Mary Catherine Cunningham Receives Amy Spain Scholarship
For release: November 5, 2004
For press information, contact Gabrielle Maxey

Mary Catherine "Katy" Cunningham, a first-year student at the University of Memphis' Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, has received the Amy Elizabeth Spain Scholarship for 2004-2005.

Cunningham is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, where she majored in English. Before enrolling in law school, she was employed at the Glanker Brown law firm. At UT, Cunningham served as a legislative intern and was voted "Best All Around Intern" in 2003. She was active in student government and several volunteer organizations, including Legal Aid of East Tennessee.

Her parents are Michael and Paula Cunningham of McMinnville, Tenn.

The scholarship was established in memory of U of M law graduate Amy Spain, who died in an automobile accident in 1995. It is awarded on the basis of academic merit, a commitment to community or professional service, and personal industriousness.

Spain earned a law degree from the U of M in 1989, then served as a law clerk for U.S. District Court Judge James D. Todd. In 1990 she became an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee. Spain organized mock trial competitions for Memphis high school students and served as adjunct professor of legal methods and writing at the U of M.

The Memphis Bar Association posthumously named Spain the recipient of the Sam. A. Myar, Jr., Memorial Award, which recognizes young lawyers under 40 years of age who have demonstrated outstanding service and the potential for continued service to their profession and their community. She was also recognized posthumously by former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno for superior performance.

Spain was also active in the community, serving on the board of directors of the Fogelman Downtown YMCA and as a volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House.

For more information about the scholarship, call Monique N. Beals at 901-543-5900.

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