Nashville School of Law’s 20th annual Recognition Dinner honored individuals with decades of service to the legal community as well as the entire Nashville community.
Retired Judge Barbara Haynes was recognized with the Distinguished Alumni Award; Supreme Court Attorney Marshall Davidson received the 2013 Distinguished Faculty Award; and Davidson County Criminal Court Clerk Howard Gentry was recipient of the 2013 Community Service Award. Nearly 600 people attended the June 7 event.
Judge Haynes retired in 2011 after 29 years on the bench. She started as a general sessions judge in 1982 and then was elected as Circuit Court judge in the 20th Judicial District, Davidson County. She is a 1975 graduate of NSL - an education she pursued after working as her husband’s legal secretary.
Hayes remarked after receiving the award that women judges were not common when she first sought the post and it was an education for herself and others as she learned the ins and outs of a judicial election.
“Barbara’s three decades of impactful work for Tennesseans is evidence of the good she has accomplished thanks to a legal education,” said Nashville School of Law Dean Joe C. Loser, Jr.
Davidson has been an instructor at the school for 21 years, teaching torts classes to thousands of students who have passed through the school. He also has worked for the Supreme Court during the same period.
In his remarks, Davidson applauded the students for their dedication to the study of law, while so many of them also worked and raised families.
“Due to his absolute commitment to people as well as the law, Marshall is the ideal recipient of the 2013 Distinguished Faculty Award,” Dean Loser said. “NSL and its students are fortunate to have a teacher as invested as he is.”
The school also honored Gentry for his years of service to the entire Nashville community. Gentry, who has served as a Nashville Metro Council member and vice mayor of Nashville, is a former student at Nashville School of Law. In addition, he volunteers his time to several local charities.
“Howard’s breadth of service to the Nashville community is unbelievable,” Dean Loser said
