President's Feature
Thomas A. Daily: Second-Generation President "We coUect SWlSCts in our car," Association Presidenr Tom Daily remarked as he smiled at his wife, Debbie. "We arc always driving back and forth between Fort Smith and Little Rock on Association business. Arkansas sunsets arc beautiful and one of them is almost always on display sometime duting the ride home" Debbie answered quickly with another story about their current remodeling project. Tom's mother, IsabcUe, passed away last year; Tom and Debbie bave decided to move into her former bouse. IsabeDe bad installed an amber mercury vapor security light in the backyard. "We would sit on IsabeUe's patio to plan the remodeling and watch the SWlSCt as we often did at our other house. Instead, we were treated to the pure yeUow glare from that securiry light. Tbat was our sunset," she laughed, "waiting for the mercury vapor to rise."
"It looked like a shopping center parking lot or something," he said. "It was ugly, ugly, ugly. It is gone now, although getting rid of it is another story."
What isn't ugly is the story behind this prominent natural resource lawyer's ascension to this Association's presidency. A member of Daily & Woods, P.L.L.c., in downtown Fort Smith, Daily grew up in a family of attorneys. His grandfather, Harry P. Daily, was President of the Arkansas Bar Association in 1931-1932. His
father, J.S. Uack) Daily, was also a respected attorney and active Association member. "I grew up in our office tunning errands and helping the secretaries. I never went through the jet pilot or fireman phase," Tom said. "It never occurred to me that people did anything else [except become lawyers]. That is what everyone did. I bave an uncle who ran a baby furniture factory, but that was kind of an aberration." After graduating from Shattuck School outside Minneapolis, Tom attended Sewanee (The University of the South), where be majored in Political Science, and the Universiry of Arkansas School
of Law, where be obtained his J.D. dcgrcc. He was admitted to ptactice in 1970 and then returned to Daily & Woods. "We have a general civil pnctice," be said, "But I spent my formative yeats in the law firm learning bow to be an oil and gas (natural resource) lawyer. Jim West [Aw>ciarion President in 1973-(974) encouraged me to enter this Iidd and mcntored me along." In 1973, Tom met Debbie, then a lcgal secretary for Shaw & Lrdbctter (pmleassor to Aasociation Past Praidcnt Ron Harrison's firm), which bad its office in the same building. "I bad cases with one of the membcn of that firm," be confided, "so I nccdcd to meet
with him on business. But there was this girl down there. Not only was sbe prcny, she was sman. No matter how funny I thought I was, her wit always rrwnpcd mine." Their "love at first sight" relationship dcvclopcd quickly over the summer months: they married that same year. On December 8, they will celebrate their Thirtieth Anniversary. Tom and Debbie have two sons, Mike and Chris. Mike is a graduate of Hendrix CoIIcgc with a BA dcgrcc in Business EconOJnics. He completed his M.BA dcgrcc last summer and is currently a sec:ond year law ttUdcnt at UALR Law ScbooI.
Chris graduated from Hendrix this May with a dcgn:c in Religion. He has been accepted to the Asia Pacific Leadership Program at the Universiry of Hawaii', East-West Center, where he will pursue his study of Asian Ianguaga and cultures. In addition, he was awarded an East-West Center Fellowship, which will aDow for further research and a fidd srudy in the Asia-Pacific: . n , Ultimately, be intends to pursue a doctorate dcgrcc in Cbincoe philosopby and rcligion. Tom also has a son from a pn:vious marriage, Jack, who rccentIy completed his M.BA and works for the Univcnlty ofPboen.iL
One ofTom', most significant cases involved Debbie's childhood borne. He pointed out that wbUc most cases ate important to the litigants, a kw, the "landmark cases," have a brooder importance to Azbnsas substantive law. WbUc he has bandied both, he prcfal the latter. This was one of them. ~ .. Puntm 251 Ad<. 694. 520 S.W.2d 204, resoIvcd an obscure, hut important, ftI1c of plOpeat, law. The clients wac Debbie's parents. "I rcaIJy wmtcd to win that case evai if it meant solng c:1car to the Supi'CIDC Court to do it. Baidlls that, I was nm/i(lent I thought the c:asc law from other _ was pJCtty -e:IeIiIy in our \bI. 38 Net, 3ISumntc:r 20(8 'I1Ie ~ a.,