Georgia and Georgians - the Digital Library of Georgia

GEORGIA AND GEORGIANS 2989the county seat of Pierce County, He next entered South Georgia College,at Thomasville, and when he left that institution began to read law underthe capable preceptorship of Capt. John C. Nicholls, of Blackshear. Heproved an apt pupil, with a retentive mind, and in 1894 was admitted tothe bar of Georgia after an examination before the judge of the SuperiorCourts. Judge Summerall began practice at Blackshear, and soon becamerecognized as one of the strong and able attorneys of Pierce County. Healso entered public life, to which he was drawn by his peculiar abilities,and for six years was tax receiver and for eighteen years ordinary of PierceCounty. After several years of practice alone, he became associated withHon.'E. L. Walker, and later with Hon. A. B. Estes, and these firms tookrank with the leading legal combinations of that part of the state. From1912 until 1915, Judge Summerall was senior member of the firm of Memory& Summerall, his partner being S. F. Memory. The partnership was. dissolvedwhen Judge Summerall took his place on the bench as Judge of the SuperiorCourts of the Waycross Circuit, January 1, 1915, to which office he had beenelected in the fall of 1914. Judge Summerall seems to realize as few menhave done the importance of the judicial office which he occupies and theresponsibilities and higher attributes of mercy which he holds in his hands.Of unimpeacable character, strong intellectual endowments and judicialtemperament, with a thorough understanding of the law, possessed ofpatience, urbanity and industry, Judge Summerall took to the bench the veryhighest qualifications for this responsible office, and his record as a judgehas been in full harmony with his record as a lawyer, distinguished byunswerving integrity and a masterful grasp of every problem that haspresented itself for his solution. Aside from the duties of his office, thejudge is extensively interested in farming and has some large holdings inWare and Pierce counties, the operations on which he supervises with excellent ability. He is a Knight Templar and Shriner Mason, and belongs to theIndependent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias. A man ofkindly disposition, his friends are numerous both in and outside of professional circles.On May 6, 1891, Judge Summerall was married at Blackshear, Georgia,to Miss Zoe E. Brown, who was born in Pierce County, Georgia, a daughterof James and Sarah Jane (Jones) Brown, prominent farming people of thatcounty. To this union there have been born three children: Lela, who is agraduate of Bessie Tift College; William J., a graduate of the law department, University of Georgia; and Lois, a student at Piedmont Institute, Waycross.Judge and Mrs. Summerall and their children are active members ofthe Baptist Church.JA,CK C. REDDICK:. The personal popularity of Mr. Reddick in his nativecounty is effectually indicated by the fact that he has served since 1903 asClerk of the Superior Court of Screven County, and that his1 successivere-elections have been compassed without the appearance of an opposingcandidate. Aside from his efficient service as a county official, he is to bedesignated also as one of the progressive and representative agriculturistsof this section of the state.On the old family homestead, six miles north of Sylvania, the countyseat of Screven County, Jack Cuthbert Reddick was born on the 2d ofJuly, 1876, a son of Henry and Saphronia A. (Scott) Reddick, both likewisenatives of Screven County, where the former was born in 1850 and the latterin 1853, the subject of this review being the younger of their two childrenand the elder being Marie, the wife of James E. Mulligan, a prosperousfarmer of Screven County.After completing his studies in the public schools of his native county,Mr. Reddick took an effective course in a business college in the City ofVol. VI 14