Shirley Judge Underwood

Judge Shirley B. Underwood, 86, of 401 East Watauga Avenue, Johnson City died Sunday, October 07, 2007 in the North Side Hospital. Judge Underwood was a native of Bristol, TN and had lived in Johnson City since 1956. She was a daughter of the late John Dixon and Bessie Gertrude Kegley Bumgardner. Judge Underwood was also preceded in death by: her husband, Dr. Charles T.R. Underwood in 1981; three sisters, Mrs. Garnet (Mildred) Edwards, Mrs. G.D. (Mary Ellen) Barnes, and Mrs. Porter (Alberta) Marshall; and by one brother, Col. Jay D. Baumgardner. She was an active member of the Central Baptist Church and the Ester S.S. Class. Judge Underwood received her law degree from the University of Tennessee in 1948. She first practiced law in Bristol with her father. In 1956,she married Dr. Charles T.R. Underwood, a prominent physician and surgeon. She was appointed Juvenile Court Judge by Governor Buford Ellington in 1961 and in 1962,was elected to an eight-year term. She was subsequently re-elected four times. When she retired in 2002, she had the longest tenure of any current Juvenile Court Judge in Tennessee, as well as one of the longest in the United States. Judge Underwood was the first woman to be elected by UT alumni of the First Congressional District to serve as their representative on the UT Board of Governors (1970-1973). She was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus of the College of Law in 1984 and received its Alumni Leadership Award in 1989. The Judge Shirley B. Underwood Classroom at the College of Law was dedicated in 2002 in recognition for her outstanding service to the College and the University. Judge Underwood changed the lives of many young people in this community during her 40-year tenure at Juvenile Court Judge and civic leader. She was a strong supporter of East Tennessee State University and the University of Tennessee. Her survivors include: one sister, Julia B. Cross of Johnson City; four nieces, Barbara Barnes Evans of Atlanta, GA, Belinda Barnes Cohorn of Greenwood, MS ,Barbara Meade of Johnson City, and Jean Peace of Kingsport; one nephew, Charles D. Cross of Nashville, TN; many cousins , great nieces and nephews ; special friends, Anna Ruth Gillespie, Doris Crutcher, Elizabeth 'Lib'? Rannick, Gib Rannick and Ryan Crutcher. The funeral service for Judge Shirley B. Underwood will be conducted 2: 30 PM , Wednesday October 10, 2007 in the sanctuary of Central Baptist Church. Rev. Bill Warfield and other speakers will officiate. Interment will follow in the Monte Vista Memorial Park. The family will receive friends from 1:00 to 2:15 PM Wednesday in the welcome corridor of the church. Active pallbearers will be Sam Padgett, Benny Franklin, John Brown, Steve Templeton, Greg Bowers, Charles Cross, Dana Bumgardner, and Eric Anderson. Honorary pallbearers will be Judge Richard Johnson, Judge Robert Cupp, Judge Lynn Brown, Judge Arden Hill, Judge Stewart Cannon, Lester Carver, Tom Mooney, Leonard Mohan, Bob Peace, Dr. Gilbert Rannick, Mac Hensley, Eddie Meade, Dr. Paul Brown, Melissa Leake, and members of FAME (Female Attorneys of the Mountain Empire) and the Ester Sunday School Class of Central Baptist Church. For those who wish, memorials may be sent to, Dawn of Hope, 500 E. Oakland Ave., Johnson City, TN 37601, The Crumley House, Limestone, TN 37681, the Dr. Charles T.R. Underwood Scholarship Fund , ETSU Medical School, P.O. Box 70721,Johnson City, TN 37614 or the Judge Shirley B. Underwood Scholarship, Development Office,600 Andy Holt Tower, Knoxville, TN 37996