TEXARKANA, Ark. -- Retired Arkansas Court of Appeals Chief Justice John Stroud Jr. died Sunday.
Stroud, 90, served on the Arkansas Court of Appeals from 1996 to 2000 and acted as the court's chief jurist from 2001 to 2004. In 1980, Stroud was appointed by then-Gov. Bill Clinton to fill a one-year vacancy on the Arkansas Supreme Court. Stroud received his law degree from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in 1960.
In 1961 he served as city attorney for Texarkana, Arkansas, and early in his career Stroud worked as a legislative aide to U.S. Senator John McClellan. Stroud served in the U.S. Air Force where he broke the sound barrier in a fighter jet, gaining entrance to the "Mach Buster's Club," according to an online oral history summary of Stroud's life by memorywell. Stroud, a polio survivor, served in the Air Force reserves for 20 years.
Stroud is remembered as a positive force in the legal community.
"Mr. Stroud was one of my first mentors," said U.S. District Judge Barry Bryant of the Western District of Arkansas.
"He was a very fine lawyer and great friend. When Mr. Stroud told you something, you could depend on it being true, a quality lacking in much of life today. I will miss him. Texarkana will miss him greatly."
Texarkana native and Arkansas Court of Appeals Associate Justice Stephanie Potter Barrett currently holds the seat on the state's intermediate appellate court that Stroud once filled.
"Judge Stroud was not only my friend and next-door neighbor, but he was also a mentor to me and the Texarkana legal community," Barrett said. "I had the privilege to be a law clerk at the Court of Appeals when Judge Stroud was the District 4, Position 2 judge. Judge Stroud was a wealth of knowledge and information and was always willing to give advice. Personally he was kind, intelligent, friendly and a true gentleman."
Gene Cogbill was Stroud's accountant for "about 50 years."
"But more importantly, he has been my friend and mentor for almost 50 years. A kind, caring, stubborn, witty man for all seasons. He worked the New York Times crossword puzzle every day. Never missed it. He always worked it in ink -- never pencil. And he never made a mistake or missed a clue," Cogbill said.
Texarkana lawyer Winford Dunn described Stroud as a man devoted to his family, his community, his state and his Razorbacks.
"He was a really dedicated lawyer and judge who cared for Texarkana and the state of Arkansas. He went out of his way to befriend people, including me in 1967, when I first went to work for him. He was involved in everything that he thought was beneficial to people, from the Chamber of Commerce to the local city attorney's office and all the way to the Arkansas Supreme Court. He was one of those people you could always count on as a friend," Dunn said. "In addition to caring deeply for his family, he was obsessed with caring for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks. I know he would have been extremely disappointed the Razorbacks didn't whip Duke."
Dunn said Stroud was instrumental in the development of the Arkansas Court of Appeals and that he worked with members of both major political parties with ease. Dunn also mentioned Stroud's affiliation with the Boy Scouts of America.
"He was an Eagle Scout and practiced the Scout standard in everything he ever did," Dunn said. "He was a serious Boy Scout in addition to being a serious lawyer."
Texarkana lawyer Gary Nutter went to work for Stroud in the early 1970s.
"I started working for and with John Stroud in 1971. Honesty, integrity and helping others was standard for him," Nutter said. "He was a leader and positive contributor in his church, his profession, his community, his state and the nation."
Stroud's friend Gale Arnold remarked on how kind he was, noting a regret the judge mentioned.
"Well, I was quite taken aback when he said to me, 'The biggest disappointment in this life was when Richard Arnold did not get on the Supreme Court,'" Arnold said. "Most people are not that altruistic and thinking about the world around them and their hometown. They knew each other forever. I was impressed."
Stroud had an artistic streak as well. He filled small cinematic roles in "The Town that Dreaded Sundown" and "The Winds of Autumn."
Stroud was the recipient of countless awards related to his legal career and community stewardship, including the C.E. Palmer Award in 1980 and a Golden Gavel in 2016. Texarkana native H. Ross Perot personally presented Stroud with the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award in 1980.
Stroud earned his Eagle in 1947.
Texarkana CPA Mason Andres said Stroud was the "epitome" of a Boy Scout and what an American should be. While Stroud attained high ranking in his profession, Andres said Stroud never forgot how to have fun, even as an adult.
"We lived in the same neighborhood and got to be close friends. He used to organize caroling parties for Christmas. He'd bring all the kids around and they loved it. He organized games of kick-the-can, and we'd play that all over the neighborhood. Oh my gosh we had so much fun," Andres said. "He was a great man. It's easy to talk about somebody like him."
Stroud had no shortage of friends.
"I knew Judge Stroud as John. As a true friend, someone who could be counted on and trusted," Texarkana periodontist Dr. Charles Bruce said. "John was admired and will be rememberd for his dedication to his faith, his family, the legal profession and the community."
Pastor Jamie Alexander of First United Methodist Church, Texarkana, Arkansas, said he got to know Stroud during his retirement years.
"What I quickly learned was that he was a greatly respected, accomplished and faithful man," Alexander said. "The legacy of his influence in many lives was very evident."
A funeral service for Stroud is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday at First United Methodist Church in Texarkana.
Arkansas State Sen. Wayne Dowd, of Texarkana, left, speaks with Judge John F. Stroud. Jr. at a reception Monday, Jan. 13, 1997, at the state Capitol in Little Rock. Stroud died Sunday, March 27, 2022. (Gazette file photo)
Then-Arkansas Supreme Court Associate Justice John Stroud Jr., of Texarkana, left, speaks with newly sworn-in Chief John A. Fogleman, of West Memphis, center, Thursday, Jan. 3, 1980. At right is Associate Justice Richard L. Mays, of Little Rock. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette file photo)
John Stroud Jr. is seen at his office in this June 12, 1986, photo. Stroud died Sunday. He was 90. (Gazette file photo)