Dees, Former BOG Member, Dies
Article Date: Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Written By: Russell Rawlings
William A. Dees Jr. |
William Archie Dees Jr., warmly regarded as the dean of Wayne County’s legal community, died Monday at the age of 85.
The senior partner of Dees, Smith, Powell, Jarrett, Dees & Jones, founded by his father in 1914, Dees was the first elected chair of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors.
"Bill" Dees was also prominent within the North Carolina Bar Association, serving on its Board of Governors during the mid 1950s and as the first editor of Bar Notes. He was inducted into the NCBA General Practice Hall of Fame in 1992.
Dees earned his undergraduate (1941) and law degrees (1948) from UNC, serving in the interim with the U.S. Naval Reserve during World War II.
He served on the Board of Editors for the UNC Law Review, and chaired the State Board of Higher Education prior to the establishment of the UNC Board of Governors.
In 1990, Dees received the University Award, the highest honor bestowed by the UNC Board of Governors.
Locally, Dees served three terms on the Goldsboro Board of Aldermen and nine years as chair of the Goldsboro City Board of Education. He also served as president of the judicial district bar association.
Survivors include his son and law partner, John Woodard Dees.
Arrangements are being handled by Seymour Funeral Home.
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Information for this article was provided by the Goldsboro News-Argus.