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Obituary

James M. Stevens Sr., ex-Tarpon judge, 85

Mr. Stevens, whose death was unexpected, is remembered as "a classy gentleman."

By BETSY BOLGER-PAULET
Published August 26, 2005

TARPON SPRINGS - James M. Stevens Sr., former Tarpon Springs city attorney and city judge, died Tuesday (Aug. 23, 2005) at Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital, Tarpon Springs. He had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease last year, but his death was sudden and unexpected. He was 85.

The attorney, who practiced law in Tarpon Springs for 46 years, was a Navy veteran of World War II. He served as a commander in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters and spent 20 years in the Naval Reserve.

Mr. Stevens earned his bachelor's degree from Indiana University, where he was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity and the Forensic League. He earned a juris doctorate from Northwestern University School of Law before coming here in 1949 from his native Noblesville, Ind., to open his first legal practice, the James M. Stevens Practice at Law. He retired in 1995.

From 1954 to 1958, he served as Tarpon Springs' city attorney, and from 1960 to 1968, he was city judge.

Mr. Stevens is fondly remembered by Tarpon Springs associates as a man of class and dedication.

"He was a good citizen, a great man," said Jim Archer, a former city commissioner who was also a fellow Rotarian with Mr. Stevens. "Down to earth. Had a lot of class. I've never seen him without a coat and tie." Archer met Stevens when he first came to Tarpon Springs in 1969. Former police Chief Blaine Lecouris, who served from 1975 to 1985, called Mr. Stevens "a pillar in the community."

"He's going to be missed, because he really loved Tarpon Springs," Lecouris said.

Even though Mr. Stevens was no longer city attorney when Lecouris moved from police officer to chief, he remembers that he would often call upon Mr. Stevens for help.

"Any time I couldn't get the city attorney, Jim was available. No matter where he was," the former chief recalled, adding a poignant comment about Mr. Stevens' character:

"He was quiet, active - not a man that made things public or wanted credit - just a quiet but active person."

Herb Elliott, who was Mr. Stevens' legal partner for the last 20 years he practiced law in the downtown office, and who served as city attorney from 1978 to 1987, echoed Archer's comments and called Mr. Stevens "a classy gentleman."

"Truly, we never had the first argument," Elliott said. "He was very funny, smart, well-spoken, and most of all, dedicated."

Mr. Stevens was a member of the Florida Bar and a fellow of the American College of Probate Counsel.

He served as a board member of and legal counsel to First Savings Bank of Florida from the date it was chartered in 1957 until he retired. He was general legal counsel to the former Tarpon Springs General Hospital.

He was past president of several organizations, including the Junior Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club, and he was a two-term president of the Sponsors Club, a group of Tarpon Springs businessmen who meet socially and award annually a college scholarship to a worthy high school graduate.

Mr. Stevens was active in the First United Methodist Church of Tarpon Springs, the Old Timers Club, the Friends of the Library, Masonic Lodge 112 and a past exalted Ruler of the Elks Lodge, all of Tarpon Springs, and a member of Scottish Rite and Egypt Shrine temples, both of Tampa.

He was an avid world traveler. In 1986, he took a 28-day flight with his wife, Pat, on a chartered Air France Concorde and visited seven continents and nine major cities.

Mrs. Stevens called the adventure "the trip of a lifetime."

"Just the two of us," she said. "Jim dearly loved travel and he was a world-involved person."

Mr. Stevens also enjoyed fishing, reading and gardening.

Besides his wife of 56 years, survivors include a son, James M. Stevens Jr., Tarpon Springs; two daughters, Cathy Munro Dobbins, Tarpon Springs, and Nancy Shelby, Lakeland; two sisters, Eva Cravens, Noblesville, and Mildred Wynne, Beaverton, Ore.; seven grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday at Vinson Funeral Home, 456 E Tarpon Ave. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Monday at First United Methodist Church of Tarpon Springs, 501 E Tarpon Ave., with burial to follow at Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park, Clearwater.

The family has asked for donations to the Tarpon Springs Sponsors Club Scholarship Fund, Tarpon Springs Friends of the Library or the Humane Society of North Pinellas.

[Last modified August 26, 2005, 01:36:21]