G. Dudley Humphrey, Jr.

G. Dudley Humphrey, Jr. came to eternal rest on November 11, 2023, at Salemtowne Retirement Community in Winston-Salem following a brief illness.  He was born December 22, 1933, in Wilmington, NC, to G. Dudley Humphrey, Sr. and Madeleine Kellum Humphrey.  Spending his childhood in Wilmington, Carolina Beach, and Wrightsville Beach, Dudley graduated from New Hanover High School in 1951 where he earned a football scholarship to Duke University.  Following an injury, Dudley accepted a NROTC scholarship and graduated with a BA in political science. 

Upon graduation in 1955, Dudley was commissioned an Ensign in the United States Navy where he served as a destroyer officer aboard the USS Corry.  While at the Officer’s Club in Portsmouth, VA, Dudley bought a drink for a Red Cross worker who caught his eye, Ann Lerian, a former Duke grad who he did not know while in Durham.  The two married in 1956 and stayed that way until Ann’s death in 2017. 

Following Dudley’s discharge from the USN, in 1958 he enrolled in the UNC School of Law where he was a member of the UNC Law Review and the Order of the Coif. He graduated law school with honors in 1961.  While in law school and shortly afterwards, Dudley worked with the Institute of Government and Legislative Reporting Service.  In 1961, Ann and Dudley moved to Winston-Salem after Dudley accepted an associate’s position with Hudson Ferrell Petree Stockton & Stockton where he became the firm’s ninth lawyer.  Dudley became a partner in the firm in 1967, which over time grew into Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, a worldwide law firm with over 600 lawyers. 

Dudley’s commitment to his law firm and clients was unwavering, along with his devotion and contribution to the practice of law.  His mentorship to attorneys and staff was monumental. Dudley’s practice areas included banking and commercial law, bankruptcy, commercial litigation, construction law, commercial matters, acquisitions, financing, and aviation law.  Dudley’s participation in the legal community included time as an adjunct professor at Wake Forest University School of Law, a member and chair of the NC General Statutes Commission Drafting Committee on Lien Laws, a State Bar Counselor representing the 21^st Judicial District, the President of the Forsyth County Bar Association and 21^st Judicial District, a member and chair of the NC State Bar’s Disciplinary Hearing Commission, and the President of the NC State Bar, the regulatory agency chartered by the Legislature which governs the practice of law in our State.

Dudley was a member of the American Bar Association (ABA) and NC Bar Association (NCBA) where he was involved in their respective commercial banking, business, litigation, and construction law sections.  Dudley was also a member of the NC Judicial Standards Commission, President of the UNC Law Alumni Association, a member of the ABA Task Force on the Model Definition of the Practice of Law, a member of ABA Forum Committee of Aviation and Space Law, and chair of the Ad Hoc Committee of the State Bar Council on Residential Real Estate Closings.  Dudley’s professional acknowledgements include the NCBA’s Evelyn M. Coman Award for Distinguished Service in the field of construction law and The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, an award presented by Governor McCrory for Dudley’s exemplary service to the State of North Carolina. 

In active practice for over fifty years, Dudley served the local community, too.  He was president of the YMCA of Winton-Salem and a member of the Building Committee that constructed what is now known as the William G. White Family YMCA. Dudley was a vestryman and counsellor for St Paul’s Episcopal Church.  He was a member of several organizations including the Downtown Rotary Club, the Torch Club, and the Forsyth Assembly.  A passioned aviator, Dudley, an instrument and multiengine rated pilot, was a member of the American Bonaza Society and a contributor to its publication.  Dudley served on the Airport Commission of Forsyth County and was appointed by Governor Easley to the NC Department of Transportation Aeronautics Counsel where he served as its chair. 

Away from the office, Dudley enjoyed flying and aerobatics, exercising at the YMCA, duck and quail hunting, scuba diving, and international travel with his family.  Dudley is survived by his sister, Christian Swiers of Wilmington; his brother, Woodus Kellum Humphrey (Joyce) of Nashville, TN; his son, George D. Humphrey, III (Caro) of Winston-Salem; his grandson, George D. Humphrey, IV of Winston-Salem; and his daughter, Elizabeth Koehncke (Ted) of Wilmington.

The family would like to thank everyone who made Dudley’s lifetime what it was, and especially his late wife, Ann, whose unconditional love and support was critical to his many successes.  A celebration of Dudley’s life will be held at St Paul’s Episcopal Church, 520 Summit Street, Winston-Salem, on Monday, November 20, 2023, beginning at 2:00 p.m. Memorials may be made to the William G. White Family YMCA, St Paul’s Episcopal Church, or a charity of the donor’s choice.