Cite as 2011 Ark. 316 SUPREME COURT OF ARKANSAS Opinion Delivered July 27, 2011 IN MEMORY OF JUSTICE STEELE HAYS PER CURIAM On June 22, 2011, Honorable Steele Hays, who served with distinction on the Arkansas Supreme Court from 1981 to 1994, died at the age of eighty-six. He was first appointed to the trial bench by Governor Winthrop Rockefeller to serve an interim term on the Sixth Circuit in Little Rock. In 1980, Governor Bill Clinton appointed him as one of the original members of the Arkansas Court of Appeals, and he served on that court for two years until his election to the supreme court. Prior to joining the bench, Justice Hays had a distinguished career as a lawyer in Little Rock. He graduated from George Washington University Law School and practiced with the firm, Spitzberg, Mitchell & Hays, from 1954 to 1979, save for his service on the trial bench. Justice Hays was active in his community. A sampling of his activities include: Chancellor for the Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas, President of the Arkansas Chapter of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, and Chair of the Arkansas Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
Justice Hays had a keen sense of justice. He was a scholar on the life of Abraham Lincoln, and this quote of Lincoln, aptly fits Justice Hays, “I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.” The Arkansas Supreme Court joins the citizens of this state in saluting Justice Hays for a life well-lived—a life of service, a life in pursuit of justice. The court extends its deepest condolences to Justice Hays’ wife, Peggy, and the rest of his family. _________________________________ Chief Justice Jim Hannah _________________________________ _________________________________ Associate Justice Donald Corbin Associate Justice Robert Brown _________________________________ _________________________________ Associate Justice Jim Gunter Associate Justice Paul Danielson _________________________________ _________________________________ Associate Justice Karen Baker Associate Justice Courtney Henry
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