Published Monday, December 08, 2008
Newnan judge will head university's board of trustees
The Newnan Times-Herald
W. Homer Drake Jr., a Newnan resident and longtime judge, has been named chairman of the Mercer University board of trustees.
Drake was elected to the post by the trustee board Dec. 4, during the board's fall meeting on Mercer's Macon campus.
Drake, a native of Colquitt, grew up in Newnan. He is a double graduate of Mercer, earning his bachelor's degree in 1954 and law degree in 1956. Drake will serve as chairman for the next year, with his term on the board expiring in 2013. He succeeds Robert F. Hatcher as chairman of the trustees.
After finishing law school, Drake served in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps for three years. He was associated with the Atlanta firm of Arnall, Golden and Gregory for two years and was a clerk for U.S. District Court Judge Lewis R. Morgan for three years.
A United States bankruptcy judge for the Northern District of Georgia, Drake served as chief judge from 1968-1976. He is a former partner in the Atlanta law firm of Swift, Currie, McGhee & Hiers.
Drake is a founder of -- and adviser to -- the Southeastern Bankruptcy Law Institute, a former member of the Judicial Conference of the United States' Committee on the Administration of the Bankruptcy System and a fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy. He also is a past president of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges.
A loyal Mercer alumnus, Drake is a past president of the Mercer Law School alumni association and past chairman of the Law School Board of Visitors. The university honored him in 2002 with the Monroe F. Swilley Award for Christian Statesmanship and, in 2003, honored him with the Mercer Law School Outstanding Alumnus Award.
In February, the Southeastern Bankruptcy Law Institute Inc. and Drake established the SBLI/W. Homer Drake Jr. Endowed Chair in Bankruptcy Law at Mercer's Walter F. George School of Law.
Professor Michael Sabbath, a George Law School faculty member for more than 28 years, was the first to hold the chair endowed in Drake's name. Drake "deals with people and issues with integrity while genuinely caring for the individual," Sabbath said last year. "People respect him for his moral values, leadership and common sense approach to solving complex problems."
Drake has served as an adjunct professor of law at Emory University School of Law and the University of Georgia School of Law.
Drake is the author of "Bankruptcy Practice for the General Practitioner." With Christopher S. Strickland, he wrote "Chapter 11 Reorganizations," and Drake and Jeffrey W. Morris wrote "Chapter 13 Practice and Procedure." Drake also is the author of numerous articles.
Drake was recipient of the first David W. Pollard Achievement Award presented in 1994 by the Atlanta Bar Association for contributions to bankruptcy law and practice.
Daisy Ford, dean of Mercer's law school, has described Drake as "for many years a national force in the area of bankruptcy law." A Times-Herald editorial last year recognized Drake as "one of Newnan's most respected and distinguished citizens" and "a great family man and a civic and church leader in our community."
That editorial also listed Mercer as one "of Drake's passions." In 2007, Drake joined with other Mercer alums to serve as host at a Mercer Connections dinner at Newnan Country Club. William D. Underwood, president of Mercer, and other officials from the university spoke at that gathering.
Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate and professional education. Mercer has approximately 7,700 students in 11 schools and colleges, according to Mark Vanderhoek, director of media relations.
Drake's father, W. Homer Drake Sr., was superintendent of the Newnan City Schools for a number of years. In 2005, the judge and his wife established the Walter Homer and Mary Lois Drake Memorial Scholarship Trust in memory of Homer Drake, Sr., and his wife, Mary Lois Drake. Drake Stadium at Newnan High is named for the elder Homer Drake.
Walter Homer Drake Jr. and his wife, Ruth Bridges Drake, are active members of Central Baptist Church.
