News
In Memoriam | 2023
May 23, 2023
Honoring OBA members we have lost
Keith A. Brown of Lewisville, Idaho, died March 11. He was born Feb. 16, 1956, in Topeka, Kansas. Mr. Brown received his J.D. from the TU College of Law in 1988. He graduated from Southern Methodist University with his LL.M. in taxation and went on to work at Phillips Petroleum. In 1991, he started his own tax business. Mr. Brown was active in the Bartlesville community, serving on boards of organizations such as Samaritan Counseling & Growth Center and the Bartlesville Civic Ballet. Memorial contributions may be made to the Samaritan Counseling & Growth Center, the Bartlesville Civic Ballet or the charity of your choice.
Sarah R. Brown of Sapulpa died May 1. She was born Jan. 11, 1985, in Shattuck. Ms. Brown graduated from TU, where she was a member of the Chi Omega fraternity and a leader within the Sociology Department. She received her J.D. from the TU College of Law in 2010. She began her legal career at the Tulsa City County and soon expanded to judgeships for Tulsa and Depew. Additionally, she served as the policy director for the Sac and Fox Nation and a professor at Oral Roberts University and the University of Arkansas. She also owned her own private legal practice. Ms. Brown was a Tulsa 30 Under 30 honoree and an active volunteer at Tulsa Lawyers for Children. Memorial contributions may be made to Tulsa Lawyers for Children or to TU noting the Sarah R. Brown Scholarship Fund.
H. Leonard Court of Oklahoma City died April 17. He was born Jan. 11, 1947, in Ardmore. Mr. Court was a distinguished graduate of both OSU and Harvard Law School. He served as a judge advocate general in the U.S. Air Force from 1973-1977. He spent his entire legal career at the law firm of Crowe & Dunlevy, where he established and served as chairman of the Labor & Employment Practice Group. Additionally, he served as an adjunct law professor at the OU College of Law and OCU School of Law. Mr. Court also served as a member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Labor Relations Committee and chairman of the Wage, Hour and Leave Subcommittee. He was the former president of the OSU Alumni Association, served on its Board of Governors, received the Distinguished Alumni Award and was inducted into its hall of fame.
Lance A. Felactu of Edgewater, Maryland, died March 31, 2021. He was born Jan. 24, 1964. Mr. Felactu received his J.D. from the OCU School of Law in 1994.
William Henry Henson of Lawton died Oct. 12, 2021. He was born Nov. 9, 1956, in Oklahoma City. He attended Norman High School and graduated from OU in 1979. He received his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1982. Upon graduating, he returned to Oklahoma to work at the Oklahoma City law firm of McAfee & Taft, where he practiced in the area of banking law. Mr. Henson eventually transitioned to managing his family’s banking business and became a director of Olney Bancshares of Texas.
Paul J. Sowinski of Wagoner died April 10. He was born April 5, 1964, in Des Plaines, Illinois. Mr. Sowinski received his J.D. from the TU College of Law in 2004 and served as an attorney in Oklahoma for 19 years.
Roland Tague of Oklahoma City died May 16. He was born April 28, 1940, in Oklahoma City. He graduated from OU, where he was vice president of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity and was selected as a Man of Distinction in his senior year. He received his J.D. from the OU College of Law in 1965. Early in his legal career, he was named Outstanding Young Lawyer by the Oklahoma County Bar Association. Mr. Tague served several years on the Oklahoma County Bar Association Board. He also served as president of the Oklahoma City Real Property Lawyers Association and was an original member of the Paralegal Advisory Committee at OU, which helped to create Oklahoma’s first paralegal studies program. Memorial contributions may be made to the Cameron B. Tague Memorial Scholarship Fund at the Communities Foundation of Oklahoma or All Souls’ Episcopal Church.
James Austin Wilkinson of Fairview died May 5. He was born Feb. 8, 1930, in Salem, Oregon. He was commissioned by the U.S. Army as second lieutenant and served in the Korean War, earning the Korean Service Medal, Bronze Service Star, United Nations Service Medal and National Defense Service Medal. After being honorably discharged as a first lieutenant, he attended the OCU School of Law and earned his J.D. in 1958. Judge Wilkinson’s legal career spanned more than 60 years, with 16 years as a corporate and general practice attorney in New Mexico and Oklahoma and 20 years as the associate district judge in the 4th Judicial District. He was an advocate of improving rural access to justice, working on the Governor’s Task Force on Judicial Improvements in Rural Areas. He also served his community through organizations such as Lions Club International, Boy Scouts of America, Northwest Oklahoma Police Academy and more. In 2021, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Fairview Chamber of Commerce.