Beverly Tarpley

Beverly Tarpley, 85, the first Texas woman lawyer to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court, died in Abilene on February 14, 2016. She was born February 25, 1930 in Houston to Charles and Hilda Potthoff. She enrolled in the University of Texas at Austin at age 15 and received BA and JD (Doctor of Jurisprudence) degrees. She came to Abilene after graduation in 1951 and joined the Scarborough Law Firm. She remained with that firm until her retirement in 2005. She married Dick Tarpley, retired editor of the Abilene Reporter-News, in 1953. He predeceased her on September 17, 2012. She is survived by two children, Charles Tarpley of Abilene and Beth Rathe of Coppell. Other survivors include a son-in-law, Brian Rathe, three grandchildren, Erica, Jack and Nick, all of Coppell; and several cousins. She was preceded in death by her parents. In 1957, Mrs. Tarpley was not only the first Texas woman but also the youngest lawyer of either sex in the nation to argue a case before the United States Supreme Court. She was the first woman to be appointed to the Texas Supreme Court Rules Advisory Committee 1956-75. In 1975 she was the first woman appointed by the Texas Supreme Court to the nine-member Texas Board of Law Examiners. She served 16 years under four chief justices and became the first woman chairman of that Board in 1985. She was elected to the National Conference of Bar Examiners in 1985 and served as its chairman in 1992-93. She was a member of the House of Delegates of the American Bar Association from 1993-96. She served as a member of the Council of the Section on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association from 1990-1999 and was its chairman in 1997-1998. She was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humanities Degree by Barry University School of Law, Orlando, Florida. She received the 2004 Ma’at Award from the Women in the Law Section of the State Bar of Texas and an outstanding Fifty Year Lawyer award from the Texas Bar Foundation in 2005. She was appointed by the American Bar Association, in the early 1990’s, as one of the U.S. members of a three-nation (U.S., Canada and Mexico) NAFTA committee, charged with responsibility for facilitating the cross border delivery of legal services under the provisions of the treaty. She was the first woman president of the Abilene Bar Association in 1976, a member of the State Bar of Texas, and the American Bar Association, and a life fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation and the American Bar Foundation. Mrs. Tarpley was a member of St. Paul United Methodist Church and taught both children’s and adult Sunday school classes there. She served on the board of the Abilene Chamber of Commerce and was a charter-year honoree of Pathfinders, which recognizes Abilene women who have led the way in their professions. She was Chairman of the Abilene Philharmonic Foundation, a member of Chapter CK of PEO, a Director of the Grover Nelson Park Zoological Foundation and the Anson Jones Memorial Medical Foundation and on the Board of Governors of the Abilene Philharmonic Association. In 2010, she was named a Woman of Outstanding Achievement by the Abilene Chapter of the American Association of University Women. She and her husband traveled extensively for many years all over the world. Inurnment of cremains will be in Elmwood Memorial Park. A memorial service will be held at St. Paul United Methodist Church at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, February 20, officiated by Rev. Felicia Hopkins, Dr. Bob Monk and Rev. Bill Libby. Visitation will be from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Friday, February 19, at The Hamil Family Funeral Home, 6449 Buffalo Gap Road in Abilene. Memorials may be made to St. Paul United Methodist Church, 525 Beech Street, Abilene, TX 79601; to the Abilene Philharmonic Foundation, 401 Cypress, Suite 520, Abilene, TX 79601; or to the Grover Nelson Park Zoological Foundation, 2070 Zoo Lane, Nelson Park, Abilene, TX 79602.