Summers' Gift Supports Law College Scholarship, Symposia
April 22, 2008
KNOXVILLE -- Several years ago, in a magazine interview, Chattanooga lawyer Gerald "Jerry" Summers was asked how he'd like to be remembered. His answer: "As a man that loves the law, believes in the law and hopes the people of this country will never forget the privileges we have within our legal system."
Summers, who received his law degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 1966, has cemented his place in the state's legal history through his distinguished 40-year career. He has furthered that legacy by giving back to his alma mater to help law students follow in his footsteps.
Summers has contributed to the Campaign for Tennessee, including a substantial amount to support the Summers-Wyatt Endowment, which provides scholarships for students in the advocacy concentration and funds the new Summers-Wyatt Symposia. The symposia, which will debut in fall 2008, will focus on the importance of the right to jury trial and look at civil and criminal court proceedings.
The campaign is a $1 billion fundraising effort that was officially launched on April 17 at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Summers other contributions benefit UT Chattanooga's College of Business, the political science and criminal justice departments within the College of Arts and Sciences, and athletics.
He said he hopes his gifts encourage others also to give. "Our experiences help us get to where we are," he said. "We need to evaluate our own success and give something back."
Several years ago, Summers was one of eight founders of the UT College of Law Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution, which prepares students for client representation.
A founder of the Summers & Wyatt law firm, Summers has been involved in many noteworthy cases. Among these have been successful challenges to a 140-year-old Tennessee statute that required criminal defendants who wanted to testify to be the first defense witness (Brooks vs. Tennessee, 1973) and two cases in which he convinced the courts that police roadblocks were unreasonable searches and seizures (State vs. Downey, 1997; State vs. Hicks, 2001).
Summers is involved in many professional organizations and has served as president of the state's Trial Lawyers Association and Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.
He is a member of UT Development Council and the UT Chattanooga College of Business Advisory Board, and he supports Chattanooga's Central High School. He is on the boards of the Area IV Special Olympics and Orange Grove Center for the mentally and physically impaired, and has served on the board of the CADAS substance abuse treatment center.
The Campaign for Tennessee -- the most ambitious effort in the university’s 214-year history -- places UT among the ranks of the nation’s largest public and private institutions that have sought this level of private support.
The campaign, which launched its silent phase in 2005, will secure private gifts that, in turn, will contribute substantially to the distinct, but linked, campuses comprised by the University of Tennessee system. Funds raised through the campaign will directly support the objectives of UT's strategic plan, as outlined by UT President John Petersen. Among those objectives are improved student access and success, research and economic development, outreach and globalization.
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Contacts:
Amy Blakely, (865) 974-5034, amy.blakely@tennessee.edu
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