The Oklahoma Bar Journal December 2024

I n M emoriam

J ohn Thomas Cripps III of Sallisaw died Oct. 22. He was born Dec. 20, 1945, and was raised in Tulsa. Mr. Cripps received his J.D. from the OU College of Law in 1975 and served as an attorney and judge in Sallisaw for nearly half a century. Memorial contribu tions may be made to the Cripps Foundation. G ary Johnston Dean of Pryor died Oct. 29. He was born Oct. 6, 1940, in Oklahoma City. Mr. Dean earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1964 from OU and received his J.D. from the OU College of Law in 1966. He began his 58-year legal career as an associate for the late Tony Jack Lyons before forming a partnership two years later. In 1982, he established a solo practice, focusing on criminal, corporate, civil and family law. He then joined the OBA Family Law Section, serving as secretary in 1992 and chair in 1998. Under his leadership, the Family Law Section grew to be the largest OBA section, and he received a Presidential Citation for his work. He was appointed a special judge for the 12th Judicial District, handling criminal and domestic matters. Mr. Dean retired in 2010 but resumed practicing law part time from 2015 until February 2024. He was active in the Pryor Area Chamber of Commerce, the Pryor Lions Club and the Pryor Area Arts & Humanities Council, of which he was the founding

C hristopher Darby Szlichta of Stillwater died Nov. 1. He was born Aug. 27, 1949, in Fort Dix, New Jersey. Mr. Szlichta gradu ated from Cascia Hall in Tulsa in 1968 and from OSU with a degree in political science in 1972. During college, he was active in student government, held a leadership role in the Phi Delta Theta fraternity and was the drummer in The Great Danes, a regionally famous boy band. He received his J.D. from the OCU School of Law in 1976 while interning at the Payne County District Attorney’s Office. During his 45-year legal career, he served as the Payne County assistant district attorney, the Stillwater city attorney and a pri vate practitioner focusing on fam ily law. He was a member of the Stillwater Public Schools board, helped establish the Stillwater Public Education Foundation and served as the president of the Payne County Bar Association. Mr. Szlichta was also involved in OBA Law Day activities and the Oklahoma High School Mock Trial competitions. He also authored scholarly articles and lectured numerous times for the benefit and training of attorneys practic ing family law.

president. He also served as secretary and president of the Mayes County Bar Association and as general counsel for the Pryor Municipal Utility Board for 30 years. In 2015, Mr. Dean joined the Rotary Club of Pryor and was involved in various projects. He was also an active member of St. Martin of Tours Episcopal Church. Memorial contributions may be made to Rotary District 6110 Rotary Youth Leadership Awards or St. Martin of Tours Episcopal Church. J ohn Nicholas Hermes of Oklahoma City died Oct. 16. He was born May 7, 1946, in Flushing, New York. He attended Ripon College in Wisconsin and received his J.D. from the OU College of Law. Mr. Hermes served as a captain in the U.S. Army in Vietnam. His legal career spanned over 40 years as an attorney at McAfee & Taft, with five years as a managing director. His practice focused on civil liti gation and advocating for children of parents in disputes through his work with the Oklahoma Lawyers for Families and Children. Mr. Hermes was inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers. He also served as a deacon, an elder and a Sunday school teacher at St. Stephen’s Presbyterian Church. Memorial contributions may be made to Oklahoma Lawyers for Families and Children.

66 | DECEMBER 2024

THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL