STEVE A. ALFORD, JR.
AAFA #0190
1920 TX – 1990 LA
MORNING ADVOCATE
Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, LA—Friday, 19 October 1990
Judge Steve A. Alford Jr., who served on state district and appellate courts in Baton Rouge for 19 years, died Thursday of complications from major surgery. He was 70.
Alford, who announced in July that he was retiring from his seat on the 1st Circuit Court of Appeal at the end of the year, underwent major surgery three weeks ago to repair an aneurysm, said his widow, Kate Peatross Alford.
He suffered a series of setbacks from which he never recovered, his widow said late Thursday. He died at 7:40 p.m. at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center.
Alford’s death was mourned by his fellow judges on the appellate court, where Alford had served since Jan. 1, 1983.
“I served with Judge Alford for almost 19 years, said appellate court Judge Melvin Shortess. “He loved the law and the lawyers. The people who came to his court always got his full attention and fair and impartial consideration. He will be deeply missed by me and I’m sure the entire community.
When he announced his retirement from the bench three months ago, Alford said health considerations prompted him to step down.
“I’m not that terribly young,” he said. “I feel good about the decision.” He said then that he and his wife planned to travel as much as possible.
Alford took office as a district court judge in 1971. He ascended to the appellate court position following the retirement of former Judge Elmo Lear. Alford maintained a private practice before he was elected to the bench.
Alford was born in Orange, Texas, and reared in Lake Charles. He graduated from the University of Southwestern Louisiana in 1942 and the LSU Law School in 1948.
He was veteran of World War II and flew B-17 Flying Fortresses for the U. S. Army Air Force. He was discharged with the rank of captain.
Alford practiced law in state and federal courts from 1949 until he was elected to the district court bench in 1971. He served as chief judge of the district court from 1979 to 1982.
Alford was a graduate of the Institute of Court Management and the National College of State Judges.
Alford was a member of the Downtown Kiwanis Club. He served as the club’s president and held various district offices. He was also on the Kiwanis International Board of Trustees for four years and served as international vice president for one year.
He was a past master of the Capitol Lodge of the Order of Free and Accepted Masons and was a 33rd degree Mason as well as a Shriner. He held the Demolay Legion of Honor Award and was a member of the Grace Baptist Church, where he was a church deacon.
He is survived by his wife and three children: Steve Alford III, Timothy L. Alford and Paralee Francis Alford. He had four grandchildren.
Alford’s death leaves a vacancy in his office for the remainder of the year. State District Judge Doug Gonzales ran unopposed to serve out the remainder of Alford’s term, which expires Dec. 31, 1992.
Funeral arrangements were incomplete late Thursday.
When Alford announced his retirement in July, Grover L. Covington of Hammond, the 1st Circuit’s chief judge, characterized Alford as a hard worker and said he would be missed.
“I’ve known the man for 40 years,” Covington said. “He’s had a distinguished judicial career, both as a trial court judge and appellate court judge.”
Decisions written by Alford have been cited as precedent in many cases returned by other appellate courts, he said. Alford volunteered to tackle difficult cases “that perhaps others would not have,” Covington said.
In another article:
MORNING ADVOCATE
Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, LA—Thursday, 12 July 1990
Judge Steve A. Alford, Jr. said Wednesday he will end his nearly 20-year career in East Baton Rouge Parish’s judicial system when he retires from the 1st Circuit Court of Appeal at the end of the year.
News of Alford’s retirement set off a flurry of activity in the judiciary as some of the parish’s 13 district judges began jockeying for position to fill Alford’s vacant seat. A special election will be requited to fill the two years that will remain in Alford’s six-year term when he steps down.
Judge Doug Gonzales, the parish’s chief district judge, said he is running for the appellate court position. Judges Joe Keogh and Freddie Pitcher Jr. said they are interested in the judgeship, but won’t decide to run until a judicial districting plan that’s pending in the federal courts is resolved.
The judges said Alford’s retirement is the beginning of what promises to be a major reshuffling of the parish’s judiciary.
Alford, sworn in as an appellate court judge on Jan. 1, 1983, said health considerations prompted him to step down from the bench.
“I’m not that terribly young,” said Alford, who will turn 70 on Aug. 12. “My wife and I both have had some health problems.”
In a letter received by the Secretary of State’s Office on Wednesday, Alford announced he is retiring from the 2nd District, Division B judgeship effective Dec. 31. His term expires on Dec. 31, 1992.
“I feel good about the decision,” Alford said. He said he and his wife plan to travel as much as possible.
“I’ve got to find me a good hobby,” the judge said.
Alford took office as a district court judge in 1971. He ascended to the appellate court position following the retirement of former Judge Elmo Lear. Alford maintained a private law practice before he was elected to the bench.
In addition to his legal career, Alford has been active in Kiwanis and Masonic organizations in the Baton Rouge area.
The 1st Circuit’s chief judge, Grover L. Covington of Hammond, characterized Alford as a hard worker and said he will be missed.
“I’ve known the man for 40 years,” Covington said. “He’s had a distinguished judicial career, both as a trial court judge and appellate court judge.”
Decisions written by Alford have been cited as precedent in many cases returned by other appellate courts, he said. Alford has volunteered to tackle difficult cases “that perhaps others would not have,” Covington said.
Although Alford’s retirement is effective at the end of the year, he will remain active into 1991 as the appellate court works through its current term of decisions, Covington said....
Alford said he announced his retirement early to give state officials time to schedule a special election to coincide with the scheduled Oct. 6 primary election for all of the parish’s district judgeships.
Qualifying for the judicial elections was scheduled later this month. However, qualifying has been stayed while a federal appeals court studies the proposed judicial election scheme.
AAFA NOTES: SSDI records show that Steve A. Alford (SS# issued in LA) was born 12 Aug 1920, last residence not listed.
We included the obituaries of his wife, Kate Peatross Alford; son Steve Augustus Alford III; and father, Steve A. Alford Sr., in Louisiana Obituaries. We included the obituaries of his sisters Brownie Jean Alford McElmoyl (AAFA #0252) in Arizona Obituaries; Joyce Alford Vorman (AAFA #0251) in Massachusetts Obituaries; and Jane Alford Sims in Virginia Obituaries.
There are some questions about the middle names of the three Steve Alfords:
Steve Alford Sr. Family members reported Steve Arthur Alford
Obituary and gravestone say Steve A. Alford
Steve Alford Jr. Texas Birth Index, 1903–1997 [Ancestry.com] lists Steve Alford Jr. on 12 Aug 1920 in Orange Co.—no middle name or initial
Obituary says Steve A. Alford Jr.
Steve Alford III Obituary says Steve Augustus Alford III
Excerpts from the “In Remembrance” article published in AAFA ACTION, December 1990:
Judge Alford was active in his community, church and family affairs and will be sorely missed in each. His death is also a great loss to the Association. While at the AAFA meeting in Houston in 1990, Steve said that as soon as he retired in 1991 it was his plan to become very active in the Association and do all he could to get the Alfords of Louisiana informed and enlisted.
Steve, the son of Steve A. Sr. and Joyce Powell Alford, was born 12 August 1920 in Orange, Texas.
Steve Alford, Jr. married Kate Peatross of Morgan City, LA, and they had three children: Steve III, Timothy L., and Paralee Francis. He was a grandfather of four. He was survived by three sisters, Jane Sims, Lynchburg, VA; Joyce Vorman [AAFA #0251], Great Barrington, MA; and Brownie Jean McElmoyl [AAFA #0252], Chandler, AZ; and all were present at the AAFA meeting in Raleigh the weekend before Steve’s death. Many of Steve’s very close cousins are also members of AAFA.
In the memorial service conducted by Dr. Kelly Fitzgerald and Rev. John Harris, they said: “In Steve’s life we see a remarkable blend of toughness and tenderness. Some of his pronouncements were as final as a unanimous decision of the Supreme Court of our land. You just didn’t question him about those. But a minute later, or an hour later, he would be marshmallow soft. I suspect his toughness was tied to his high standards. He had strong convictions about what was right and what was wrong, and he was determined to stand for the right. Those who had spent much time with him knew his tender side surfaced when he was around people who were hurting and needed a boost.”
For more information on this family, see AAFA’s published genealogies, Descendants of Jacob Alford, b. 1761 NC , John Seaborn Alford 1807 LA, and John Alford (1645–1710 VA) Tentative Genealogy, First Three Generations .
His lineage: Steve A. 1920 TX1, Steve A. 1892 LA2, Arthur Colley 1869 LA3, Marshall Thomas 1839 LA4, John Seaborn 1807 LA5, Jacob 1761 NC6, Julius 1717 VA7, James 1687 VA8, John 1645 VA9.