Judge Shirley B. Underwood Commission for Women's 2002 Notable UT Woman

BIOGRAPHY

Shirley Baumgardner, a native of Bristol, Tennessee, received an undergraduate degree in Political Science and Economics in 1943 from the University of Tennessee. She taught school for two years, working with both junior high and high school students. Returning to law school at UT, Ms. Baumgardner earned a law degree in 1948. She practiced law in Bristol with her father, the late John Dixon Baumgardner, specializing in family law. In 1956 Shirley Baumgardner married Dr. Charles T.R. Underwood, a prominent physician and surgeon, now deceased.

Appointed Juvenile Court Judge of Johnson City by Governor Buford Ellington in 1961, Judge Underwood was elected to an eight-year term in 1962 and was subsequently reelected four times. Judge Underwood served as juvenile court judge with distinction for forty years, serving the needs of the children, young people, and the greater community of Johnson City. At the time of her retirement in September 2002, she had the longest tenure of any current Juvenile Court Judge in the state of Tennessee, as well as one of the longest in the United States.

Judge Underwood's long and distinguished record of professional and public service is impressive. She is a member of the Washington County, Tennessee, and American Bar Associations. She is a member and past president of both the Tennessee Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and the Southern Institute of Juvenile Court Judges. She also is a member of and served two terms on the Executive Committee of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.

In 1984 Judge Underwood received the President's Award for Outstanding Service to Juvenile Justice from the Tennessee Juvenile Court Association, whose membership is comprised of the probation officers and staff members of the court systems in Tennessee. She was named the Tennessee Outstanding Juvenile Court Judge in 1986, and in 1995 the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges bestowed upon her its highest honor, America's Outstanding Juvenile and Family Court Judge.

Judge Underwood was the first woman to be elected by UT alumni of the First Congressional District to serve as their representative on the UT Board of Governors (1970-1973). She was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus of the College of Law in 1984 and received its Alumni Leadership Award in 1989. The Judge Shirley Baumgardner Underwood Classroom at the College of Law was dedicated in October 2002 in recognition for her outstanding service to the College and the University.

Dean Thomas Galligan of the College of Law says of Judge Underwood, "She has dedicated her life to serving the children, young people and citizens in her own community, and she has helped many, many others across the State and beyond. And, as a ground-breaking woman lawyer and judge, Judge Underwood has paved the way for those who have followed. Judge Shirley Underwood is an extraordinary individual, who represents ALL that is great about the College of Law and the University of Tennessee. . . ."

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