Joseph Laughlin Tagg Jr.

JOSEPHLAUGHLINTAGG,JR. died June 19, 2008. He was born March 16, 1920 toJoseph Laughlinand AbbieConnable Tagg. He attended Pentecost GarrisonGrade School and CBC High School on Adams. Tagg, an Eagle Scout of Troop 19 was most notable for his 49 day Mississippi River canoe trip in the summer of 1937 from Lake Itasca, Minnesota to New Orleans, LA. Accompanying him on the expedition was Dr. Gerald Capers of New Orleans and Author Charles Saunders of Greenwood, MS. In the fall of 1976, their expedition was placed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the first crew to canoe the Mississippi River from the source to the mouth. After graduating from CBC, he attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute at Blacksburg, VA (Virginia Tech). In 1941, he a Navy Volunteer in WWII, attendedOfficersCandidate School in Pensacola, FL. As a pilot for the Navy with over four thousand hours of flight time, he earned the designation of Lieutenant Commander. In 1951, he was recalled to active duty during The Korean War with the Millington Naval Air Reserve Squadron 795 and was granted an honorable discharge in 1956. After serving his country in two wars he attended Southern Law School in Memphis. Following law school, he was a partner with his father at Tagg and Tagg Insurance Company. In 1968, he joined the Shelby County Attorney General’s Office as an assistant attorney general where he was wellknownforhissparring matches with the Honorable Ray Churchill. He was also recognized as a steadfast supporter of the Memphis Police Department. He was an avid hunter and fisherman throughout his adult life and was a member of Hatchiecoon Hunting Club in Tulot, AR as well as a member of “Ducks Unlimited”. His love for hunting and fishing gave him peace in life. He was a true gentleman and if he liked you he would say hello and give you a ducks foot. After twenty-six years with the Attorney General’s Office, he retired in 1994. He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Arnette Canale Tagg and his son, George Canale Tagg. He leaves two daughters, Mary Abbey Tagg and Arnette Sturla Tagg; and three sons, Rev. Joseph Laughlin Tagg, III, William Taylor Tagg and James Whitfield Tagg, all of Memphis. In addition, he leaves eight grandchildren. Visitation will be Sunday, June 22, from 5-7 p.m. at Canale FuneralDirectors. Funeral Mass will be 11 a.m., Monday, June 23 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception with burial to follow at Calvary Cemetery. The family requests memorials be sent to The Monastery of the Poor Clares or to the charity of the donor’s choice. Canale Funeral Directors 901-452-6400