print
	email
	translate

Public: Recent News

Stephen P. Millikin

Stephen P. Millikin, a small-town boy from eastern North Carolina who became a giant of the legal profession, died Monday in Greensboro at the age of 81.

Millikin practiced law for more than 50 years with the firm now known as Smith Moore LLP.  He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1949 and received his law degree from the UNC School of Law in 1952.

Millikin was honored by the North Carolina Bar Association in May 2003 through the establishment of an NCBA Foundation Justice Fund in his name. Longtime law partner Alan Duncan provided the introductory remarks for the Stephen P. Millikin Justice Fund.

“Steve was a wonderful person who lived a great life,” said Duncan, who had known Millikin since joining the firm in 1979. “In terms of being a lawyer, he was the ultimate professional.”

Millikin was always meticulous in his preparation, Duncan added in regard to his longtime mentor.

“And he was tremendously thoughtful about the case he was working on. He was extremely devoted and loyal to the interests of his client while behaving in a highly professional manner with all of his colleagues within the profession.”

Born in Richmond, Va., on Feb. 20, 1926, Millikin lived the first 17 years of his life in Halifax, where his father served as postmaster. Young Steve Millikin was exposed to the area’s esteemed trial lawyers – Ed Travis of Halifax, George Greene of Weldon, Julian Allsbrook of Roanoke Rapids and Joe Branch of Enfield – fueling a fire in him to pursue a career in law.

He attended public schools in Halifax and graduated from nearby Weldon High School in 1943 because his hometown didn’t have a high school. Millikin proceeded to N.C. State University before being inducted into the U.S. Navy on his 18th birthday. He served with distinction in the Pacific theater throughout the duration of World War II – earning seven medals – and immediately thereafter in the Philippines, Korea and China.

Millikin was discharged in May 1946 and resumed his studies by attending UNC, where he remained through the completion of law school, serving as associate editor of the Law Review. He was a member of Phi Delta Phi and was elected to the Order of the Coif.

He was admitted to practice in all North Carolina courts, U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Western and Middle districts of North Carolina, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, the U.S. Tax Court and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Millikin was a permanent member of the Federal Judicial Conference for the Fourth Circuit, an American College of Trial Lawyers Fellow and member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. He served as president of both the UNC Law Alumni Association the 18th District Bar Association.

Memberships included the Greensboro Bar Association, the NCBA, the American Bar Association, the N.C. Courts Commission, the N.C. Association of Defense Attorneys, the International Association of Defense Counsel and the Defense Research Institute.

Millikin was a charter member of NCADA and served on its founding board from 1977-79. He received the organization’s professionalism award in 2005.

Survivors include his wife, Sally Kittles Millikin, three children and two step-children.

Visitation is scheduled Wednesday evening (Oct. 31) from 5:30-7:30 at Hanes-Lineberry Funeral Home, 515 N. Elm St.. The funeral service is scheduled Thursday (Nov. 1) at 2 p.m. at the West Market Street Methodist Church.

The family would appreciate, in lieu of flowers, contributions in Millikin’s memory to West Market Street United Methodist Church, 302 West Market St., Greensboro, NC 27401; or the Steve Millikin Justice Fund, NCBA Foundation, P.O. Box 3688, Cary, NC 27519 (ATTN: Tom Hull).