A memorial service will be Thursday for Salt Lake attorney David K. Watkiss, 72, who died Monday, April 28, 1997, at University Hospital of complications from pneumonia.
The service for Mr. Watkiss, who was involved in some well-known legal cases, will be held at 10 a.m. in First Presbyterian Church, 12 C St. Entombment will follow at Larkin Sunset Lawn Mausoleum, 2350 E. 1300 South.Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Larkin Sunset Lawn Mortuary at the same address.
For nearly 47 years, Mr. Watkiss practiced law, becoming prominent in local, national and international legal communities. He was a member of the firm of Watkiss Dunning & Watkiss and had worked up until two weeks ago. He was first associated with the firm Pugsley, Hayes, Rampton and Watkiss.
Mr. Watkiss represented Boeing Aircraft Co. after a 727 jet crashed Nov. 11, 1965, at the Salt Lake Airport, claiming the lives of 43 passengers.
The attorney successfully defended Boeing against claims that the aircraft, new on the market, had been poorly designed and manufactured. The case was the first in the world involving a 727 jet where the case went to trial, according to Mr. Watkiss' son, attorney David B. Watkiss.
He said his father also represented the group that came to acquire Northwest Pipeline Corp. The case was ultimately concluded in 1974 after a 17-year battle that went to the U.S. Supreme Court four times.
A native Utahn, David K. Watkiss was graduated in 1949 with a bachelor of science degree and received his juris doctorate the same year from the University of Utah Law School. He was admitted to the Utah Bar in 1950, honored with membership in the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, International Society of Barristers and the American College of Trial Lawyers. He was the recipient of an Alumni of the Year Award from the U. Law School.
