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In Memoriam: Trustee Tom McJunkin '70, '74L

Washington and Lee alumnus Thomas N. McJunkin, a member of the University’s Board of Trustees, died at his home in Charleston, W.Va., on Saturday, Oct. 8. He was 62.

Tom received his B.S. in business economics in 1970 and his J.D. from the School of Law in 1974.

“Tom epitomized the loyal alumnus,” said Washington and Lee President Kenneth P. Ruscio. “Throughout his life, he worked tirelessly on behalf of W&L in any number of roles. As a trustee, he was engaged in the life of the University, and fellow members of the board and I valued his judgment immensely. On behalf of the University community that meant so much to him, I send our sympathies to his wife, Callen, and their family.”

An attorney with the Charleston firm Jackson Kelly P.L.L.C., Tom was a member of the firm’s corporate business practice group. He focused on energy, natural resources and business law. Before joining Jackson Kelly in 1984, he clerked for the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, worked for the D.C. law firm of Hogan & Hartson, and served as general counsel and later president of Amherst Coal Co.

Tom served his alma mater as a passionate and dedicated volunteer, including, in the last decade, as a member of the board.

As an undergraduate, Tom was elected to Omicron Delta Kappa, the national leadership fraternity, and captained both the football and tennis teams. He served as president of the Varsity Club and as a member of Phi Delta Theta social fraternity. As a law student, he was editor in chief of the Washington and Lee Law Review.

Tom was an active member of the University’s Alumni Association, serving as a class chairman for the Annual Fund and as a member of the Washington Society, the Law School Capital Campaign Committee, the Law Alumni Council and the Alumni Board of Directors. He was on the board of the Charleston Chapter of the W&L Alumni Association. In 2000, the Alumni Association presented him with its Distinguished Alumnus Award. He also served on the Alumni Advisory Board of W&L’s Shepherd Program for the Interdisciplinary Study of Poverty and Human Capability.

In 2010, he made a gift to the University to establish The McJunkin Endowment for Student Engagement, which supports students in curriculum-related projects that engage them in addressing the greatest social and policy issues of their time.

In addition to his wife, Callen, Tom is survived by son Jameson and daughters Allison ’04L and Jennifer ’04, his mother, three brothers and two granddaughters.

The family will hold a public visitation on Thursday, Oct. 13, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences of West Virginia, 1 Clay Square in Charleston. A memorial service to celebrate Tom’s life will be on Saturday, Oct. 15, at 11 a.m. at St. Matthews Episcopal Church, 36 Norwood Road in Charleston.

Memorial gifts for Tom may be made to The McJunkin Endowment for Student Engagement. Gifts may sent to: Ms. Sandy Beverly, Development Office, Washington and Lee University, 204 West Washington St., Lexington 24450. Please direct questions to Director of Development Tres Mullis at 540-458-8165 or tmullis@wlu.edu

Charleston Gazette Obituary
• Charleston Daily Mail Obituary

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