It is with great sadness that Bass, Berry & Sims announces the passing of our esteemed colleague and friend E. Bruce Foster, Jr. on March 7, 2025. Bruce was a founding member of the firm’s Knoxville, Tennessee office in 1991, and Bruce continued to serve as a leader of the Knoxville office for many years. Bruce also served as general counsel to the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority for almost 30 years and was a key member of the leadership team at the Airport Authority in a period of unprecedented growth.
In addition to his leadership role, Bruce had a successful legal career concentrated on general business law, litigation matters and mediation. He was certified as a mediator by the Tennessee Supreme Court under Rule 31 and certified by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee.
“Bruce was a great colleague, friend, leader and lawyer,” said Mark Mamantov who worked alongside Bruce for nearly 30 years. “If you had the opportunity to work with Bruce, you knew him to be a consummate gentleman and a person of the highest ethical standards. I feel privileged to have worked with him for so long and join with my colleagues in mourning his passing.”
Bruce was involved in many civic organizations, serving as president of the Knoxville Bar Association and president of the Young Lawyers Conference of the Tennessee Bar Association. He served in the Tennessee State Constitutional Convention of 1977, and from 1980-1981, he served as a Special Justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court during Lamar Alexander’s administration. Bruce was a member of the Tennessee Supreme Court Historical Society; the Tennessee Appellate Court Nominating Commission; the Lex Mundi College of Mediators; and the Hamilton Burnett Inn of the American Inns of Court, which had designated him as a Master of the Bench. In addition to his work with legal organizations, he also served on a number community boards, including the Greater Knoxville Chamber of Commerce, the Public Building Authority, the Central YMCA and United Way of Greater Knoxville, where he also served as General Counsel.
Bruce earned a law degree (1958) and an undergraduate degree (1956) from the University of Tennessee.
We extend our thoughts and condolences to Bruce’s family and friends. A full obituary and memorial details can be found here.