May 11th Commencement Will Feature Shelby County Mayor as Speaker
For release: May 6, 2003
For press information, contact Gabrielle Maxey

Shelby County Mayor A C Wharton will address 1,648 graduates at The University of Memphis' spring commencement on Sunday, May 11. Ceremonies begin at 3 p.m. at The Pyramid.

Wharton's roots run deep in public service. He graduated with honors from Tennessee State University and from the University of Mississippi School of Law. After receiving his law degree in 1971, Wharton accepted a position with the Office of General Counsel of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Washington, D.C. In 1973, he moved to Memphis to become director of Legal Services, and the next year he became the University of Mississippi's first African-American professor of law, a part-time position he held until 1999.

In 1980, then-Shelby County Mayor Bill Morris tapped Wharton to become the county's Public Defender, a part-time position he managed along with a private law practice. As Public Defender, he worked to create a model program for the mentally ill and to find solutions to jail overcrowding. In 1982, he wrote one of the first state laws to combat domestic violence.

Wharton's experience in education included a term as vice chairman of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission and as member of The U of M's Board of Visitors. He also has served as chairman of the board of Methodist Healthcare.
Last August, Wharton became the first African-American to be elected mayor of Shelby County

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