Professor Emeritus James William Spears died September 7 at his home in Little Rock. He was 74. He taught law for 38 years, from 1965 until his retirement in 2003, teaching all but one year at the UALR Bowen School of Law and its predecessor institutions in Little Rock. His wife of 21 years, Susanne Roberts, is a member of the Class of 1982. During his teaching career, Jim received the UALR outstanding teacher award. He served Arkansas as a representative to the 1971 Constitutional Convention.
Jim was born in Jasper, in Newton County near the Buffalo River, and finished high school there before pursuing and achieving a B.S. in Industrial Engineering at UA-Fayetteville. He graduated first in his class from law school there and later earned an LL.M. from the University of Texas. His love of the law was natural, since he was the grandson and nephew of lawyers and was married to a lawyer. He is best remembered for teaching Civil Procedure, Equity and Restitution, and Admiralty Law.
In addition to his popularity in the classroom, Jim was known for his mischievous smile, his colorful neckties and his fondness for his family cats. His family has asked that gifts in his memory be made to Feline Rescue and Rehome (FURR) at PO Box 250567, Little Rock, AR 72225. Dedicated to the Bowen School of Law and to current law students, Jim established the Guy Moore Law Scholarship in memory of his uncle, a Newton County attorney.