LITTLE ROCK — Former Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Tom Glaze died Friday morning at his home in North Little Rock, court officials said Friday.
Glaze, who retired in 2008 after more than 20 years on the court, suffered from Parkinson’s disease. He was 74.
Glaze was elected to the state Supreme Court in 1986. During his tenure the court handled many high-profile cases, including the historic school funding case that eventually changed the formula to ensure that all Arkansas students had access to a substantially equal education.
Before election to the state’s highest court, Glaze was elected in 1980 to the state Court of Appeals. He was a chancery judge for the Sixth Judicial District for two years before joining the Court of Appeals.
A native of Joplin, Mo., Glaze came to Arkansas to play baseball at the University of Arkansas, where he obtained his law degree in 1964. Other positions he held over the years include assistant attorney general and legal aide to former Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller.
Glaze’s memoir, “Waiting for the Cemetery Vote,” was published last year by the University of Arkansas Press. It centered on Glaze’s battle against election fraud before entering public office.
Donna Gay, staff attorney with the Administrative Office of the Courts, said the office sent notice of Glaze’s death Friday to judges across the state.
“He was my mentor and my friend, and I know he was that to so many people,” said Gay, who had Glaze as a teacher in law school and went to work as a law clerk for him after graduating in the early 1980s. “Wonderful man. I’ll miss him. We’ll all miss him.”
The family is planning visitation from 5-7 p.m. Monday at Roller-Chenal Funeral Home in west Little Rock, a funeral home employee said. The funeral is scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday at St. James United Methodist Church in west Little Rock, with burial at Mount Holly Cemetery.