Elon Law leaders dedicated the Jetton & Meredith, PLLC Student Lounge during a visit to campus by two accomplished alumni whose leadership gift helped establish an endowed scholarship in memory of a beloved former dean.
Students, faculty, and staff celebrated the philanthropy of two successful Elon Law graduates who returned this fall to Greensboro to dedicate a student study space named in their honor.
Mark S. Jetton Jr. ’06 L’09 and Eric S. Meredith L’09 were all smiles on October 19, 2023, as they joined Elon Law Dean Zak Kramer in a formal ribbon cutting for what will now be known as the Jetton & Meredith, PLLC Student Lounge.
The pair was accompanied by family and colleagues from a Charlotte law firm they established in 2009. Since then, Jetton & Meredith, PLLC has grown from “two laptops and a vision” to what is today a thriving practice with eight attorneys plus legal support staff.
That success made possible a leadership gift to honor the memory of Dean Emeritus George R. Johnson, Jr., a founding member of Elon Law faculty with an exceptional reputation as a teacher, mentor, scholar, and leader in the legal community.
When Johnson died in 2020 following a lengthy illness, Jetton and Meredith, along with Elon Law Advisory Board Member Ronny Lancaster and his daughter, Raleigh Lancaster ’08 L’13, helped establish the George R. Johnson, Jr. Memorial Scholarship.
Jetton and Meredith’s philanthropy was recognized with the naming of the study room adjacent to the law school’s coffee shop in the upstairs commons.
“Thank you for the opportunity to give back to honor Dean Johnson,” Meredith told a crowd that gathered for the dedication during a special Coffee & Conversation program. “We felt this was the least we could do to give back to an institution that gave us so much and put us in a position to succeed.”
The scholarship for which Jetton and Meredith have been called “a driving force” will be awarded to students who have a commitment to promoting the ideals of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Elon Law and/or within the legal profession.
“We wanted to give back to this law school to show this is a reality, this can happen,” said Jetton, who drew a direct connection between the support he and Meredith received years ago from faculty mentors, and their desire to help support today’s students. “It’s such an honor for us to do this and be a part of this.”