By Philip Isley

Editors Note:  On March 11, 2023, a car accident tragically claimed the life of Litigation Section Vice Chair Jack Bebber. On May 9, 2025, the Litigation Section was proud to honor his life and his service by dedicating a paver in the Liberty Garden at the Bar Center in his memory while also supporting the work of the North Carolina Bar Foundation. His good friend and former Litigation Section Chair Philip Isley made these remarks at the dedication ceremony.

My guess is that not many of you knew Jack well, but he passed away tragically on March 11, 2023. Jack was one of the best friends that I’ve ever made in my life. Our friendship – despite lasting for a little more than six years – was rich. It was full of laughter and hijinks, and sometimes we even talked about the law. Our friendship was one of the greatest things that ever happened to me.

At the time of his death, Jack was a 50-year-old attorney in only his ninth year of practice at the Van Winkle law firm in Asheville, whose members are here with us today. What Jack lacked in years of practice, he made up with his intelligence, his affable nature, his Adonis-like good looks, his ability to play any musical instrument with strings, and a sincere and deep curiosity and interest about anyone he ever met. He was the perfect candidate for the Litigation Section Council.

Despite living in Asheville, he attended our meetings throughout the state, attended Judicial Conferences with me and others, and generally was a great ambassador for our Litigation Section. There is no doubt in my mind that Jack would have continued up the ranks in the Litigation Section Council and potentially the NCBA itself.

I never saw Jack in court. But I am told by many who knew him, litigated against him or with him, that Jack was one of the most naturally gifted litigators despite his lack of years in practice. He was beginning to hit his stride as one of the top eminent domain attorneys in North Carolina and even started a monthly “study hall” to teach and learn from other condemnation attorneys throughout the state.  Jack displayed ideals that our predecessors instilled in all of the members of the Litigation Section Council. Without a doubt, every recipient of the Litigation Section Council Advocate’s Award would have been proud to know Jack.

After Jack’s death, I sent an email to the members of the Litigation Section Council about Jack’s passing. It was a shock to all, clearly. We all wanted to honor Jack in an appropriate fashion, which is how the idea of this paver came about. Our hope is that this paver will – in some small fashion – remind all who see it that Jack was indeed a great attorney and leader of the North Carolina Bar Association.

Jack Bebber died far too soon, and I still miss him a great deal. However, we should also recognize that knowing Jack for as long or as short as we did made us all better people.

As I conclude my remarks, I would like to request that all of you keep Jack’s wife Tami, daughters Judy, Molly and Sally, his father Gary and mother Grace in your thoughts and prayers as they continue to grieve and deal with the loss of their beloved husband and father.

I want to again thank all of you for allowing me to honor such a special person to me, as well as the NCBA.