Everyone starts somewhere in their career, but how many of his undergraduate Kappa Alpha brothers thought James Carlisle Overstreet ‘67 would become a judge?
“My favorite hangout when I was at the house was the TV room,” he says, but sometimes it wasn’t only the feelings of camaraderie that created warmth in the chapter house. “I remember burning furniture in the fireplace to keep a party going,” he laughed.
When James was at Georgia, KA was known as a “great fraternity” and the members were highly thought of on campus and they had an impact on him. “All were great leaders,” James explained. “I still have lifetime relationships” with the brothers, all these years later.
James created a noteworthy career and life, “I went to UGA in 1963 and graduated from Augusta College (now University) in 1967,” he said. “I went on to graduate from Mercer Law School in 1970 and practiced law in Augusta until 1991 when I became a Superior Court Judge. I became a Senior Superior Court Judge in 2017.”
“I have two boys Jim, a lawyer in Augusta, and Baker, an artist in New York City. Their mother, Shara, passed away in 2008. I married Janet Eastburn in 2014 and we live in Augusta, GA,” he said.
James’ favorite KA tradition that he hopes never goes away is “being a gentleman,” and that extended to his recollections about the past. When asked if there were any good road trip stories from his days in the chapter, he demurred. “Not that I can tell” was his response.