On behalf of the State Bar of Georgia, I am writing to congratulate Atlanta attorney A. Paul Cadenhead on receiving the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the University of West Georgia, where he delivered the commencement address in December, 68 years after receiving his first degree from the same institution.
With a distinguished legal career that has spanned more than six decades, Mr. Cadenhead is most deserving of the honor, which has been bestowed only 12 times in UWG's 106-year history. A leader in the legal profession, he has served on the Board of Governors of the State Bar of Georgia and as president of the Atlanta Bar Association, the Federal Defender Program, the Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Atlanta Estate Planning Council and the Old War Horse Lawyers Club. He is also the first attorney to receive all three of the Atlanta Bar Association's top awards: the Charles A. Watkins Jr. Award for Distinguished and Sustained Service to the Profession, the Leadership Ward and the Professionalism Award.
He also served his country as a veteran of World War II and his community in many capacities, including president of both the Atlanta Mental Health Association and the Georgia Association of Mental Health. In 1995, he endowed the Davenport-Cadenhead Scholarship at UWG, one of many demonstrations of supporting his alma mater through the years.
All Georgia lawyers can be proud of Mr. Cadenhead for this prestigious honor, as well as his lifetime of service to promote the cause of justice, uphold the rule of law and protect the rights of all citizens.
Robin Frazer Clark President State Bar of Georgia
