Local attorney honored with posthumous portrait

Cady Davis, News-Topic, Lenoir, N.C.
·2 min read

Jul. 14—LENOIR — Friends, family, judges, and current and former members of the bar gathered in Courtroom 5 at the Caldwell County Courthouse in downtown Lenoir on Friday (July 14) to commemorate the late attorney Linda Gwynn Hebel. Those who knew Linda well spoke about her kindness, her patience, and her conscientious dedication to all of her clients.

At the end of the meeting, Linda's sister, Elizabeth Hebel Shaw, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Clerk of Court Angela Kidd unveiled the beautiful portrait of Linda that will hang in the courthouse.

Linda passed away on June 1, 2022 at Brian Center in Hickory.

According to her obituary, she was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on May 24, 1943. Her father worked for the federal government, so during her childhood, her family lived in Connecticut, New York, and the country of Jamaica.

She graduated from Cornell University receiving an AB in Government; from Syracuse University earning a Masters in Political Science; and from American University, Washington College of Law, a Juris Doctor. During her time in Washington, D.C., she worked for the Department of Education (DOE) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Admitted to the N.C. State Bar in 1974, Linda became the first female licensed to practice law in Caldwell County. She practiced civil law in Lenoir with the late Ted Douglas, who she later married. From 1978-1979, she served as president of the Caldwell County Bar Association.

In addition to the law, Linda was committed to volunteer work. She was instrumental in establishing the League of Women Voters of Caldwell County, and in 2016, she received the 15-year service award from Senior's Health Insurance Information Program. She was a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Catawba Valley.

After family and friends, some of her favorite things included tomatoes, ice cream, dark chocolate, gardening, visiting the Hebel family farm in Pennsylvania, attending the Crow-Hebel family reunion, walking along the Blue Ridge Parkway, reading nonfiction, listening to NPR, the color yellow, dogs, and tea parties with young friends.

Linda's place of internment is Hunter's Valley Cemetary, Buffalo Township, Pennsylvania.