Phillip Watson
| Phillip Brooks Watson, Jr. (Louisiana attorney | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 5, 1931 St. Joseph, Tensas Parish Louisiana |
| Died | February 28, 2018 (aged 86) |
| Spouse | Allein Harkey Watson (married 1958-2018, his death) Children: |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
Phillip Brooks Watson, Jr., known as Phil Watson (May 5, 1931 – February 28, 2018), was an attorney and prominent civic figure in his native St. Joseph in rural Tensas Parish in northeastern Louisiana.
Watson graduated from the then segregated Joseph Moore Davidson High School (since the heavily African-American Tensas High School) in St. Joseph. He completed his undergraduate studies at Tulane University in New Orleans in three years and then at the age of twenty-two received his law degree from that same institution. While at Tulane, he was listed in Who's Who in America and served on the staff of The Tulane Law Review. He was affiliated with the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and the Omicron Kappa honorary society. For two years, he was in the United States Navy, after which he returned to join his father Phillip, Sr., in the practice of law.[1]
He was a member of the Tensas Parish Library Board and worked to establish the Plantation Museum on the second story above the library building on Plank Road. For forty-six years, he was a board member and counsel of the Bank of St. Joseph and Trust Company, since theCross Keys Bank. For thirty-seven years, he was a trustee of Vicksburg Hospital in Vicksburg, Mississippi. A scholarship in his named is offered in the nursing department of Hinds University. He was a director of the Panola Company and for forty-six years a board member of the Newellton Gin, Inc. He was a Paul P. Harris Fellow in Rotary International. During his career in St. Joseph, he was president of the board of directors of the private Tensas Academy, established in 1970 with the advent of desegregation of public schools. He was a member, secretary, and senior warden of the Christ Episcopal Church in St. Joseph.[1]
Watson died early in 2018 at the age of eighty-six. He was preceded in death by his parents, Philip Watson, Sr., and the former Roslyn Newell, and his aunt, Lucille Watson. Survivors include his wife, the former Allein Harkey (1936-2019);[2] three children, Benjamin Maddox Watson and wife Linda of St. Joseph, William Brooks Watson, Sr., and wife Karen of Monroe, Louisiana, and Scott Harkey Watson (born 1964) and wife, Mary Lynn, of Tallulah in Madison Parish to the north of Tensas Parish. He had seven grandchildren.
His surviving brother, William Wade Watson (1934-2019), was also a graduate of Davidson High School and Tulane Law School. William Watson was the long-term president and then chairman of the board from 1969 to 2004 of Cross Keys Bank. In 1987, William Watson was elected president of the Louisiana Bankers Association for a one-year term.[3]
Memorial services for the Watson brothers were held at Christ Episcopal Church on March 3, 2018, and August 21, 2019, respectively, with Father Gregg Riley officiating at both services.[1][3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Phillip Brooks Watson, Jr.. Monroe News Star (March 2, 2018).
- ↑ Allein Harkey Watson. The Monroe News-Star (September 18, 2019).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 William Watson obituary. The Monroe News-Star (August 20, 2019).
