GREENSBORO — Richard J. Tuggle died on January 23, 2012 in Greensboro, North Carolina after a short but courageous fight with pancreatic cancer.
Dick was born on July 24, 1930 in Kannapolis, North Carolina. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earning a degree in Business Administration in 1952. While an undergraduate student, Dick was a member of both Beta Gamma Sigma and Phi Beta Kappa.
Upon graduating from Chapel Hill, Dick joined the United States Army, serving his country for two years before being honorably discharged in 1954. Following his service, Dick worked with A.M. Pullen & Company for several years during which time he became a Certified Public Accountant, a certification he maintained for over 56 years. In 1956, Dick returned to Chapel Hill to attend law school, graduating in 1959 from the University of North Carolina School of Law with honors. While in law school, Dick was inducted into the Order of the Coif and served as a member of the Law Review. Upon graduation, Dick became one of the first professionals in North Carolina to be both an attorney and a Certified Public Accountant, a distinction he considered a privilege and an honor and which served his clients well over his many years of practice.
In 1959, Dick joined Smith Moore Smith Schell & Hunter, and began the professional work which would be his avocation and passion for the next fifty-two years. In 1974 Dick Tuggle and Jim Duggins founded Tuggle Duggins, a law firm to which he committed his significant professional and business skills for the next 38 years. Dick, along with his friend and law partner, Jim Duggins, worked with passion, skill and professionalism to provide exceptional service and advice to every client of the Firm. Dick's genuine interest in his client's success resulted in a loyal and committed clientele. Dick's work was dedicated to the understanding that the client was not dependent on him but he was dependent on the client. Dick and his clients were supported by his devoted assistant of 30 years, Patricia Cox. His law practice included a broad range of areas, including estate planning, corporate and business law. By all measures, Dick was a "lawyers' lawyer" and a man who exemplified what it means to be a professional. Even during his battle with the pancreatic cancer, his clients and their many legal needs were of paramount concern to him, as he always placed the interests of his clients and his family ahead of his own.
