A former Hopkinsville city attorney has passed away.
According to an obituary from Hughart, Beard, & Giles Funeral Home, 89-year-old Wendell Harmon Rorie passed away on Christmas Day after a brief illness. Rorie served as the city attorney from 1966 to 1982 under the administrations of Alfred Naff, George Atkins, and Al Rutland.
Rorie was born on February 7, 1931, in Big Rock, Tennessee. He graduated from South Christian High School in 1949 and Murray State College in 1953, where he served as president of the student body and received the Outstanding Senior Award.
He was also an Army veteran who served on active duty from 1953 to 1955 in the United States Army Reserve. He attended Vanderbilt University School of Law on the G.I. Bill and was awarded the Doctor of Jurisprudence degree in 1958. He then opened a law practice in Hopkinsville with W.H. Southall in 1958 and continued in active practice for 57 years, concentrating on civil defense cases.
He was an active member of the Christian County Bar Association and served as president in 1970. He was also active in the Kentucky Bar Association and the American Bar Association.
In 2000, the Kentucky Bar Association recognized Rorie for dedicated public service in promoting the effort to ensure the availability of legal services to all Kentuckians. As president of the Kentucky Lawyers Referral Service in the 1970’s, he implemented the policy of handling pro-bono cases for those who could not afford a lawyer. In 2008, the Kentucky Bar Association recognized Rorie for more than 50 years and awarded him Senior Counselor Status.
He and his wife, Janice, have traveled to many countries. He has served as the senior member of the Atheneum Society since 1960.
Funeral arrangements for Rorie can be found here.
