{"id":22434,"date":"2015-02-24T11:33:24","date_gmt":"2015-02-24T16:33:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=22434"},"modified":"2015-10-20T12:11:12","modified_gmt":"2015-10-20T17:11:12","slug":"oxford-mississippi-attorney-blogger-music-fan-and-critic-tom-freeland-has-passed-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/oxford-mississippi-attorney-blogger-music-fan-and-critic-tom-freeland-has-passed-away\/","title":{"rendered":"Oxford, Mississippi Attorney, Blogger, Music Fan, and Critic… Tom Freeland Has Passed Away"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thomas Henry Freeland, IV<\/strong>, 59, died Saturday, February 21, 2015 at Oshner Medical Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. <\/span><\/p>\n

A funeral service will be held Friday, February 27, 2015 at 11:00 am at St. Peter\u2019s Episcopal Church<\/strong> in Oxford with Rev. Wil Howie<\/strong> officiating. Burial will follow in Oxford Memorial Cemetery<\/strong>. Visitation will be held from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm on Thursday, February 26, 2015 at Waller Funeral Home<\/strong> in Oxford, Mississippi.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tom practiced law in Oxford for 33 years, first with his father Hal Freeland<\/strong> and in the last eleven years with Hal and his wife, Joyce Freeland<\/strong>. He practiced at the historic Freeland & Freeland<\/strong> law office off the Square in Oxford, where Hal went into practice with Phil Stone<\/strong>, William Faulkner<\/strong>\u2019s literary mentor, in the 1950\u2019s.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tom was passionate about defending his clients and causes, cooking (the more complicated the project the better), whole hog barbecue, blues music, Mississippi history, and politics.<\/span><\/p>\n

He was an exceptional lawyer. With his father Hal, he took the Papasan v. Allain<\/strong> case to the U.S. Supreme Court<\/strong> and prevailed. The Fifth Circuit<\/strong> quoted his statement of the case in a 1984 death penalty appeal for Larry Jones<\/strong> as a textbook example of skillful lawyering: \u201cThe patent frivolousness of [the State\u2019s] argument is nicely focused by [Mr. Freeland\u2019s] statement of the issue: \u201cShould Enmund be applied retroactively, or should the state be permitted one last cruel and unusual punishment before Enmund takes effect?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He has been a long-term supporter and member of the Board of the Mississippi Innocence Project<\/strong>. He and his father enjoyed working with law students and young lawyers and were trusted for advice on difficult legal issues by many throughout the state.<\/span><\/p>\n

He was asked to speak on the music of Mississippi bluesman, Robert Johnson<\/strong>, at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame<\/strong>, debunking claims that a recently surfaced film was Robert Johnson rather than a film of an unknown blues musician after Johnson\u2019s death. <\/span><\/p>\n

He has written for publications including Living Blues<\/em>, The Oxford American<\/em>, Blues & Rhythm<\/em>, and The Mississippi Lawyer<\/em> on blues and other traditional music, Faulkner’s lawyers, local history, and barbecue.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many people in Mississippi and beyond know Tom Freeland as NMissCommentor<\/strong><\/a> based on his blog that focused on legal issues, politics, blues, and Mississippi culture.<\/span><\/p>\n

He was known for his five-minute tours of the Freeland & Freeland law office, a building that has served as a law office since the 1880\u2019s and has extensive Faulkner connections. The building appears in Faulkner\u2019s The Sound and the Fury<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

He will be missed by many.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Freeland is survived by his wife, Joyce Freeland<\/strong> of Oxford, MS; his daughter, Sarah Freeland Simonson<\/strong> and her husband, Brian Simonson<\/strong> of New Orleans, LA; his son, Thomas Henry Freeland, V<\/strong> of New Orleans, LA; his mother, Judith Hale Freeland<\/strong> of Oxford, MS; his brother John Hale Freeland<\/strong> of Oxford, MS; and sister Lee Freeland Hancock<\/strong> of Tyler, TX. <\/span><\/p>\n

He is predeceased by a brother, Robert Freeland<\/strong> and his father Thomas Henry Freeland, III<\/strong>, both of Oxford, Mississippi.<\/span><\/p>\n

Memorial contributions in Mr. Freeland\u2019s memory may be made to The Mississippi Innocence Project, P.O. Box 1848, University, MS, 38677.\u00a0\"The<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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Here is a short film made by Tom Freeland’s daughter Sarah Simonson on Phil Stone, William Faulkner, and the Freeland connection.<\/span><\/p>\n