James Carlton Fleming died peacefully in the company of family and friends at his home in Charlotte on August 27, 2014. Carlton was born in Kinston, NC, son of the late Janatus Clarence Fleming and Fleda Lyon Fleming.
An honors graduate of Martinsville High School in Martinsville, VA, he continued his education at Duke University, where he was recognized for having the highest score in mathematics his freshman year. At Duke, he was a member of Phi Eta Sigma, Beta Omega Sigma, Omicron Delta Kappa and the Kappa Alpha Order. He graduated from Duke University School of Law in 1951 where he served as student body president, was inducted into the Order of the Coif and was a founding editor of the Duke Bar Journal, a publication that endures to this day and is now known as the Duke Law Journal. Upon graduation, he joined the United States Navy where he served as a Lieutenant. While stationed in Washington, DC with the Office of Naval Intelligence, he attended the George Washington University School of Law, receiving his LL.M. in 1953. Later that year, he came to Charlotte and joined Lassiter, Moore & Van Allen. In 1960, Carlton entered into partnership with Russell M. Robinson II to form the firm Fleming & Robinson and was joined one year later by Robert Wallace Bradshaw, Jr. He practiced with Fleming, Robinson Bradshaw & Hinson until 1984 when he opened the Charlotte office of Womble, Carlyle, Sandridge & Rice. He was a founding member of the Duke Law School Board of Visitors, the Southern Federal Tax Institute and a member of the Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference. During his active years of practice, Carlton was listed in every edition of “Best Lawyers in America” since its inception.
He was a trusted and selfless advisor and mentor to generations of attorneys, and friends and clients who valued his intellect and integrity. In addition to the practice of law, Carlton valued civic engagement, serving as President of Discovery Place, the Greater Charlotte YMCA, the Central Charlotte Association, Charlotte Kiwanis and Duke Law Alumni. He served as Chairman of the Salvation Army Advisory Board; Vice President and Director of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce; Chairman of the United Methodist Church Superannuate Endowment Fund and Vice President and Director of the Charlotte City Club. He served on the boards of directors of Brevard College, Greensboro College, Parkdale Mills, J.A. Jones Construction Company, Pneumafil Corporation, Ivey Properties, Burris Chemical and the Methodist Home, as well as Board of Governors of the North Carolina Bar Association. He was a member of Charlotte Country Club, Grandfather Golf and Country Club, Charlotte City Club, the Piedmont Club, the Good Fellows Club, the BTL, the Thursday Club, the Ace of Clubs, and Myers Park United Methodist Church, where he often taught Sunday School.
An avid skier known affectionately by his ski buddies as “Red Hot”, Carlton loved taking his children and grandchildren skiing, especially to his favorite resort, Zermatt, Switzerland. He and his wife Bonnie traveled the world, reaching six continents. He loved the outdoors, tennis, golf, hiking and treasured annual fishing trips with his son, Carlton, Jr. Duke Basketball was especially important in his life, but his greatest love was his family.
He is survived by his devoted wife of 35 years, Bonnie Sands Fleming; four children, Lynn Fleming Carlson and her husband M. Douglas Carlson of Seneca, SC, Ann Fleming Temple and her husband Thomas L. Temple of Charlotte, Chrissie Fleming Hughes and her husband Jeffrey Scott Hughes of Charlotte, James Carlton Fleming, Jr. and his wife Kendall Robertson Fleming of San Francisco, CA; and five grandchildren, Stephen Temple, Jonathan Temple, Michael Temple, Hart Hughes and Caroline Hughes.
A service of remembrance will be held at Myers Park United Methodist Church at 2 pm on Wednesday, September 3, 2014 followed by a reception in Jubilee Hall.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Duke School of Law, 210 Science Drive, Durham, NC 27708 or Myers Park United Methodist Church, 1501 Queens Road, Charlotte, NC 28207.
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