Honorable George Logan III
PHOENIX – Honorable George Logan III, 76, of
Phoenix, Arizona, departed this life on December
10, 2019. A celebration of his life will be held on
December 23, 2019, at 10:00 am, at First Institutional Baptist Church, 1141 E. Jefferson, Phoenix,
Arizona. Visitation 9:00 am until time of service.
George was the sole child of the late George II and
Gladys (Banks) Logan, born at home on December
23, 1942, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Raised in a Christian family, George was baptized at an early age at
The Shiloh Baptist Church in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
George attended the Elizabeth Public School System and graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in 1960. He continued his education at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, majoring in Sociology. He was president of the campus NAACP, during which time he attended the March on Washington. In 1964, during the Freedom Summer, George registered African American voters in Mississippi, while working under Fannie Lou Hamer.
George attended Rutgers Law School, Newark, New Jersey, where the now Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg was one of his professors. In 1967, as a new attorney, he was part of the first staff of the Center for Constitutional Rights, in New York City. He worked on several federal civil rights cases, including a major civil rights suit to redress the massacre of Black college students at Orangeburg, South Carolina, and voting rights cases in Mississippi.
In 1967, George married Sheila Jacqueline Miller, of Vauxhall, New Jersey, and from their union, four beautiful children were born, the late Valorie, Natalie, Camille, and Spencer.
In 1967, George ran for Mayor of his hometown of Elizabeth, New Jersey, against the incumbent Mayor Thomas D. Dunn, Sr., winning the three largest black districts, losing the overall election by less than 2,000 votes.
George served in the United States Air Force and was subsequently stationed in Arizona, at Luke Air Force Base, as a Judge Advocate General Corps (JAG) Captain. Two years later, he was sworn in as a military Judge, being among the first to serve in that position. After receiving an honorable discharge, George practiced in civil and criminal law for eight years. He then served in the Arizona Department of Economic Security in the positions of Chief Administrative Law Judge, and Assistant Director for the Department of Review, for eleven years.
George served as a project manager for the Arizona Supreme Court for seven years prior to being appointed a City of Phoenix Municipal Court Judge in 1999. He was then appointed the Presiding Judge of the City of Surprise Municipal Court from 2006 until his retirement in 2013.
George authored scholarly works, including co-authoring a nationally acclaimed Jury Reform report, Public Access to Court Records report, Commission on Minorities report, and several other articles. He served as faculty at the National Judicial College, and Phoenix College, and was a presenter at many law conferences.
George’s civic contributions included service as President of the Hazel B. Daniels Bar Association (formerly the Arizona Black Lawyers Association), and President of the Community Legal Services Board of Directors. George was a founding supporter of Black Family and Child Services, and volunteered countless hours as a board member for several local organizations, including the Phoenix Revitalization Corporation, Valley of the Sun United Way, Phoenix Urban League, and Casa Linda Lodge. George was honored by a number of Phoenix organizations with recognition awards.
As a young man, George worked hard every winter break, hauling mail through snow and sleet, and every summer at a Ford assembly plant line. He also drove a delivery truck for P. Ballentine and Sons Brewing Company.
George’s high school and college sport was track and field, and his favorite event was the high hurdles. At Luke Air Force Base, George coached the basketball team, and played basketball at lunchtime every day. George then became an avid tennis player, gracing the courts at Encanto Park for decades, every Saturday and Sunday morning, whether it was 105 degrees or Christmas Day. He loved the game, and although he lost many doubles matches, it was always “his tennis partner’s fault.” Listening to live Jazz music was George’s other favorite pastime.
George was also a political news enthusiast and an avid student of politics. All day, every day, his house was filled with progressive television and radio news station broadcasts. He subscribed to dozens of political action email bulletins and donated to many causes.
George is loved and survived by his wife Jackie, their three loving and devoted children, and their spouses, Natalie Okeke (Charles Okeke), Camille Weekes, Esq. (Dr. Arnold Weekes), and George Spencer Miller Logan (Tina Vaughan Logan), his loving grandchildren Cecilia, Jacqueline, and Dominic Okeke, Julianna and Donovan Weekes, and Julian and Cameron George Logan, along with a host of other loving relatives and dear friends.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Black Family & Child Services of Arizona, 1522 E. Southern Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85040.