• Read full reactions below main story.

“I’ve lost a good friend, a wonderful person,” Chief U.S. District Judge Michael P. Mills said Tuesday, just minutes after learning that his colleague Judge W. Allen Pepper Jr. was dead.

Pepper, 70, died about 3:45 p.m. in St. Dominic’s Medical Center in Jackson where he’d been flown for treatment of a heart attack he’d suffered earlier in the day in Greenville where he presided over the federal courthouse.

Mills said he and Judge Sharion Aycock, plus the senior judges, Glen Davidson and Neal Biggers, will divide Pepper’s caseload, with the criminal cases a priority.

“He was a good judge,” Mills said of the Belzoni native. “He will be missed all over the state of Mississippi.”

Pepper took the oath as a federal judge on July 21, 1999, after a 30-year solo practice in Cleveland.

He leaves a wife, Ginger, and a son, Will Pepper III.

Funeral services were pending Tuesday night.

Pepper’s successor will come only by a presidential nomination with the approval of the U.S. Senate.

Pepper earned his bachelor’s degree in 1963 and his law degree in 1968 from the University of Mississippi.

He was nominated for the federal judgeship March 8, 1999, by President Bill Clinton.

Shock was the universal reaction to news of his death late Tuesday.

Ashland attorney Anthony Farese termed Pepper “an excellent judge who firmly followed the law, but had compassion for his fellow man.”

Oxford attorney Christi R. McCoy said she was “heartbroken” to learn Pepper had died.

“A finer person has never put on a black robe,” she said. “He truly cared for the people he had to sentence.”

Tupelo attorney Guy W. Mitchell III said he knew Pepper since law school, where Mitchell was a first-year student and Pepper was in his final year.

“He was a fair-minded man,” Mitchell said. “I extend my sympathy to his wife, Ginger, and his family.”

patsy.brumfield@journalinc.com

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Here are full accounts of reactions:

• Robert C. Khayat, former Ole Miss chancellor

Judge Pepper was a happy, generous and capable man. He brought honor and dignity to the Court but never lost touch with the needs of the people who appeared before him. I knew him for 50 years and my lasting memory will be his warm hand shake, his happy laugh and his sincere concern for others.

• John Marshall Alexander, Oxford, assistant U.S. attorney

Allen Pepper moved to my hometown of Cleveland when I was about 12 years old. I remember him as an able and distinguished lawyer, active citizen and friend to all who knew him. Later, I had the privilege to try many cases before him in federal court in Greenville and Oxford. He was a conscientious and courageous judge, firm but fair, and had a heart for the people who appeared before him. Judge Pepper was always kind and gracious, both in and out of the courtroom. He is already greatly missed, not only by his beloved family, but also his many, many friends.



Thank you for the opportunity to say a few words about a great American and Mississippian, Judge Allen Pepper.

• Chief Judge Michael P. Mills

"The Northern District has lost a Judge of impeccable character and a man of great personality. He was the most fundamentally decent man whom I have ever known. He was a dear friend and a beloved colleague. We will not soon get over Allen's passing. Our Court family mourns his death and our hearts ache for Ginger and Will."

• Judge Sharion Aycock

"We are all saddened by the loss of our colleague, Judge Allen Pepper. Judge Pepper loved his family, his court family and the good people of the "Delta". He was a dedicated public servant. His life included practically every facet of public service-- with over 30 years in private law practice, service on numerous state and national professional boards and committees, his military service, his church, his community, not to mention his exemplary service to the federal judiciary."

• Judge Neal Biggers

“Allen Pepper was a good friend, a good judge and a good person. He was a pleasure to work with and also just to hang out with. He loved his family, his work and “the Delta”. He will be greatly missed by many.”

• Judge Glen H. Davidson

"Judge Pepper and I entered the University of Mississippi as freshmen. He has been a good friend ever since --- dedicated to his work, a good judge and a good man who will be greatly missed."

• Sen. Thad Cochran

“I was surprised and saddened by Judge Pepper’s passing. He was a friend and talented jurist who served the federal court and the people of Mississippi well. My thoughts and prayers are with his family at this sad time."

• Sen. Roger Wicker

"Judge Allen Pepper was a long-time personal friend of mine. He was a distinguished and competent jurist and, beyond that, a genuine, patriotic, and cheerful human being and family man. I will miss him very much."

• CHRISTI R. MCCOY of Oxford ...

I just couldn’t absorb it. Still can’t. I go from shock to grief to shock to grief.

Judge had a special touch with criminal defendants. he truly believed in the power of the human spirit and the innate goodness of ALL people. No matter how terrible a client’s past was, Judge Pepper was convinced they could change. He was everyman’s cheerleader. Never saw him without a smile.

Never knew him to be irritable or grumpy on the bench or off.

I can’t say enough good things.

There is a big ole gaping hole in the heart of the Northern District. I ‘spect it will be there a long time. . .maybe forever.

Heartbroken. Crushed. A finer person has never put on a black robe.

Had the remarkable ability to treat the hundreds of defendants b4 him as they were the only one he had sentwnced.

Cared, TRULY cared for the people he had to sentence.

Heard one time he prayed before every sentencing.

My best Judge P story is that one day he said -in court- that no matter how many times he ruled against me I still smiled and said “thank you”. The irony is that was not a reflection on me but on him. He was so kind. Even when ruling against my side!

• GUY MITCHELL III of Tupelo ...

Said he had known Pepper since his first year of law school at Ole Miss, where Mitchell was a first-year student and Pepper was in his final year.

I am shocked by his death,and saddened. I did not have reason to practice often in his court, but I knew him well. He did a really good job as a judge, and he was a fair-minded man. I extend my sympathy to his wife, Ginger, and his family.

• MARGARET SAMS GRATZ of Tupelo ...

Said she knew Pepper more by his reputation as an even-handed and kind man than in a professional capacity.

I wish I had known him better.

• HIRAM EASTLAND JR. of Greenwood ...

Judge Pepper is and always will be a legal and a Mississippi Delta treasure. He approached the law with keen discernment, even handedness and compassion. And true to his Delta roots – always with good humor!

Our families used to visit around the pool at the Mississippi Bar convention on the Coast every year when my children were little and the children always got the biggest kick out of Allen’s Dr Pepper logo on the spare tire cover on the back of their family van. It said “Be A Pepper!”

• DONNA BARNES of Tupelo, judge on Miss. Court of Appeals ...

I am shocked and deeply saddened by the death of Judge Pepper. His service to the bench, the bar and the public was exemplary.

• JIM GREENLEE of Oxford, former U.S. attorney ...

Terrible news. His family is experiencing a loss far greater than ours and our loss is huge. We will miss Allen Pepper.

• TONY FARESE of Ashland ...

Judge Pepper was an excellent judge who firmly followed the law yet had compassion for his fellow man. He epitomized the Bible passage in Micah 6:8 by “acting justly, loving mercy and walking humbly with his God”. He was always courteous to everyone in his courtroom and was a true Southern gentleman. His death is a terrible loss for the bench, the bar and the entire State of Mississippi. My prayers go out to his family.

(If you have remembrances of Judge W. Allen Pepper Jr., please send them for posting to patsy.brumfield@journalinc.com)