McChesney Hill Jeffries '47
(Year Awarded--1997)

Among the many Davidson alumni who have made distinguished careers in the law, Mac Jeffries stands out as one particularly deserving of the accolade "wise counselor." Mac's record of success and leadership at Davidson -- cum laude graduate, Phi Beta Kappa, Omicron Delta Kappa, Scabbard and Blade, President of the Panhellenic Council -- continued into his World War II service as an infantry lieutenant in the European Theater, and his career at Harvard Law School, from which he also graduated cum laude.

After Harvard Law, Mac moved to Atlanta, where he began a legal career which has been an inspiration and mentor to two generations of Georgia lawyers. As a partner with the firms of Moise Pose and Gardner, Hansell and Post, and Jones Day Reavis and Pogue, Mac was a pillar of the Atlanta and Georgia legal community. He served his clients with distinction, and through his membership in the American Law Institute, his chairmanship of the Corporate and Banking Section of the Georgia Bar, and his service as an advisor to the drafters of the Georgia Financial Institutions and Business Corporation Codes, he contributed his intellectual acumen and practical insights to the body of law which underlies Atlanta's position as a world business and financial center. Mac also undertook to improve the legal education and integrity of every lawyer in Georgia during his six years as Chairman of the Georgia Commission on Continuing Lawyer Competency, a public trust which has well served both the legal profession and the citizenry of Georgia.

Mac's service to Davidson has paralleled his service to his profession. He was a faithful contributor and solicitor for the Annual Fund, a member of the Board of Directors of the Alumni Association, President of the Atlanta Alumni Chapter, a member of the 1987 Campaign committee which raised the funds to inaugurate the Dean Rusk Program, and a member of the Honorary Steering Committee for the Georgia Campaign for Davidson.

Because you have given Davidson the benefit of your time, your thoughtful advice, your generous spirit, and your high ideals, the Davidson College Alumni Association proudly recognizes you, McChesney Hill Jeffries, with the Alumni Service Award on the occasion of your Fiftieth Reunion, April 19, 1997.