A. Felton Jenkins Jr.

Family-Placed Death Notice

JENKINS, A. Felton, Jr. A. FELTON JENKINS, JR. A. Felton Jenkins, Jr., Vice Chairman of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, died on the 1st of January 2011 after a short battle with brain cancer. Born on January 18, 1941 in Madison, Georgia, Jenkins was a retired senior law partner with King & Spalding. He served as Chair of the Georgia Justice Project, President of the Atlanta Chapter of the American Cancer Society and Chairman of the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center. Jenkins also has served on the Georgia Agricultural Exposition Authority, the Georgia Appellate Judicial Selection Commission, the Georgia Judicial Process Review Commission, and the Georgia Joint Study Commission on Revenue Structure. He was on the Board of Directors of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, the Decatur First Bank Group and Dundee Mills, Inc. An excellent writer as well as speaker, he co-authored the important legal book, Georgia Civil Procedure Forms. Jenkins earned his undergraduate degree (A.B., 1963) and his law degree (J.D., 1965) from the University of Georgia, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa. Admitted to the bar in 1964, he joined the King & Spalding firm in 1965 and later served as Co-Chair of the firm's Litigation Section. As a successful trial lawyer in the state and federal courts, he argued cases in several Federal Circuit Courts of Appeals and before the United States Supreme Court. He was a Life Fellow of both the American Bar Foundation and the State Bar of Georgia, for which he served on the Board of Governors. He was president of the Younger Lawyers Section (1972-73). Throughout his career, he actively supported his university as chair of the Law School's Board of Visitors, Secretary of the UGA Foundation and member of the UGA Strategic Planning Group. He retired in 1992, and in 1997, he moved back to his boyhood home, Madison, GA., where he farmed cattle, trees and pasture land in Morgan County. He taught Sunday school and served as a trustee at Madison First United Methodist Church, where he was baptized and raised in servant faith. In addition to his several civic and non-profit board endeavors, he was a golfer, traveler and adventurer. Jenkins climbed Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Hood, Mt. Kilimanjaro, and completed the 33 mile Milford Track in New Zealand. On his most recent international expedition to Nepal in 2009 at age 68, he trekked to the South Base Camp of Mt. Everest at 17,590 feet of elevation. Always an athlete and competitor, he played on three Georgia state champion football teams in the late 1950's for Morgan County High School. Felton Jenkins, Jr. leaves behind his beloved wife of 44 years, Julie Green Jenkins, and their three children, Felton Jenkins III (wife Karen) of Savannah; Emily Jenkins Followill (husband Tom and their children Sarah and Thomas) of Atlanta; Rev. Alan Davis Jenkins of Atlanta; his sister Virginia Jenkins Payne Foreman (husband Clarence and sons Dr. Miles Payne and William Foreman) of Jackson, MS., many nieces, nephews and cousins. He was the son of A. Felton Jenkins and Jimmie Davis Jenkins. A memorial service is scheduled at Madison First U.M.C., 296 S. Main Street, Madison, Georgia on Wednesday, January 5, at 11:30 am. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Georgia Justice Project, 438 Edgewood Ave. Atlanta, GA 30312; Madison-Morgan Cultural Center, 434 S. Main, St., Madison, 30650; and/or Madison-Morgan Conservancy, P.O. Box 752 Madison, GA 30650. The family expresses appreciation and thanks to the many friends and healthcare providers throughout his illness.