Herman Austin “Buck” Watson, Jr., 82, of Huntsville, Alabama, passed away on January 26, 2016. Buck, the son of Herman Austin Watson, Sr., and Cornelia Welch Watson, passed away surrounded by loving family at his home after an extended struggle with cancer. He is survived by his wife, Janet Mangham Watson, children, Cornelia Welch Watson (a writer married to Carey Roberts), LeeAnna Yarbrough Keith (an author and teacher married to Brian Plane), James Hundley Watson (a teacher married to Jane Watson), Rebekah Keith McKinney (his law partner at Watson McKinney, LLC), Elmer Jacobs Watson (also a lawyer; married to MaryTally Watson), and Jack Watson (a firefighter married to Sheila Watson). He was blessed with many grandchildren: Annabelle, Jack, Jake, Marshall, Sam, Emma, Janet, Daniel, John-John, Griffin, Anne-Louise, Rosalie, Austin, Dylan, and Chloe. Though he had many dear friends, he made a special place in the family for Sam Keith, and he cherished his longtime office collaborators, Marcia Perkins and Theresa Willits.
Buck attended Vanderbilt University between 1951 and 1955, and played SEC football in addition to his studies. As the team’s left tackle, he played both offense and defense, earning the nickname “60-Minute Man.” In fact, for many years, he held the SEC record for the highest average number of minutes per game – 55. He was an eighth-round draft pick for the Philadelphia Eagles, but chose instead to play for the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League, where he was sidelined with a career-ending knee injury. He maintained a lifelong interest in sports, serving on the Board of Directors of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, and acting as the biggest fan and unofficial coach to his children and grandchildren. He was inducted into both the Madison County Sports Hall of Fame and the DeKalb County Sports Hall of Fame.
After graduation from Vanderbilt, Buck became a history teacher and a coach at Lafayette High School in Chambers County, Alabama, coaching the Lafayette High School football team to its first victory season in many years.
In 1961, Buck graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law, where he was a Member of the Law Review and a member of the Bench and Bar Legal Honor Society. After graduation, Buck returned to Lafayette, where he opened his first law practice, and also served as the County Solicitor. Relocating to Huntsville, Buck represented clients in both state and federal courts throughout the country in both civil and criminal cases, and developed a national reputation as tireless advocate for justice and the oppressed. Buck obtained justice for a multitude of people who were injured through toxic exposures, discriminatory pricing, fraudulent trade practices, or the negligence of others.
Buck was a Fellow of both the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and the Alabama Law Foundation, a member of the Alabama Association for Justice and the American Association for Justice, and past-President of the Huntsville-Madison County Bar Association. He served on a multitude of Boards, including his tenure as the Chairman of the Board of the St. Andrews School in Sewanee, Tennessee, and his service on the Access to Justice Commission, the Alabama chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Alabama Civil Justice Foundation. He also served as a Sunday school teacher, lay leader and Chairman of the Administrative Board of Epworth United Methodist Church.
Buck excelled at recognizing the importance and inborn strength in every individual, and in encouraging his family, co-workers and friends to do their best. “Whatever we do is a small piece of society,” he once wrote. “It either strengthens it or weakens it – it never leaves it unaffected.” In keeping with this idea, he prized his children’s accomplishments as teachers, writers, lawyers, and public servants and made his own indelible mark for the better on the lives of others.
Visitation will be Thursday, January 28 from 5:00 – 7:00 at Laughlin Service Funeral Home, the funeral will be Friday, January 29 at 3:00 p.m. at First United Methodist Church in Huntsville, and interment will be Saturday, January 30 at 2:00 p.m. at Glenwood Cemetery, Ft. Payne, Alabama.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Hospice Family Care Inpatient Facility, care of Huntsville Hospital Foundation, 101 Sivley Road, Huntsville, Alabama 35801, or the Equal Justice Initiative, 122 Commerce Street, Montgomery, Alabama 36104.
