Buffalo Attorney Thomas Beecher Receives State Bar's Root/Stimson Award

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Beecher and Lau-Kee (Photo Credit: Marty Kerins)

ALBANY, NY (06/25/2014)(readMedia)-- Thomas R. Beecher, Jr. of Buffalo was honored with the New York State Bar Association's Root/Stimson Award, presented by State Bar President Glenn Lau-Kee on June 21 in Cooperstown.

The award, given by the Committee on Annual Award, honors an attorney for exemplary community service.

"Thomas Beecher's effective leadership and devotion to his community has made a tangible difference in Buffalo. He has tremendous vision and a generous spirit," said Lau-Kee of New York City (Kee and Lau-Kee). "He is a fine choice for this award."

Beecher is counsel at Philips Lytle. He also is chairman of Barrantys, a financial consulting firm. He is the chair emeritus of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. He was instrumental in its formation and revitalizing downtown Buffalo.

"Thomas Beecher is skilled at bringing people together for the common good. He always thinks of the community first and knows how to make things happen," said Paul Michael Hassett of Buffalo (Brown & Kelly), past president of the New York State Bar Association and chair of the Committee on Annual Award's Root/Stimson subcommittee. "It is a great privilege to honor one of Buffalo's finest with this award."

He also co-founded the Bison Children's Scholarship Fund in 1995. The program provides scholarships for low-income students to attend private elementary schools. It assists 2,000 students annually and has helped more than 23,000 students in Buffalo.

Beecher is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross and the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School.

The award is named for distinguished lawyers Elihu Root and Henry Stimson to honor their commitment to public service. Root served in President Theodore Roosevelt's administration as secretary of state, received the Nobel Peace Prize and was a president of the New York State Bar Association. Stimson served in President Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration as secretary of war during World War II.

The 75,000-member New York State Bar Association is the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. It was founded in 1876.

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