The Oklahoma Bar Journal August 2023

J udge 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 a second lieu tenant 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 received his J.D. in 1958. Mr. Wilkinson’s legal career spanned more than 60 years, with 16 years as a corpo rate 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 commu nity 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. Memorial contributions may be made to the Hospice Circle of Love, the Fairview City Library or the Major County Historical Society.

the associate district and district judge for years before becoming an appellate judge in 1993. He retired in 2005 after sitting on the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals. Outside of his service to the state of Oklahoma, he served as a Choctaw Tribal Court Supreme Court justice from 1979 to 1983 and served the Seminole Nation and Sac and Fox Nation as a Supreme Court justice until May 2023. He was a proud member of the U.S. Army Reserve, serving as a member of the Judge Advocate General’s Corps and finally retir ing as a lieutenant colonel after 30 years of service . Memorial contributions may be made to the Oklahoma Bar Foundation, the Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band or Dry Bones Denver. G eorge Washington Jr. of Tulsa died Feb. 15. He was born March 7, 1942, in Oklahoma City. He earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism from OU and received his J.D. from the OU College of Law. During his college years, he joined the U.S. Army National Guard and served six years. He started training as a medic but eventually ended up serving in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps . Upon gradu ation, Mr. Washington began to practice law with his father and then by himself for 54 years. Memorial contributions may be made to the Tulsa Audubon Society’s wildlife rehabilitation network, WING IT.

Alva Rotary Club, Alva First United Methodist Church and more. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alva Education Foundation, the Northwestern Foundation & Alumni Association or the First United Methodist Church. R oland 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. J udge Joe Clinton Taylor of Durant died June 14. He was born March 28, 1942, in Durant. Judge Taylor received his J.D. from the OU College of Law in 1968 and became Bryan County’s first special judge in 1969. He served as

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THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL