again in 1981, 1990 and 1998. He retired in 2006.
In 1978, following four years of study, Payne passed canonical exams and was ordained to the diaconate. One year later, he was ordained as a priest and began serving as curate of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, where he remained until 1994. Payne is presently an assistant at St. Paul’s.
Payne and his wife have three children: Sharon Hamrick, a CPA working at Joseph Decosimo and Co.; Dr. Harold Payne, who performs hand and micro-surgery in Atlanta, Ga.; and Dana Payne Buse, an executive at BMI in Nashville.
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