Peacefully, Tripp won his battle with cancer and is now in the glorious place we all long to be - heaven. The following was written by a dear friend and co-worker and encompasses all that my precious husband was. I was blessed with the best for nearly 13 years and married for 11 and a half. I thank God everyday for the time we had together and find peace in the fact that one day we will be together again.
A native of Wetumpka, Alabama, Thomas R. “Tripp” Head, III, joined Balch & Bingham in 2000. Tripp became a partner in 2006, respected and relied upon both inside and outside the firm for his professional expertise, even temperament, and sound counsel. Indeed, it was no accident that Tripp was not only the past chair of the Alabama State Bar’s Environmental Law Section but also served on the editorial board of The Alabama Enlaw.
Tripp held numerous academic degrees – a pedigree that subjected him to much good-natured ribbing (tinged with no small amount of envy) from his friends and colleagues in the firm’s Environmental & Natural Resources section. After attending the University of the South at Sewanee for his freshman year, he transferred to Birmingham-Southern College, from which he graduated in 1992. Tripp later earned a Masters degree (in Biology) from the University of South Alabama in 1995 before attending the Cumberland School of Law. In 1998, Tripp graduated cum laude from Cumberland and also earned a Masters in Environmental Management from Samford University that same year. Tripp then earned an LL.M from George Washington University in 1999.
Befitting a man of such education and learning, Tripp’s interests were wide-ranging. An Auburn football fan, he also enjoyed fly-fishing, bird-hunting, vacations to Roatan, Honduras, and weekends at his parent’s home on Lay Lake, even while finding time to serve on the board of the YMCA’s Camp Cosby. A steady, stalwart Episcopalian, he was a member of the Cathedral Church of the Advent, a staunch member of the Church’s Cursillo community, and a regular attendee at the Advent’s annual Lenten Lunches series.
Tripp listed C.S. Lewis and John Irving as among his favorite authors, although, lest he be accused of being too cerebral, was also known to frequently visit The Onion’s website as well and declared Nacho Libre to be among his favorite movies. The same could be said for his musical tastes. They ranged from Kinky Friedman and Parliament-Funkadelic to John Prine and the Grateful Dead.
Tripp, however, was far more than simply an attorney, a BSC graduate, an outdoorsman, an Episcopalian, or even a Kinky Friedman fan. In fact, the most common accolade bestowed upon Tripp was that “he is the nicest guy that I know” – and few would disagree. Even in his last days, his most common sentiment expressed to visitors was “please let everyone know that I am thinking of them . . .”
And although his circle of friends was amazingly widespread, he was first and foremost a family man. Already blessed with devoted parents and a loving sister, he married the great love of his life, Julie Austin Dorrough, on May 13, 2000, in a marriage that produced two lovely daughters. Tripp and Julie adopted their eldest, Mary Austin, from China and, afterwards, were blessed with the birth of their second daughter, Jane.
Tripp battled cancer for a year and a half before moving on to the next stage of his life’s journey on the morning of Thursday, November 17, 2011. Services for Tripp Head will be on Sunday afternoon, November 20, at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in downtown Birmingham. Visitation will begin at 1:00 p.m. CST and the memorial service will begin at 3:00 p.m. CST.
Earlier, Tripp had posted on his Facebook page that “[t]he light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it.” Even today, even in the wake of Tripp’s passing, that same light shines – thanks to the faithful example that Tripp shared with us while he was with us.
