A professorship has been established at Mercer University's Walter F. George School of Law in the name of Newnan resident W. Homer Drake Jr.
Drake is a judge with the U. S. Bankruptcy Court. The SBLI/W. Homer Drake, Jr. Endowed Chair in Bankruptcy Law has been established through gifts from the Southeastern Bankruptcy Law Institute Inc. and from Drake.
The establishment of the endowed chair was formally announced Feb. 22 at a recognition dinner in Atlanta. Drake, a native of Colquitt who grew up in Newnan, is a Mercer alumnus and trustee.
"We are thrilled that the Southeastern Bankruptcy Law Institute has chosen to establish the SBLI/Homer Drake Endowed Chair at Mercer," said Law School Dean Daisy Floyd. "Judge Drake has been for many years a national force in the area of bankruptcy law, and the endowed chair in his honor will greatly supplement our teaching resources in this increasingly important area of the law."
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. He is a founder of, and adviser to, the SBLI, 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.
Drake also is a past president of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges.
A loyal alumnus, Judge Drake is a past president of the Mercer Law School alumni association and past chairman of the Law School Board of Visitors. He currently serves on the Mercer Board of Trustees. 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.
He 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.
He earned his bachelor of arts degree from Mercer in 1954 and his law degree in 1956. 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.
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.
Professor Michael Sabbath, a George Law School faculty member for more than 28 years, will be the holder of the endowed chair. Sabbath earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin and holds the JD and LLM degrees from Emory University and Columbia University, respectively.
At a 2003 Mercer gathering in Macon, Sabbath paid tribute to Drake. "He deals with people and issues with integrity while genuinely caring for the individual. People respect him for his moral values, leadership and common sense approach to solving complex problems," Sabbath said.
Drake and his wife, Ruth Bridges Drake, live in Newnan. They are active members of Central Baptist Church.
Unless otherwise stated, all material on this page and all pages on this site ©2000 - 2006 The Times-Herald, Newnan, Georgia. Any reproduction of any part of this web site without written permission is strictly prohibited.
