The College of Law extends condolences to the family and friends of Micki Fox, who for 50 years served as the business manager of the Tennessee Law Review and more recently as the continuing legal education coordinator.
She died on July 28.
A private service will be held at Rose Mortuary Mann Heritage Chapel in Knoxville, 6200 Kingston Pike, on Sunday at 1 p.m. Visitation follows from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m.
The following is a tribute written by College of Law Distinguished Professor Judy Cornett.
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This fall, for the first time in 50 years, Micki Fox will not greet the returning members of the Tennessee Law Review. Micki’s sudden passing on July 28 deprives the law review members of their constant caretaker and biggest booster. But her death also deprives the entire College of Law community of a vital force. Whether she was cooking her famous tomato-artichoke casserole for a law school gathering or recommending a good hotel in New York City, Micki shared her zest for life with all of us.
Micki began her half-century of service as the law review’s business manager in the early 1970s, when her duties included preparing manuscripts on her beloved IBM electric typewriter and keeping hundreds of hard-copy records of law review subscribers.
As typed manuscripts gave way to computer files, Micki embraced a new challenge as continuing legal education director for the College of Law. As a certified CLE specialist, Micki ensured that the law school’s CLE programs met all requirements, but more importantly, she greeted each lawyer as they entered. Many of us will remember Micki, seated at the door, creating elaborate needlework. And if anyone left the program early while mistakenly claiming full-time attendance, Micki would call us right back to correct the CLE form.
Micki had a unique ability to work with all kinds of people. Between 1971 and 2022, she worked with more than 50 editors in chief of the law review, as well as hundreds of editorial board and staff members. These law review members became her second family, and she delighted in celebrating their weddings, the births of their children, and their numerous career accomplishments. For a half-century, Micki remained the steady presence that provided continuity for the law review and mentoring and networking for its members. All it took was one phone call to Micki to find the perfect candidate for any job opening.
Micki was sophisticated and cosmopolitan. She would ethusiastically tell you about her dinner with Paloma Picasso or her latest trip to the Saratoga Race Course. But her favorite destination was New York City, where she frequented the theater, the opera, and all museums. When she missed a performance of Roland Petit’s Ballet National de Marseille, she prevailed upon a friend to recite the performance step by step. She was also a faithful supporter of the arts in Knoxville. We delighted in accompanying her to the Clarence Brown Theater to see her friends and colleagues perform. “What are you frothing?” she would ask when ordering an espresso.
Micki’s greatest love was her family – her children Michael, Kathy, and Angela, and most recently, her one-year-old great grandson Max, fondly known as Boo. Many of us looked forward to her daily emails attaching photos of Boo, who favors his great grandmother so much with his red hair and sweet expression.
In the words of former College of Law Dean Tom Galligan, “Micki was a force and one of the most wonderfully unique people I have ever known.” She enriched our lives in so many ways. She will never be forgotten.
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Read more in past interviews that have appeared on this website: Mother of the Law Review Part I and Mother of the Law Review Part II.
An obituary is available here.