president’s message
Remarks of Incoming President Lynn M. Roberson:
Atlanta Bar Membership: What’s In It For Me (and You)?
By Lynn M. Roberson
Swift Currie McGhee & Hiers LLP
A
s I assumed my new position as President of the
Atlanta Bar at the Annual Awards Luncheon on May
23, I felt a bit awed by the shoes I have to fill and the
great leaders of the bar whom I follow, including Rita Sheffey,
Michael Terry, David Schaeffer, Liz Price, Ray Persons, and
so many others. My minister, Dr. Gil Watson, tells the story
of a young child on an outing with her father. In order to
allow the child the see the activities unobstructed, the father
carries the child on his shoulders. A neighbor approaches
and greets the child. “My! How big you have grown!” he says
to the child. The child responds in innocence, “This isn’t all
me.” In similar fashion, I have risen to a leadership position
at the Atlanta Bar by “standing on the shoulders” of those
who have gone before and those who have supported and
mentored me over the years.
My father grew up very poor in Alabama and, during the
Depression, experienced many hungry days. He personally
witnessed the accidental death of his beloved older brother,
Bill, in a fall out of a tree when Dad was only six years old.
Dad was raised by his mother and older sister. Dad dropped
out of school in the 8th grade because he had no shoes to
wear and was too proud to go to school barefooted. He
left home to relieve his mother of one mouth to feed and
rode the rails and lived in the hobo jungles along the tracks.
He raised himself out of that poverty and homelessness,
served in the military in WW II and later served his country
through his career as an analyst at the National Security
Agency. Throughout his life, he felt like a second class
citizen because he lacked the “sheepskin” of a high school or
college diploma. My father instilled in his children the drive
for higher education. He always encouraged his daughters
to complete their education because “You can always get
married.” My father provided strong shoulders to stand on.
Similarly, my mother was raised on small ranches in northern
California. She never went hungry, but only because they
always had chickens and cows. She was lucky enough to
finish high school before marrying my father only to see
him off to war not to return for many years. She was the
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THE ATLANTA LAWYER
June/July 2012
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glue that held the family together during the many years
we all wondered what was wrong with Dad as he struggled
with what we now recognize as depression and PTSD. My
mother’s glass was always half full. Dad’s was always half
empty. But somehow they forged a family and made their
way in the world.
Those of you who attended the Atlanta Bar Awards Luncheon
on May 23, will know I also credit my husband, The Honor X