Winston Law celebrates first-generation grads

The University of Tennessee Winston College of Law celebrated its first-generation graduates this spring with an inaugural Cording Ceremony. The ceremony brought together graduating students, family members, friends, faculty, staff, mentors and supporters to celebrate the graduates as they received their first-generation graduation cords and certificates.

Briana Rosenbaum

“This ceremony reflects what this community values: opening doors, building pathways and ensuring that all have real and meaningful access to law school and the legal profession,” said Associate Dean for Access and Community Engagement and Associate Professor of Law Briana Rosenbaum, who also hosted the event.

Penny White

The ceremony’s keynote speaker, Chancellor’s Professor Emerita Penny White, spoke to the values at the center of the event. A first-generation graduate of both East Tennessee State University and Winston Law, White later served at every level of the Tennessee judiciary, including the Tennessee Supreme Court.

“I know that you arrived at this moment, not despite who you are, but because of who you are,” White told the graduates. “I know that you have courage, that you have determination and that you are strong … And I know your background taught you that.”

The event also highlighted the accomplishments and stories of the graduating class.

Among the graduates honored were Vivian Lee and Mariel Cuellar, the two 3L members of the 2025-26 First-Gen Student Advisory Board. Lee, the daughter of non-English-speaking Korean immigrants, helped establish the law school’s first Asian Pacific American Law Students Association chapter, served as vice president of Law Women and as a Legal Process Fellow. She was a member of Tennessee Law Review and received the Outstanding Law Student Award from the National Association of Women Lawyers. She plans to join the law firm Swift Currie after graduation.

Cuellar, the granddaughter of Mexican immigrants, served as vice president of the Latino Law Student Association and on the executive boards for the Tennessee Law Review and the Pro Bono Organization. She also served as a Legal Process Fellow and received the university’s Volunteer of Distinction Award. She will clerk for the Hon. J. Daniel Breen of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee after graduation.

Cuellar and Lee delivered remarks on behalf of the graduating first-gen students, building on White’s themes of perseverance and opportunity. “Each of us in this room, in everything we do, embody the American dream,” they told attendees.

Beginning this fall, the law school will also award its first scholarships dedicated specifically to first-generation law students. The scholarship fund was established and fully endowed through a personal gift from Rosenbaum, an extraordinary investment by a faculty member that demonstrates Winston Law’s strong commitment to supporting first-generation students and expanding access to legal education.

Information from University of Tennessee Winston College of Law.

Knoxville Bar Association hosts TBA annual meeting

Tasha Blakney and Tammy Sharpe welcome TBA

Knoxville Bar Association hosted the Tennessee Bar Association’s annual meeting June 10-13 at the Crowne Plaza.

Peter Oh

Unam Peter Oh, an assistant federal public defender in Memphis, received the TBA’s Claudia Jack Award. Named for the late Claudia Jack, a public defender in Maury County, the award is presented each year to an outstanding public defender or court-appointed private practitioner who serves the legal community and clients in an exemplary fashion. Oh is a graduate of Yale University and the University of Virginia School of Law.

Roger Page

Roger Page, former Tennessee Supreme Court chief justice, received the TBA’s Justice Frank F. Drowota III Award.

Page remains the only licensed pharmacist to have served on the Tennessee Supreme Court and one of just a handful of pharmacists-turned-justices in the country. Page was elected in 1998 as circuit court judge for the 26th Judicial District covering Chester, Henderson and Madison counties. In 2011, Page was appointed by Gov. Bill Haslam to the Court of Criminal Appeals and was nominated to the Tennessee Supreme Court by Haslam in 2016. After a little more than five years on the court, on Aug. 24, 2021, Page was elected to serve a two-year term as chief justice.

In Memoriam

Area lawyers with striking similarities have died recently. Both graduated from Columbia Military Academy, a boarding school for boys in Columbia, Tennessee. One was first in his class; the other was second. Both were married for over 60 years and both had five children. Both served in the military and both completed college on the GI Bill.

Jim Bell

James W. “Jim” Bell passed away on May 15, 2026, at age 91. He practiced law in Knoxville. His degrees from UT Knoxville were in chemical engineering and law. He and wife Sandra were married for 60 years and raised five daughters.

While practicing law, Mr. Bell served on the Knox County Board of Education. He adopted the nickname “School Board Bell” to distinguish himself from a lawyer with a similar name. When his daughters started dating, he could not remember the names of their boyfriends, according to the obituary. “He called them ‘gerbils’ or ‘keepers.’”

Jim Bell will be interred at the East Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery at 12:30 p.m. on August 28, 2026. The obituary concludes: “In lieu of flowers, please donate to a Democrat. Jim never voted for another Republican after they tried to kill the GI Bill.” He is survived by five daughters and their families. The obituary is here.

Clyde Dunn

 Clyde A. “Scutter” Dunn passed away on June 4, 2026, at age 88. He was a practicing attorney in Newport, Tennessee, for nearly 60 years. His degrees from UT Knoxville were in business and law.

A member of the ROTC program at UT, he was recognized as Outstanding Junior Cadet in Leadership and Command and graduated as a Distinguished Military Graduate with the rank of second lieutenant. He completed his military service as a personnel officer at Fort Stewart, Georgia.

The Dunn family settled in Newport in 1966. Mr. Dunn also served as county attorney and president of the area bar association. He was active in the Newport Theatre Guild, performing in almost 40 plays. He loved golf and played Augusta National in 1983. He is survived by his wife, Mary; one son and four daughters and their families. The obituary is here.

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