NCCU TRUSTEE GETS JUDGESHIP
RALEIGH -- Cressie Thigpen, the first black to be named president of the N.C. State Bar, will now be pounding the gavel.
Gov. Mike Easley appointed Thigpen as a special Superior Court Judge April 16, and his appointment to a five-year term becomes effective May 15. Thigpen will replace Judge Karl Adkins of Mecklenburg County, D-26, whose term expired last December.
"I'm extremely honored that the Governor appointed me, and I look forward to serving in that capacity and serving the citizens of the state," Thigpen said.
"The good thing about this position is the travel involved and the chance to work with lawyers and the citizens throughout the state."
Born in Philadelphia, Thigpen moved to N.C., as a child and grew up in the towns of Fayetteville and Raeford. He graduated from N.C. Central in 1968 and served in the Peace Corps in Mysore State, India. He later attended Rutgers School of Law and joined the Durham County Legal Aid Society after graduation.
After working solo for a short period, Thigpen in 1976 became co-founder and partner of the Raleigh personal injury law firm, Thigpen, Blue, Stephens & Fellers. He also is chairman of NCCU's board of trustees.
"For more than 33 years, Cressie Thigpen has practiced law in both state and federal courts, and distinguished himself as an outstanding civil litigator," Easley said in a release. "He is well respected, and his work ethic will undoubtedly serve the state well."
One of Thigpen's proudest achievements is becoming the first black president of the State Bar in 1999. Thigpen, who has two grown sons, Omar and Daren, and was married to Cynthia Thigpen (deceased), said one of the most difficult challenges of his career has been balancing the demands of work and family.
Cynthia Thigpen died soon after he became bar president.
"Shortly after becoming president, he suffered a personal tragedy. I saw him call on tremendous reserves of character to be an outstanding president of the state bar," Attorney Ann Reed said. "He was very conscious of his responsibility as the first African-American leader of the state bar, and he made a point of making appointments to various boards and commissions that were as diverse as possible."
Reed said Thigpen's temperament and fair-mindedness will make him an excellent judge and others agree.
"He's a tremendous appointment, and the people of N.C. are really the beneficiaries of his willingness to do this," Attorney Dan Blue, who co-founded the Raleigh law firm, said. As a judge, Thigpen will no longer be allowed to practice law, and in accordance with the state bar's rules on firm names, the Raleigh law firm will remove his name.
Thigpen said his promotion brings a sense of pride that he also had when he became president of the state bar. "I would like to think that both are recognitions of good work and hard work that I have done in the past," he said.
"He has a long and distinguished career, and he has also done the public service component," Durham Attorney Larry Hall said. "He has just been a role model of professionalism and community involvement, and he has been a role model for a lot of attorneys across the spectrum."