A man who became one of the most renowned attorneys in the world was born in Mason County.
According to local historian Ron Bailey, Thomas Fryman Jr. was born in Maysville on April 9, 1940 to Virgil Thomas and Elizabeth Louis Marshall Fryman.
He attended Maysville High School and graduated in 1958. From there, he went on to attend Harvard University. After graduation, he attended Harvard Law School and graduated in 1966.
Bailey said Fryman then began working for Cravath, Swaine and Moore Law Firm.
“When the Mason County native graduated from Harvard Law School he joined the very well-known law firm in New York, City, Cravath, Swaine & Moore. During his time with the firm, he spent six years prosecuting white-collar crimes as an assistant US attorney for the Southern District of New York,” he said.
While in New York City, Fryman also reconnected with a friend who grew up in Washington, Chris Frantz. Frantz was the drummer for the Talking Heads and later the Tom Tom Club.
“Just think after long days in the law office, Thomas Fryman always made time to stop by the famed punk rock club CBGB to see his friend. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group asked Mr. Fryman to be their manager, but his due to his long hours in his legal career, he declined but he was a lifelong fan of the band,” Bailey said.
According to Bailey, Fryman continued his work with Price-Waterhouse Coopers as associate general counsel. He was then hired for a joint House and Senate committee to investigate the Iran-Contra scandal in the late 1980s.
He returned to Kentucky in 1988 and joined the law firm of Greenbaum Doll and McDonald.
“His love of music was very evident in his life, not only the Talking Heads but all music as he was a member of board of the Lexington Philharmonic and a trustee of the school in Lexington,” Bailey said.
Fryman passed away on July 10, 2014. He was buried in the Marshall Cemetery on Federal Hill.
