NCBF Endowment Justice Fund Honors Memory of Robert C. Cone
The Robert C. Cone Justice Fund has been established by the North Carolina Bar Foundation Endowment in memory of the beloved Greensboro attorney, who died on March 18, 2017, at the age of 65 following a courageous battle with a rare cancer.
The Justice Fund is made possible through the generosity of his wife, Sally B. Cone, and their children, Sam and Laurie. According to Sally, “Bob believed deeply in the NC Bar Foundation’s values of access to justice, service, education, and professionalism. Sam, Laurie, and I are certain Bob would be pleased that those values will be furthered in his name.”
Robert C. Cone (Bob) was a native of Greensboro. He lived his entire life there with the notable exceptions of a year spent on an Israeli kibbutz and the years he spent in Chapel Hill as a Morehead Scholar attending UNC (Class of 1974) and UNC School of Law (Class of 1978).
Bob and Sally were law school classmates. They married a few weeks after sitting for the Bar Exam, beginning their 38 years as husband and wife. They welcomed their son, Sam, in 1981 and daughter, Laurie, in 1982. Sally described Bob as an “always caring and committed” family man.
Robert C. (Bob) Cone
Bob began his legal career with a Greensboro firm that eventually became Boone Higgins Chastain & Cone. He joined Tuggle Duggins PA in 1986 and remained there for 31 years, actively practicing until just before his death. “He thoroughly enjoyed his work and counted his colleagues and clients as friends,” said Sally.
Bob focused his practice on business and commercial litigation, as well as some types of personal injury cases. He was a successful mediator as well. His approach was based on his belief that the job of a lawyer is more about finding a way to “resolve a problem” and less about “winning the case.”
Bob served the legal profession in numerous ways. He chaired the UNC Law Foundation Board, leading by example through his personal giving and participation in fundraising endeavors. He served as President of the Greensboro Bar Association (GBA) and the GBA Young Lawyers Division, as Chair of the GBA Fee Dispute Resolution Committee, and co-founder of the Herb Falk Society, which promotes pro bono service by GBA members. He served as President of the Guilford Inn of Court and as a preceptor at Elon Law School. Cone was elected as an 18th Judicial District Bar Counselor to the NC State Bar and served from 2010 until forced to step down by his illness in 2016. Bob rarely said “no” when volunteers from the legal community were needed, as evidenced by his work on several GBA-sponsored Habitat for Humanity houses.
In 2011, Bob received the NCBA Centennial Award, presented jointly by the North Carolina Bar Association and the Greensboro Bar Association. In 2016, he was honored with the State Bar’s John B. McMillan Distinguished Service Award.
Bob was active in his faith and civic communities.
Bob was a lifelong member of Temple Emanuel, where he chaired the Education Committee, taught Hebrew School, and led the successful effort to save the Temple’s historic Greene Street location. He supported the Greensboro Jewish Federation in innumerable ways and was honored posthumously as a recipient of the Federation’s Benjamin Cone, Sr. Leadership Award. He and Sally served as hosts for Jewish refugees resettled in Greensboro from Baku, Azerbaijan. Bob served as a Trustee of the Jewish Foundation of Greensboro.
Within the broader community, Bob served as a Trustee of The Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital (now Cone Health) for 20 years and chaired the Cone Health Foundation Board. He chaired the Greensboro Public Library Foundation Board and served as President of Rotary Club of Greensboro. He was an active Board member and supporter of Greensboro Urban Ministry. In 2016, Bob and Sally were honored as co-recipients of the North Carolina for Community and Justice Brotherhood/Sisterhood Citation Award for their “extraordinary efforts to combat bias, bigotry, and racism and create a more compassionate and respectful community for all of us.”
In closing, Sally noted, “Bob lived his life with energy and enthusiasm, accomplishing a great deal. Sam, Laurie, and I look forward to seeing what the Robert C. Cone Justice Fund will help accomplish in his memory.”
Background information for this article was derived in part from the NCBF Endowment Justice Fund biography for the Robert C. Cone Justice Fund,which is accessible here.
Russell Rawlings is director of external affairs and communications for the North Carolina Bar Association.